Once in a while adrenaline takes over or by some misfortune one crosses the path of a drunk idiot of a driver or happen to be in a freak accident or many other scenarios whether in Motorcycle riding or in sports such as Rugby, the art of falling comes by default. The act of the human body meeting the ground is mandatory and will not occur just once. I felt compelled to write this so as to give pointers to my fellow riders and rugby players based on my experiences

Rule 1: in anticipation of a fall always take a quick glance at your sides (side mirrors) and instinctively plan your fall. This may help avoid ‘after fall’ incidents e.g. Motorcyclist may avoid incoming cars from running over them
Rule 2: When falling cross your arms and spread the impact zone. This helps to distribute the pressure points and eventually reduce injuries common with falling e.g. Broken bones. We have seen many dislocate shoulders or break arms for when they were falling they landed arm first which cushioned much of the impact
Rule 3: if well and alive jump up and get back on the horse.. The earlier the better.. With the fall & injuries incurred it is assumed experience has nurtured your instincts..

So smile & wave & show the scars as trophies..

Introduction

Public Emergency Broadcasts are used to reach out to the public to inform them of a certain vital emergent issue e.g. Hurricanes, Typhoons, flooding and epidemics.

SEWS design is to supplement the current systems in place e.g. Emergency Radio & TV broadcasts, leaflets, town hall meetings etc. It can be used as a reactionary measure after observations made through an Early Warning System require the need to inform the public of a potential and current serious health situation in an affected region. Once a serious health situation calls for the need to reach out to the public, SEWS could be used to pass on the necessary message with great ease and automation.

The SEWS project is proposed to target migratory persons and the local people. This is with the notion that it is more likely for an individual to access their mobile phones than their radio or TV.

People on the move may not be aware of the imminent situation in an area hence SEWS may adequately inform them hence may eventually reduce the spread of the epidemic to other regions.

A good case in point is the current Swine Flu situation. If every mobile phone user during the dawn of the epidemic received information through the proposed SEWS, the spreading rate of the pandemic may have reduced probably significantly since information is sent and received immediately rather than it being received through the usual media i.e. TV, Radio and Newspapers which could be time costly.

With the advent of mobile telephony and the market penetration having deeply entrenched across the world, the mobile phone handset together with the complementary services provided have seen it become more than a social asset but more of a necessity.

Concept

The concept is simple; information rich SMS shall be sent to mobile phone handsets within a certain boundary with messages specifically targeting the area on a specific emergent serious health issue.

The SMS shall only be sent to mobile handsets within a certain boundary which shall be marked out by base stations. Once an mobile handset user enters within the boundary the mobile phone user immediately gets an SMS to inform or advice of the emergent situation in the area e.g. if a traveller is to enter into Mexico, once they have passed the border they shall receive an SMS informing them of the Swine Flu situation and advising them which precautions to undertake. The SMS content can be more specific in that if the traveller is in Mexico City the information received in La Paz in Mexico

City, may be different than the information received while they were in Tultitlan which is still in

Mexico City. This is due to the different experiences in the different regions and it is preferable to make the information as localised as possible so as to make it more relevant.

Components of SEWS

SEWS is to be comprised of in 2 parts

1. Data Collection
2. Information Dissemination

1. Data Collection

Data collected from the ground is to be sent to a Central Data Management Centre (CDMC) for analysis which shall be scrutinised by experts who shall then recommend on the messaging. The data may be primary or secondary data. Secondary data is to be only collected from partnering with specific medical or governmental institutions. The CDMC shall maintain a database which shall provide basic related information on the affected region e.g. contacts and location of the closest Emergency Response Services institutions, specialist doctors etc.

2. Information Dissemination

On receiving data from the ground, the CDMC shall then decide on the need to disseminate the information and if so which final message is to be sent out to the public after thorough scrutiny and confirmation.

The message to be disseminated should achieve at least one of the following objectives

1. Inform: the user will be welcomed into the area and informed of the current situation which necessitated he/she have to read through the SMS. This should be done in a sensitive considerate manner so as to avoid sparking any panic in the public.
2. Advice: the user shall be advised on the necessary steps to take e.g. what precautions to take, if suspecting of have been infected then what steps should the person take
3. Educate: the user shall be educated of the pandemic (symptoms) and hence shall be more vigilant plus will feel more at ease due to the availability of information.

The message content may contain amongst other

• The emergent health situation e.g. Cholera outbreak in Laini Saba village, Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya
• Precautionary information e.g. in the case of Cholera, hygiene and proper food preparation may be encourage
• Advice to the affected e.g. steps to take once suspected to be infected and location and contacts of nearest health centre.

