Its a wet, windy afternoon and i'm seated at a park somewhere inside the central business district impatiently waiting for communication about a business deal from a colleague. As i watch hordes of people - as diverse and numerous as the insects that inhabit the earth - going about their business, i can't help but imagine the torrent of electronic messages, email or otherwise, that traverse the world's communication systems and infrastructure and how, as a double-edged sword, this invention has both been instructive and destructive.
Consider some of the statistics:An April 2010 estimate by Radicati Group put the total number of email messages sent daily at 294 billion! This means that, on average, 2.8 million emails were sent every second in 2010 and 90 trillion that same year. But here's the punch line: 90% of these messages were spam and viruses!
The number of text messages sent daily is just as gargantuan with some sources claiming that 4.1 billion text messages are sent every day in the U.S.
In Kenya, the numbers may not be as large, considering the smaller number of subscribers and mobile networks providing the text messaging service.There is, however, little doubt about the content of the bulk of text messages sent everyday and there needs to be developed an electronic way to curb the illegitimate use of this service. Personally, i have experienced a lot of 'bullying' via text messages, an occurrence that many a Kenyan will corroborate.I have always wondered how some third parties end up sending me messages about a promotion or party that i have no interest in whatsoever. I have tried to use a block list feature in vain because the originators of the text messages change their numbers about as often as i blink my eyes!
That much-anticipated text from my colleague finally made its way out of the queue into my inbox amid a sea of promotional and fraudulent text messages. As i stroll out of the park to my next engagement, i can't help but imagine how much more efficient, safe and private our methods of communication would be, devoid of the 90% or thereabouts of illegitimate content. We have to find an ingenious way to tackle this problem. We need to. Like an immigration official meticulously scanning the passports and belongings of thousands upon thousands of individuals aspiring to enter a country's borders, we need an electronic solution that combs through the multitude of SMS messages (and Emails) and weeds out the 'interlopers'. The current solutions have only scratched the surface.
Who will be the next Gates or Zuckerbug? A fortune awaits the innovator who can solve this conundrum once and for all
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
What ever happened to the innocuous conversations in matatus?
Initially, i used to see this phenomenon every day on my way to work.Its enthusiasts were mainly college students, presumably, on their way to class.Lately, this meme has crossed over to the working-class, dressed in neatly-pressed suits, well-fitted ties and ladies in skirt-suits and stockings.Thanks to the proliferation of MP3 players and FM Radio-enabled mobile phones this spectacle has extended to the office!
Today, as i await my daily ride to work in a ramshackle public transport vehicle, i can see a handful of them already 'plugged in' at the matatu terminus. With the chronic traffic jams that have become the norm of travel in Nairobi, no one can blame these earthlings for their peculiar behavior.In an increasingly solitary society, attempting to strike up a conversation -in an attempt to make the long, arduous rides to (or from) work more bearable- may be construed by some as a come on or even as an intrusion into 'me space'. So, we turn ourselves 'off' to the world around us and plug in those headphones or earphones. But, have we ever stopped one moment to consider the effects of this gadget on our health, relationships with others e.t.c. Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
Firstly, ear buds attach directly to the ears, decreasing the distance between the ear drum and the actual music.People are causing damage to their ears by listening to music at the same volume as if they were listening to headphones or from a stereo speaker.The closer the ear bud is to your inner ear, the more power you get, so the volume of music heard with headphones is much different from the volume of music heard using ear buds.
Furthermore, much research has shown a recent growing trend of noise-induced hearing loss, especially among young teens, due to exposure to loud volumes for long periods of time. They have lost the ability to hear higher frequencies, which can cause difficulty in following conversations when there is ambient noise.I am definitely a victim of noise-induced hearing loss much of which must have happened in high school during my daily commute to and from home.Majority of the matatus that plied the #23 route were known as 'mobile discotheques' for their obnoxiously loud music.We have God to thank that this no longer goes on for we would be wearing hearing aids by now
Secondly, besides the issue of loud music and the inherent risks it poses to the human ear, another issue of concern is the safety of the person wearing the headphones. One can walk around oblivious to the goings-on around them and this is dangerous. It is important for one to be appraised of their surroundings because only then can they know how to react, and react with speed, to a situation that arises and demands their urgent attention.
On the flip side, there are a handful of benefits brought about by digital music players such the as ability to listen to some inspirational music while jogging early in the morning, listen to a daily devotional or even help one prepare for an exam!
In the end, its not a debate about the technology but rather its use by those who adopt it. As long as the technology is used in a way that is mindful and respectful of other human beings (and self), there is a lot to reap from it.
Today, as i await my daily ride to work in a ramshackle public transport vehicle, i can see a handful of them already 'plugged in' at the matatu terminus. With the chronic traffic jams that have become the norm of travel in Nairobi, no one can blame these earthlings for their peculiar behavior.In an increasingly solitary society, attempting to strike up a conversation -in an attempt to make the long, arduous rides to (or from) work more bearable- may be construed by some as a come on or even as an intrusion into 'me space'. So, we turn ourselves 'off' to the world around us and plug in those headphones or earphones. But, have we ever stopped one moment to consider the effects of this gadget on our health, relationships with others e.t.c. Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
Firstly, ear buds attach directly to the ears, decreasing the distance between the ear drum and the actual music.People are causing damage to their ears by listening to music at the same volume as if they were listening to headphones or from a stereo speaker.The closer the ear bud is to your inner ear, the more power you get, so the volume of music heard with headphones is much different from the volume of music heard using ear buds.