So using the above information and scenario, the final SEWS message may be phrased as

“CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN LAINI SABA VILLAGE, KIBERA. Please practice proper hygiene. Clean your food well before cooking. Dispose all waste properly. If affected, please report to Mbagathi District Hospital or call 999.” [SEWS: KIBERA]

Efficiency of SEWS

The beauty of mobile communication is its ability to segment a region into smaller cells hence enhancing the ability of just reaching out to the one’s specifically being targeted. The Mobile carrier chops up a region into cells. Each cell is typically sized at about 26 square kilometres. Cells are normally thought of as hexagons on a big hexagonal grid. Each cell has a base station that consists of a tower and a small building containing the radio equipment. The coverage area of each base station forms a virtual boundary within a segmented region, hence facilitating reaching mobile phone users in a specific cell without sending a blanket message to all Mobile Phone Company users.

One crucial and vital impressive nature of the proposed system is its automation. Even if a mobile phone user is not talking on their phone, their phone is constantly sending and receiving information with the base station within its vicinity. The reason for this communication between the phone and the base station is so that the mobile phone system knows which mobile network the user’s phone is in, and so that their phone can change base station cells as one moves around. Every so often, the mobile phone and the base station will exchange a packet of data that lets both of them know that everything is OK. It is during this communication that once a base station in the affected area identifies a new mobile phone in its vicinity an SMS will be automatically sent to the mobile phone to inform the mobile phone user of the area’s emergent Health situation.

Information received through SMS is instant, straight to the point and can be saved for future reference. With it being implemented on a mobile phone technology it means the information received through SEWS shall be within easy reach to the user. Even if the user is to have switched their mobile phones off, they shall still eventually receive the message once the phone is turned on.

Management of SEWS

All these shall be controlled from a centralised location which preferably would be a government institution, either a Medical or Emergency Preparedness Ministry or a specialised Government body.

The government can opt to install its own infrastructure or form partnerships with private companies to effectively provide the service.

Speed, Accuracy and Efficiency shall be vital aspects during the management of SEWS. Speed in terms of Time worthiness of the information, Accuracy in terms of the specifics of the information are totally correct and Efficiency in terms of once beginning transmission the SEWS system should be relaying information with minimum or no disruptions.

Conclusion

SEWS main role is to supplement the main systems at hand to handle Health Emergency situations.

It is simple, straight forward and cost effective. With the rapid spread of Mobile telephony and the reducing costs of communication, vital information will be guaranteed to reach necessary target group with improved assurance of successful delivery.

In improved infrastructural and economical conditions, SEWS could be enhanced to be able to transmit Multi‐Media Messaging Service (MMS) or Enhanced Messaging Services (EMS), which can be able to transmit more illustrated and comprehensive messages.

With the current information craved society, SEWS shall bridge the gap between the public, health experts and governments and in turn save many lives and reduce national medical costs while controlling the epidemic. With this system an epidemic may be restricted to one locale (an outbreak), and eventually preventing a more general “epidemic” or even global pandemic.

Appendix

1. GSM World Coverage as at 2009

   

   GSM Global Network Coverage 2009

2. Swine Flu World Map

   

   World : Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 affected countries and deaths, status as of 21-Mar-2010

New Media's Ubiquity

Imagine this, the year is 1912 and you are a Newspaper Journalist, and you hear of an invention called the RADIO & its great potential in journalism, wouldn’t you be worried? Now imagine, the year is 1950 and you are a radio journalist and there is a huge buzz about the latest invention called TELEVISION, would you have panicked? Journalism is a profession that has undergone a Darwinian process of evolution, from the talking drums and smoke signals to town criers and information posters to telegrams and newspapers to radio and television and now the internet and mobile telephony.

New or advanced technologies are often seen as a hindrance or a threat by what may be perceived as already “established” professions  e.g. Computers to the “then” Secretary with her loyal typewriter, the  digital watch to the “then” watch maker, the tractor to the “then”  farmer with his hoe  etc. This article is in relation to the current to be “then” journalist to his/her pen. Gone are the days of writing stories in shorthand and typing them later in the newsroom. Technology has been creeping into all professions and hasn’t spared the fourth estate and this is witnessed in all levels and departments i.e. from editorial to printing, from news gathering to news dissemination etc . It’s purpose has become synonymous with the everyday operations of a media house. This has presented an opportunity to Media Houses to use it as an excuse to layoff “unskilled” staff and streamline their operations. In addition new technologies have presented a ubiquitous approach to access news i.e. through mobile phones either by SMS, News Apps or mobile Internet, Computers i.e. through websites, blogs, email newsletters etc. But to be fair to Media Houses, Samantha Spooner, a New Media practising journalist from a prominent Kenyan media house, states that some media houses are forced to invest in their staff to bring them up to speed but the reality of the situation is that following strict editorial policy for so long has made them resistant to this evolution. She continues further to indicate that

it has been a long time since such an evolution revolution occurred and they aren’t as dynamic as before!

To repeat Erik Hersmans’ (WhiteAfrican.com)words

Those who create, develop and invest in new technologies are the ones who write the rules of tomorrow.

As much as we acknowledge the presence and purpose of such technology whether software or hardware, journalists are yet to fully or partially explore its potential. In recent training workshops on Development Journalism sponsored by UNDP, the session on New Media seemed to be an eye opener and a beginners class on New Media rather  than a deliberation of  how New Media can be used in sparring  Development Journalism. This is where it came to my realisation that as much as we know of somethings availability do we really know what it really is and how it can be used to one’s advantage? During the training sessions, we came to see how elaborating to the journalist  with the basic knowledge of New Media empowers them to improve their methodology in reporting in terms of increased news collection,  faster dissemination and improve creativity. Kenyan reporters are dynamic, versatile and resilient and I witnessed this in Mombasa earlier in the year where in the middle of a workshop journalists armed with a mobile phone, camera and a laptop were able to stay attentive in the training sessions while gather and send stories back to their respective news rooms. As I witnessed this impressive sight I could not help but wonder whether a huge majority Kenyan Journalists operate similarly to caged fleas that are not aware of how far they can jump.

Sadly for the profession as Aly Khan Satchu (Rich.co.ke) states,

journalists and the media in general urgently need to comprehend the New World.

He was in particular referring to New Media facilitating for Citizen Journalism to flourish for it is more grassroots’ and does not require much skill to execute.

To show the importance of New/Social Media in the journalism realm a research carried out in the UK carried out by iCD research suggest that a majority of people turn to the news website for breaking news. Interestingly you will notice Social Media is in second place in ranking.

Which news sources online do you use for breaking news and up-to-date information?

Many journalists in Kenya or developing nations as a whole highly assume that the use of new technologies applies to corporate news rooms with big budgets and view it more of a personal privilege than a very near future necessity hence ignoring as how they can use it to their own individual & professional advantage. With organisations ever looking for ways of cost cutting, reduction of labour costs is usually the immediate technique. With this in mind the journalists should be aware of their corporate operations and plan to be steps ahead before such fate befalls them due to their lack of knowledge and skills to operate in highly evolving working environments.

In my previous articles I mentioned a few new technological tools that could be used to improve productivity & where they being used with success. To narrow down on practical situations we can look at it from the chain of operation from which news moves from collection to dissemination.

News Gathering and Research:

Traditionally collection and  is undertaken by observation and recording by either writing or recording through video camera or recorders in scenarios such as interviews, press conferences,  incidents and events. In my previous article “New Media + Journalism = National Development?” I conducted interviews through Twitter and Email and with great success. Recently I held an interview and meeting with Masters Students from UK over Video conferencing via Skype for over two hours and later continued interacting via Twitter and email. Journalists can also use New Media and Social Media to create a contact list e.g. an airline company has crashed and there is a huge debate about mechanical failure, you as a journalist are seeking for professional or an experts point of view, one can use sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter to communicate or get the contacts of an Aeronautical engineer either locally or abroad. LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site mainly used for professional networking. Social Media websites like Foursquare can prove to be useful when searching for persons who are located in a certain location of interest e.g. you as a journalist are in Mombasa and you have received information of an on going social event of huge significance in Nairobi, one may use FourSquare to know who is at the location and be able to contact them and get their eyewitness accounts of the event.

New Media can also be used to observe which topics are of interest to the potential news consumers. A perfect local example is the recent “Makmende” craze. Just-A-Band, a local Music band produced a video and published it on YouTube and it was marketed on Twitter and Facebook. The video link spread around the social media like a virus and eventually it became a News Topic on the TV, Radio and newspapers.

In a world where Breaking News, Press Releases and other content is being released first via tools such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook etc by Corporate organisations for their press releases on quarterly reports, profits and loss reports, celebrities with their album launches, events and their never ending sagas etc these avenue should be thoroughly be taken advantage of by the future journalist. Classic examples are Tiger Woods and Chris Brown released his apology statements via YouTube and Twitter and this was caught by savvy journalists who reported on it immediately.

Publishing:

New Media has provided several mediums to be taken advantage of journalists from all fields i.e. print and broadcast.

Blogs:

These are websites (or part of) that are usually used as a journal. This journal can be used to share news stories, commentaries, reviews or even personal stories. The published stories usually enable readers to comment on the published stories. Examples of free blogging website include WordPress and Blogspot. They allow private users to create, manage and run their own blogs.

On completing my previous articles on New Media and Journalism, I immediately published my pre-edited version on my blog on WordPress. The articles were now accessible to anyone who was seeking information based on the articles. Blogs usually allow for the incorporation of multimedia content i.e. photos, video or podcasts. Journalists can use this as their own “fully fledged Media House”.

Successful blogs tend to create a loyal readership and usually has subscribers and can prove to be influential. Such an example of is The Huffington Post which is a News Blog owned by Arianna Huffington who has contracted several columnists and contributors. Sadly in Kenyan blogging scene, the most influential bloggers are not journalists. They include WhiteAfrican.com, KenyanPundit.com, MosesKemimbaro.com, Kahenya.com to name a few. During the 2008 Post Election violence, Kenyan blogs proved a vital source of information with bloggers sharing their views and observations while incorporating audio-visual content, and facilitated comments from readers.