Furthermore, much research has shown a recent growing trend of noise-induced hearing loss, especially among young teens, due to exposure to loud volumes for long periods of time. They have lost the ability to hear higher frequencies, which can cause difficulty in following conversations when there is ambient noise.I am definitely a victim of noise-induced hearing loss much of which must have happened in high school during my daily commute to and from home.Majority of the matatus that plied the #23 route were known as 'mobile discotheques' for their obnoxiously loud music.We have God to thank that this no longer goes on for we would be wearing hearing aids by now
Secondly, besides the issue of loud music and the inherent risks it poses to the human ear, another issue of concern is the safety of the person wearing the headphones. One can walk around oblivious to the goings-on around them and this is dangerous. It is important for one to be appraised of their surroundings because only then can they know how to react, and react with speed, to a situation that arises and demands their urgent attention.
On the flip side, there are a handful of benefits brought about by digital music players such the as ability to listen to some inspirational music while jogging early in the morning, listen to a daily devotional or even help one prepare for an exam!
In the end, its not a debate about the technology but rather its use by those who adopt it. As long as the technology is used in a way that is mindful and respectful of other human beings (and self), there is a lot to reap from it.
Friday, 1 April 2011
The abysmal hole in my heart i wish i could fill
It has been more than 30 years but i still find myself thinking about it...about him, everyday. It has become a vicious cycle: Swear to myself (falsely) that it's about time to leave the past where it belongs; experience flashbacks; begin to search for as much information as i can about him.Then, back to square one.
I have to get rid of this awful recollection about my father.Seriously. While i no longer harbor any feelings of hatred for him or his actions (Thanks to a lot of bible study and prayer), i must find a way of living my life without blaming my actions or my circumstances on someone else. It is time to raise that anchor and set sail!
I feel like an airline pilot flying through the clouds with a dysfunctional OBS; it's virtually impossible to find your way.Perhaps it would have been more tolerable if the hole in my heart was caused by an estranged lover.Perhaps.
In President Obama's 2009 father's day message, he recollected how growing up without a father left a hole in his heart. He went ahead to implore fathers everywhere - and the kids when they're older - to be involved in the lives of their own children. He spoke at length about how his father, Barack Obama Sr. , left home early. The future president was only 2 at the time and saw his dad only once more, at age 10, a short visit that still left a lasting imprint. "I had a heroic mom and wonderful grandparents who helped raise me and my sister, and it's because of them that i'm able to stand here today," he told a throng of youngsters and leaders of community organizations."But despite their extraordinary love and attention, that doesn't mean i didn't feel my father's absence. That's something that leaves a hole in a child's heart that no government can fill."
In candid terms, Obama said he promised himself he would not repeat his own father's mistakes. "Just because your father wasn't there for you, that's not an excuse for you to be absent also. Its all the more reason for you to be present," he told the young men in his audience."You have an obligation to break the cycle, and to learn from those mistakes, and to rise up where your own fathers fell short and to do better than what they did with your own children," Obama said. "That's what I've tried to do in my life."
I agree that indeed, it will be a challenge to rise up where my dad fell short.I wasn't top of my class in high school; I didn't graduate from an Ivy League college; I don't have a plum job and, i am yet to own a car. Maybe that isn't what it takes to be a great father.If it was, my dad would have been the greatest father in this world. In the end, maybe its not about being perfect; it's not about always succeeding; it's about always trying. And that's something everybody can do. It's about showing up and sticking with it.
Today, i collected admission forms for standard 1 class in 2012 just to encourage a positive thought about having a wife and raising a family. I won't be enrolling a son next year but, God willing, my future son will be joining standard one with a father who's job will have begun at conception rather than ended immediately after it.
I have to get rid of this awful recollection about my father.Seriously. While i no longer harbor any feelings of hatred for him or his actions (Thanks to a lot of bible study and prayer), i must find a way of living my life without blaming my actions or my circumstances on someone else. It is time to raise that anchor and set sail!
I feel like an airline pilot flying through the clouds with a dysfunctional OBS; it's virtually impossible to find your way.Perhaps it would have been more tolerable if the hole in my heart was caused by an estranged lover.Perhaps.
In President Obama's 2009 father's day message, he recollected how growing up without a father left a hole in his heart. He went ahead to implore fathers everywhere - and the kids when they're older - to be involved in the lives of their own children. He spoke at length about how his father, Barack Obama Sr. , left home early. The future president was only 2 at the time and saw his dad only once more, at age 10, a short visit that still left a lasting imprint. "I had a heroic mom and wonderful grandparents who helped raise me and my sister, and it's because of them that i'm able to stand here today," he told a throng of youngsters and leaders of community organizations."But despite their extraordinary love and attention, that doesn't mean i didn't feel my father's absence. That's something that leaves a hole in a child's heart that no government can fill."
In candid terms, Obama said he promised himself he would not repeat his own father's mistakes. "Just because your father wasn't there for you, that's not an excuse for you to be absent also. Its all the more reason for you to be present," he told the young men in his audience."You have an obligation to break the cycle, and to learn from those mistakes, and to rise up where your own fathers fell short and to do better than what they did with your own children," Obama said. "That's what I've tried to do in my life."
I agree that indeed, it will be a challenge to rise up where my dad fell short.I wasn't top of my class in high school; I didn't graduate from an Ivy League college; I don't have a plum job and, i am yet to own a car. Maybe that isn't what it takes to be a great father.If it was, my dad would have been the greatest father in this world. In the end, maybe its not about being perfect; it's not about always succeeding; it's about always trying. And that's something everybody can do. It's about showing up and sticking with it.
Today, i collected admission forms for standard 1 class in 2012 just to encourage a positive thought about having a wife and raising a family. I won't be enrolling a son next year but, God willing, my future son will be joining standard one with a father who's job will have begun at conception rather than ended immediately after it.
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