Other mediums for publishing print/image content include websites such as Demotix which is a website whose goal is publishing user-generated news. Demotix is a citizen journalism website and photo agency that offers for user-generated stories to be published and even can facilitate for stories and photos to be purchased from the website on behalf of the journalist.

Webcasting:

Using Wikipedia’s definition, a webcast is a media file distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webcasting is “broadcasting” over the Internet. This applies to both Audio and Visual content. This implies that one can set up a radio or TV station through the internet.

Several facilities are available for free or at a charge. Ustream and LiveStream are examples of websites that facilitate for live streaming by registered users. They are an interactive broadcast platform that enables anyone with an Internet connection and a camera to engage their audience in a meaningful, immediate way. It facilitates for the user to broadcast to an audience of unlimited size either as Live Broadcast or Recorded. Registered users are allowed to create their own channels for their content and at no charge. In the local scenario journalists can use such a facility to broadcast live events such as rallies, conferences, talk shows, sports events etc. They can even take it further and be broadcasting

daily news programs. UStream for example has been used in Kenya to transmit live events by organisations such as iHub (ICT innovation laboratory in Nairobi) and 1% Club (organisation that advocates volunteering 1% of oneself for a good cause) to name a few.  This facility goes a step further by facilitating the transmitter to interact with their viewers by either Chat, Twitter or comments.

You Tube and Vimeo on the other hand are examples of social video websites used to upload, share, store, download and comment on user-generated videos and they are free to use. Both websites can not be used to transmit live content.

Photojournalists should not feel left out. Flickr, Picasaweb, Photobucket, Demotix and DeviantArt are some of the mediums available to showcase their photojournalism skills. Demotix and DeviantArt also facilitate for the sale of photographs on behalf of the registered user.

Podcasting:

A podcast is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released by episodes and can be downloaded to PC’s or portable devices by subscribers. The owner of the podcast can decided to either charge for the podcasts or offer it for free. This is a favourable way to listen to user-generated content especially to news or other programs due to its ability to be accessed offline after it has been downloaded.

Dissemination

Publishing one’s story doesn’t mean the end the cycle is over. As stated earlier while using New Media one should consider themselves as a mini media House, hence the next step should be marketing. You can publish all the stories you want but who will read them if you can market yourself? A prominent editor from the Daily Nation commented on the workshop on how he uses New Media such as Social Media to reach out to potential readers. He stated that within the first hour of advertising his article he has already many hits and several comments about the article, and this is before the article is even published in the following day’s paper. Use of New Media and Social Media for dissemination and advertising oneself can have a profound effect especially if the content is consistently of high standards. Use of avenues such as Social Media has the potential of creating Grapevine referrals which can go far and wide in the virtual world. This usually may result to increased readership and subscription to one’s New Media stations i.e. either Blogs, Webcasting Channels, Podcasts etc. The journalist can go a step further and institute a periodic Newsletter to subscribers.

Gadgets

iPad & iPhone

In terms of equipment, many portable equipment is available for use which are simple to carry and use. These include digital camera, digital recorder, laptop and a mobile phone. But with the latter becoming more and more sophisticated, it is becoming much easier for the journalists to operate due to the reduction in weight in carrying much equipment. A good example is the iPhone which in it are a recorder, camera, Notepad and internet and very many other Apps which could be useful to the journalism field. Now with the introduction of the iPad, relevance of tool such as a Laptop or a computer may be dimming.  It’s not only Apple products with these capabilities. Others include Blackberry, Samsung, LG products. Some of these gadgets may seem expensive but the long-term value from its use will surpass it. Alternatively there are other competing gadgets that may offer near similar functionalities at a fairer price.

With the availability of gadgets which are practical in all ways from News Gathering to Dissemination, operating as a journalist seems to be highly simplified. But at a different look, if incorporating New Media is not taken advantage off by the profession, this has also simplified anyone to practice Citizen Journalism from the palm of their hands hence increasing competition to an already cut throat competitive field.

Rules of using New Media for Journalism

1. Keep a record. This could either be through a recording or paper trail especially if it is used for interviewing purposes. Skype for example allows for one to record a call (either video or audio). Same applies to Yahoo Messenger which allows archiving of chat messages.
2. Distinguish between Professional and Social use of New Media. If interested in using New Media for professional purposes then create different profiles which potential subscribers can gain access to without them having to access your personal information. A good example is journalists from CNN usually add the organisations name to their profile name on Social Media networks so as to distinguish their professional to personal accounts.
3. Be responsible. Publishing is publishing, no matter the media used to broadcast. Recently a Senior Editor at CNN resigned after publishing a “controversial” tweet. It is due to this oversight by the editor that the irresponsible use of less than 140 characters was enough to send her packing besides having been with the media house for many years and was respected by the journalism community and the public.

Advantages of using New Media

• One of the main advantages is the increased ownership of content with no or minimum editing from a third-party. The journalist’s point of view can be well projected without it being subjected to other party’s contribution.
• New Media can also be used as a medium for journalists to publish the stories which did not see the light of day in their respective media houses.
• If very well established in the New Media environment the journalists can use this as a means for additional income by charging subscribers to access premium content and also sale of material e.g. photographs and stories. Some blogs have proved to be able to pull large readership that they have been able to attract sponsors and advertisers, case in point The Huffington Post.
• Professional standards tend to improve since some of the mediums allow for feedback from consumers e.g. a published article in a blog may attract comments which may provide positive criticism, request for in-depth look into the story or even contribute and suggest  a new story. Since New Media rides on a ubiquitous medium called the internet it lengthens the Journalists reach of operation e.g. you could be based in Garissa but interview a person of interest based in Japan through Skype. This in the end improves the quality of stories to be published.
• Increased Creativity. The ability to use a multimedia approach to a News story gives a journalist many options on being creative.
• Use of New Media carries with it very low costs. Since most facilities offer free services, much of the charge is carried out by communication channel providers i.e. ISPs or Telephony companies.
• Above all, New Media does not require much skill to operate. And this also facilitates for easier and faster publishing and dissemination of stories. New Media can be operated from simple devices as mobile phones from the Collection to Dissemination point.

In his article “20 Kenyan web and tech innovations worth watching”, Mark Kaigwa mentions some Fast Facts on Kenya:

• Kenya has the 7th highest Facebook population in Africa with an estimated 760 000
• The CIA Fact book reports that Kenya has a 85% literacy rate
• There are an estimated 4-million Kenyans online of Kenya’s 40-million population
• Mobile internet subscribers stand at 1,98-million according to the Communications Commission of Kenya’s latest figures

With these quoted facts and about an additional approximate 14 million mobile subscribers, aint this a clear indication that the Kenyan journalist still has a wide playing field out of the traditional media channels? With Digital broadcasting switchover quickly approaching and the fibre optic cable being laid across the country and the 4 undersea fibre optic cables arriving into the country, the everyday Kenyan journalist’s potential is yet to be tested.

Characteristics of the Future Journalist

Though I am advocating for New Media journalism I should make it clear that there are certain characteristics which shall define the future journalist and these include

• Dynamic
• Open minded
• Innovative
• Analytical
• Understand pros and cons

Besides these characteristics the journalist should stick to the professional basic fundamentals which include

• Journalism ethics
• Critical thinking & judgement
• Critical Reading, Research and analysis
• Professional reporting and writing skills

To prove the viability of all the above, I have conducted much of this story from my iPod Touch which has internet capability, accessed most of the above facilities. The interactions with the stated persons were via Twitter and email. This was done while at home, Banking Halls, reception areas, public vehicles etc and all it has cost me is time and battery charging. In fact most of my articles are generated and published from my iPod Touch.

If you ain’t with us already then it is with my hope that we shall be sharing notes on this topic soon after you have commenced.

]]> http://littlehacker.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/new-media-for-the-kenyan-journalist/feed/ 4 -1.274359 36.813106 -1.274359 36.813106 flyefi Network breaking news and up-to-date information source New Media 1 New Media 2 New Media 3 iPad & iPhone Kenya Future Journalist http://littlehacker.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/condemnation-of-israeli-aggression-on-flotilla/ http://littlehacker.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/condemnation-of-israeli-aggression-on-flotilla/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:57:18 +0000 efi http://littlehacker.wordpress.com/?p=165 ]]> With at least nine pro-Palestinian activists killed and many more were wounded in the raid on May 31 as Israeli naval commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara (the lead ship in a flotilla of six vessels which are carrying humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory) on international waters show how far Israel is willing to go in ensuring the Gaza blockage stands. Despite sparking a wave of global condemnation and protests Israel defends its actions wholly with no regret. This is great shame to a sovereign state using paranoia as a guide rather than common sense and humanitarian logic as a voice of reason.

Quoting Ahdaf Soueif excerpt from her article “Israel reveals its true face“

Each and every one of them ultimately believed that they were safe; that there was a boundary – call it a boundary of legality, a boundary of civilisation – that Israel would not cross. They were wrong. And in proving them wrong, Israel has revealed, once again, its true face to the world.

To quote Ahdaf further.. Israel is on a path of Self Destruction… and many agree with this point of view. With the numerous blunders either military, political, public relations or development based, the accumulative effect clearly indicates Israel has gone awry and this needs to be urgently addressed for it is just adding a pile of enemies and friends dwindling as the years pass. With the USA & UK still defending Israel and its policies, it is this leeway that Israel thinks it can get away with anything. It shocks further that as the UN Security Council called for impartial investigation in the series of events, USA had tried to push for Israel to run the investigation. Is USA really the global cop as it claims or is it just the Israeli protector and watchman and the world should not touch them?

One positive may come out of this sad incident and that is the World finding a ground to unit and condemn Israel with stronger language and actions and this may end up having a greater effect than Israel, USA or UK would have expected prior to this attack. This careless aggressive act has further justified the extremists and radicals to carry out  more in-discriminatory attacks around the world on Western interests in the name of Palestinian rights and Islamic fundamentalists taking advantage of this situation to create much more deadly chaos.

In this great embarrassment of a nation and its actions which I had really respected should rise up and take responsibility of its actions and know that time is ticking before it will find itself alone and surrounded and this time round they may not be lucky as in the previous wars which they defended themselves magnificently. The hostility they are raising may reach an intolerable peak and may indirectly start a fight they may not win. Lets pray and hope it may not reach such levels.

Mike on Chui....he climbed on his own in Syokimau

On the itinerary was the deep interior Syokimau to visit a close friend. The route has a varied terrain from very rugged and rocky sections with sharp-edged embedded rocks to slippery and loose rocks on the path which forced me to stand while riding throughout and which forced exercising great control from balancing to thrust control to clutch control…energy draining due to the distance… then to loamy sections which got slippery when it drizzled for only 10mins, how I nearly cursed but found myself smiling…. then some smooth flattened sections which were great for cruising but not as exciting… but whose complaining about variety…variety eradicates monotony…which is equal to lots of fun!

Next on agenda was to attend an overnight barbecue by the Nairobi National Park @ an event called “KegFest in the Wild” which was organised by my close friend Eddie who runs an outfit called Shanghai Teleport. Due to delays I was forced do ride in the night but didn’t see the reason to budge about it…riding in a full moon by the National Park in a rough road with a spectacular view and animals running around…that is tear jerking! I began journey @ 8.30pm and cruised around an amazingly jam packed Mbagathi Road on a Saturday Night!!! Due to my excitement to reach the rough roads I got impatient and rode on the side path which was obviously not tarmacked but at least it was way much faster than following a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam. When I finally reached the T junction @ Africa Nazarene University you could even hear Chui’s anticipation… The journey from here forward was spectacular! The view of the distant hills on all sides…Ngong’ Hills, Kilimambogo, Lukenya..and the plains of National Park with the full moon lit sky as a backdrop… the sight of beautiful Nairobi from a far…Dik Diks, wild hares running around after being startled by the grant of a 4-valve engine, what more could u ask for…and Chui met Twiga!! The majestic giraffe which didn’t give a nudge when I stopped so close to it to have a much much much closer view as it slowly continued browsing the Acacia trees. It was so tempting to touch it, but it began to pee and that was a major turn off. But I got wondering.. Was it deaf???? Or did I stink like a giraffe and thought I was a friendly?? After gazing @ its  beauty for some minutes I remembered it was past 9pm and I’m in the bush and you never know what larks in the “dark”..so off we continued. Since I didn’t know where the exact location for the event was and having a poor some sense of fear and major craving of adventure this was a perfect time for adventure.. During the search in the bush it didn’t take long to hear music which guided me to the venue. Many cars were in the parking and there was a large gathering in the villa and what a great crowd it was. What a great night it was.

Supplies dwindled fast and in an erratic manner and I being the sober one had to take night rides to Rongai Shopping Centre for refills. Made 3 trips in total with the last trip being @ 3am in the night… the view was still breathtaking 4 me to think twice and finding new animals on the road or in the bush just added flavour to the to-and-fro trips.

FUN FUN FUN.... (didn't have an actual pic so here's an example of what was experienced)

After a successful evening the morning lit up what we couldn’t see in the night..the road was more rugged than I had perceived… I was in shock.. but this didn’t stop me from trying new tricks on the road.. I was finally able to stand on the motorcycle with 2 feet on the seat while it was in motion…. (pls don’t try this @ home if not dreaming).. It was exhilarating!! Sadly no pics..maybe nxt time!! Can’t wait for another off-road road trip!!

Sadly all thrill have their levels of pain…earlier on Monday I had a nasty crash between Mbagathi Road and Strathmore University on the rough earth road after a typical Kenyan Driver suddenly brakes and swerves his Toyota Rav4 towards my direction and blocks my path…. as much as I braked the rear wheel clamped and skid.. Thankful for my rugby days in learning how to fall… Plus the accident was a test on the Helmet which didn’t get a scratch and my head didn’t get a bump or a scratch and was totally cushioned that my skin didn’t have any feeling of any impact! So fellow riders I want to recommend to you all the Altura Helmet …its perfect!! Chui got injured with the left side indicators getting damaged and a call for new tyres being observed, hopefully she may get well soon since there were no other dents or damages…she is one tough BEAST!

1. I like the way Helmets encourage Dental hygiene coz being stuck with awful breath for even a short ride can cause an accident….SAFETY FIRST! Brush u’r teeth.
2. Pretty girls with skimpy clothes and bright lights (including very light brown skin) are harmful to Bikers Health….Please wear shades to protect your eyes from the glitter & flashes and keep your concentration on the road…do not worry about what you have passed 4 it shall bring itself once u have parked…SAFETY FIRST! Play hard to get!
3. The sound of a 4 stroke or a 2 stroke engine can be therapeutic.. so ignore the boss and crank up that YouTube Motorcycle channel and video and SMILE & swear that your productivity is increasing 2-fold because of it… Tell him or her that seeing a Suzuki Hayabusa clocking 390KPH with ease and MCN Magazine showing you how to do a wheelie motivates u daily…
4. Bikes being feline in nature but they have no problem if you see other bikes…so its the near perfect chick….though she may ask for attention @ times and at times we don’t like it when many people “handle” her..

Rift Valley Festival

Commando Mission??? Yes, Commando….if you saw my tent you’d fully understand. After a wonderful morning @ Mindspeak @ Westgate, I dashed to Fisherman’s Camp @ Naivasha for the most anticipated event of the month.. i.e. the Rift Valley Festival . It had began on the Friday but being a Saturday means I dint miss much. Quickly picked my tent and bag and off I went by public transport (so counting the days). Wished I could take Chui with me….would have been totally thrilling…

We arrived at the town at about 4pm. The matatu just took an hour and 15 mins to reach Naivasha…  (Good or bad, depends on which angle you want to look @ it…) thankfully the Weatherman was wrong, but hey..who believes the Weatherman anyway?? Sadly had to grab another rickety matatu (don’t I hate this contraptions). After leaving the main stage with 14 people and as we trodded towards the destination, the conductor just kept on piling people into the vehicle until at one  point I counted 25 passengers..don’t even ask how we all fitted (#onlyinkenya).. sadly on the way I could hear the weatherman laughing at me for it had started to rain lightly. Luckily it only showered for 10 mins. By the time we arrived at the camp-site the it had long stopped.

Camping tent (aka Ninja Turtles) and gear

Finally I arrive and the first thing that had to be done appreciate the silence and change of environment from the concrete and potholed tar jungle. The clean air was quite refreshing especially with the spray of O3 (ozone) from the light rain..almost had an illicit drug effect. Lets not even comment about the view…the lake always is a site for any set of eyes. I could see cars and people streaming in and out of the camp, so clearly there was activity plus from afar I could hear the festival was going on judging from the sound of music and from what I could tell was the crowd cheering

There was lovely bunch at the entrance to welcome all to the grounds. Clearly I was late coz the party seemed to have already started and was already mid-way. So 1st things 1st… clear with groundsmen …Next … Pitch tent… then get sucked into the crowd…. BUT WAIT…did they just say beer is 200/= ?????? Mission Objective altered.. New co-ordinates and instruction: Search 4 the nearest pub and and create a Mini-Bar in tent 2 stock up 4 the LONG night .. This though meant trekking but luckily not far. the kind ladies @ the Cyber café nearby allowed me to charge my phone & iPod 4 a very very small fee..there are still a few good Kenyans out there. Once I gathered the stock I hopped I won’t be thought of as an alcoholic coz the bag was sagging and the bottles were clinking loudly..so to reduce weight I left a few bottles with the nice guys at the gate 2 keep them warm (always be nice 2 people @ the gate).

Tent Pitched: Clearly I was late .. look how crowded it got

Once the mini bar was set the next thing was to go through the programme as I mingled with the crowd.. The atmosphere was warming up and with the site of Just A Band, 6AM DJs and other International and Local artists made the mood even more lively. To elaborate clearly Rift Valley Festival’s main aim is to make a real difference to local communities by raising awareness and money to aid environmental improvement and community regeneration in Kenya. All profits from ticket sales and commodities sale such as drinks and paraphernalia will go directly towards supporting grassroots projects. All Artists performing at the festival volunteered to perform at the festival for free and based on the calibre of artists who made themselves available it was really quite encouraging. Plus it involved dancing and drinking for a good cause… I’m up for that anytime..

Kenyan Hip Hop Crew performing the song "Numba Nane!"

As dawn fell and people continued flowing in it is was just imminent that it was going to be a terrific night. Performances started getting more and more lively with the sounds of Ample Soundsystem, a local Hip Hop crew I can’t remember their name, Owinyisogoma, Dj Seb (totally respect this DJ) taking the crowd to paces… One thing about DJ Seb…he is the 1st DJ who I have ever heard who has incorporated Benga Music with Trance music..it was just amazing! I was torn without expressions on how to describe the motions from his music. I hope I can get his tracks from somewhere…oh pliz pliz. There’s a  Kenyan Afro Jazz band which came to perform and due to reasons I shall not disclose I can not remember their name…all I know they were so good especially the lady vocalists that she had to repeat a song again. Next up was a Tanzanian Reggae band which was really really really good. leave alone the songs were in Swahili and the band instrumentals were awesome..but what made it even more exciting was the lead singer was White! and his Swahili was so fluent I doubt my 8-4-4 system education could comprehend such fluent and flowing grammar and composition. It was basically Shairi with beats! Now the crowd was really up, dancing and pumping..

Next on stage was Just A Band…. if anyone was tired or exhausted they immediately forgot about their condition and rushed to be near the stage… The whole Just A Band crew was there together with the cast members of the video “Ha-He” including the lead character “Makmende”. Cries of “Makmende” from the crowd kept on ringing. Once they settled on stage they at first started without proper sound but in the midst of their performance everything became perfect. But the small interruptions weren’t noticeable for the instrumentals and the crowd singing to the tune kept the atmosphere charged. They performed singles from their last Album “82″ which is in a class of its own…for those who haven’t heard it please don’t let me point to you the directions where to get the album.

Fire-eater at the festival

Next up was 6AM DJ’s….. what can I say about them but that they are just the best DJ crew in Kenya. They specialise in Progressive Trance, House and Dance music and they have produced electric sound and also nurtured an international recognised Kenyan DJ called Jahawi who I have mad respect for, for he was able to break into a market that is difficult to break into and also at such an early age. If you thought Just-A-Band got people up, then I don’t know what to say of what effect 6AM had on the crowd… The

music, the dancing, the glow sticks,  the fire-eater …I could go on and on and on… We partied like there was no tomorrow…thankfully I had taken 3 Redbulls prior to this…but I think I had done a mistake coz Redbull is a accelerant and alcohol is a relaxant…didn’t realise the effect till much much later when I found myself trodding to my tent to sleep…and boy did I make

it in time to crash…last thing I remember was making calls, sending MMS’s, twitpics and twitter updates ..and people calling texting and asking why I didn’t tell them about the event…I didn’t know how to answer that one…I still don’t!

Sad sad sad...Leaving before the end ain't a good feeling

Morning comes (or was it afternoon??) and luckily no hangover..just happy thoughts from prior night (please note there are many blank  scenes).. Sadly couldn’t stay another night..Nairobi was calling…Darn darn darn… Anyway the Minibar was empty so might as well pack up and leave.

The journey ahead was discouraging…Exhaustion was creeping in. All I knew is I had to sadly pack and leave immediately as a potato sack in the crammed matatus before the weatherman has his day again…then wait till next year! But what a night it was!

Erik Hersman presenting about Ushahidi @ Mindspeak

Ushahidi has gone international and has been praised by many sectors of the modern society. It has been used in South Africa during the Xenophobic attacks, Congo violence, India elections, Pakistan violence, Haiti earthquake, Washington snowstorm and recently in Chile earthquakes. Locally Ushahidi has been rolled out to report Crime activity in Nairobi, Kenya through Hatari.co.ke

On technology start-ups Erik was quite straight about a few things

Build first, Money later

One should build their credibility and image so if one has an idea one should work on it and not concentrate on getting funding prior. In his opinion many techies tend to expect seed money first before developing their idea…and that’s how ideas die or someone else develops it before them. He gave the example of Ushahidi where it started from no funding, using volunteers free time which was weekends and nights. In the end the great product that came out of the skills, goodwill and passion of the volunteers gave them a good reputation and credibility. The fact that they made it Open Source and the way they launched did actually add reputation to their name and product.

Erik also happened to comment on one having to always be working on a concept even if it gains success. He gave a point in case of Safaricom’s MPESA which is a revolutionary concept he stated that it has great potential but at Safaricom’s pace don’t be surprised if someone else improves the concept to a much better improved service and take over the Mobile Cash transfer business in Kenya and maybe in the world.

White African explaining about Ushahidi

In this regard Ushahidi is always being improved with new ideas and modules being worked on. In order to improve the credibility of data gathererd from the different sources, Ushahidi have developed Swift River. SwiftRiver is a free and open source software platform that uses a combination of algorithms and crowdsourced interaction to validate and filter news.Swift River acts as the verifying filter for different channels (Twitter, email, news sites, blogs, and SMS) and is possible precisely because of the volume of information available from these sources.

Amongst his important advice to all, he suggested

In whatever you do make 80% normal and 20% edgy

The 20% may not produce any fruitful results but is has the potential to yield great results which may help in creating innovative and novice ideas.

Erik also spoke about iHub , Nairobi’s Innovation Hub for the technology community where  technologists, investors, tech companies and hackers with a focus on young entrepreneurs, web and mobile phone programmers and designers in the area can use the area as an open workspace. He described its objectives, potential and the dreams he has for this initiative. He dreams that with such initiatives and other innovations Nairobi could be the technology hub in Africa. He further insisted on the need of iHub to remain neutral in terms to the Technology partners they take up so as not to be deemed as partisan to specific platforms  hence locking out other potential areas.  One of iHub’s main agenda is to create an open environment to be innovative, creative and open doors for ideas to thrive since it can be considered as a pre-incubator.

Erik hopes that such hubs in Africa could create a network between themselves and elevate the technological potential in Africa before reaching out to other hubs around the world.The White African also indicated the need for a 1 Stop Shop on ICT here in Kenya and the void may need to be filled soon which he hoped someone would take up the initiative.

After the session Erik Hersman was kind enough to answer questions from the audience on any issue from ICT, Ushahidi, Venture Capitalism and his advise on various issues for upcoming techies.

All in all, Mindspeak with Erik Hersman was a good way to begin a weekend. Thanks Ali Khan Satchu, Rich.co.ke and Ushahidi for the inspiring talk and event.