As We May Think

Sixty years ago, Vannevar Bush laid out a passionate vision of an "information appliance" of the future. Looking back, we find a remarkably prescient description of what we today call the world wide web.

In the assay As We May Think Bush says:

"The world has arrived at an age of cheap complex devices of great reliability; and something is bound to come of it."

Observer Blog

I read a lot of newspapers on the Web, and this is something new and wonderful. Check it out. Observer Blog

Google, behind the scenes.

men.style.com: GQ opens the lid on Google:

"Journey to the (Revoltionary, Evil-Hating, Cash-Crazy, and Possibly Self-Destructive) Center of Google
You've heard the story. Larry and Sergey drop out of school, start a company in a garage, then become billionaires. But will Larry and Sergey ever grow up? "

World Jump Day

I do not know how serious or relevant this World Jump Day campaign is. I think it is just harmless fun.

Google's toolbar

It is not easy to bite the hand that feeds you. I have read a lot of negative comments about the latest autolinking Google toolbar. I believe in allowing end users to decide what they want to see on their commputer screens. Google empowers the end user to do whatever they find relevant.

I think the autlinking tool is a useful feature. This Boing Boing article just nails it.

OSCAR.com - 77th Annual Academy Awards - Oscar Night: Winners List

I have decided to watch more movies this year. Time constraints and stressl from etching a living in the jungle called London has deprived me of my best hobby. There was a time when I could sit through a movie and enjoy the whole experience.

I have not been to a cinema in about two years, I have a neat expensive DVD player that has not be used for over a year. I do not even own CDs or DVDs.

One of these days I'll get organised and spend sometime wartching movies. I'll start with this impressive Oscar Night Winners List.

the iPod people.

During my youth, I attended church services regularly. One sermon, particularly,has stuck with me. The evangelical preacher was describing how one can spot a selfish person. "Just watch the number of times the "I" is used when they speak", He said.

The Times Online's Andrew Sullivan puts it bluntly Society is dead, we have retreated into the iWorld:
"You get your news from your favourite blogs, the ones that won't challenge your view of the world. You tune into a satellite radio service that also aims directly at a small market - for new age fanatics, liberal talk or Christian rock. Television is all cable. Culture is all subculture. Your cell phones can receive e-mail feeds of your favourite blogger's latest thoughts - seconds after he has posted them - get sports scores for your team or stock quotes of your portfolio. "

I plead guilty! I have reached a stage where, as Andrew Sullivan says,
"Technology has given us a universe entirely for ourselves — where the serendipity of meeting a new stranger, hearing a piece of music we would never choose for ourselves or an opinion that might force us to change our mind about something are all effectively banished".

My first post on this blog was about serendipity, I wrote: my quest for the unknown will be less gruesome and and a lot more technical.

I guess that we have just found a way of getting want we want without the bruising experience of convincing biased, prejudiced or self-interest peddling morons.

To my preacher, I'd like to say that "i" stands for inter-connectivity!

Power Dressing

The Wapo talks about Condoleezza Rice's Commanding Clothes:

"Rice's coat and boots speak of sex and power -- such a volatile combination, and one that in political circles rarely leads to anything but scandal. When looking at the image of Rice in Wiesbaden, the mind searches for ways to put it all into context. It turns to fiction, to caricature. To shadowy daydreams. Dominatrix! It is as though sex and power can only co-exist in a fantasy. When a woman combines them in the real world, stubborn stereotypes have her power devolving into a form that is purely sexual. "

Signs of Humour

These Amusing Signs are just hilarious. The one about crocodiles just makes one wonder about who is really being protected.

BUT WHO WATCHES THE WATCHDOGS?

Journalist Ted Rall, is obviously not making any blogger friends for describing what he feels is happening in the land of blogging. He concludes:

"Bloggers are ordinary people, many of them uneducated and with nothing interesting to say. They're sitting in their rec rooms, regurgitating and spinning what real journalists have dug up through hard work. They don't have sources, they don't report, and no one holds them accountable when they make mistakes or flat out lie. Yeah, there's a new sheriff in town. Unfortunately he's drunk, he's mean, and he works for the bad guys. "

Everyone's titlted to an opinion, right?

Women and Bloggging

Kevin Drum, in response to the question "why are op-ed pages so completely dominated by men?", placed some of the blame on women bloggers. It is like saying that women's opinions do not matter!
Well, that didn't go well. Here's a roundup of responses .

I Like this from Echidne of the Snakes:
"There is one theory about all this that has some merit, I believe, and that is that some men don't want to read what women write (unless it is on sex), so if a blogger can be identified as a woman she will lose those readers whose print looks too feminine...."

Rappers and Bloggers

Josh Levin of Slate.com says Rappers and Bloggers - Separated at birth.

"Sure, there are a few differences between the blogosphere and the blingosphere. Although bloggers have a certain buzz about them these days, they'll never be cool the way rappers are cool. The blogger lifestyle is dangerous-staying up all night and eating Cheetos will eventually kill you-but not sexy dangerous. Rappers can afford to be more conspicuous with their triumphalism because selling millions of records is more financially rewarding than getting millions of hits."

MTV Based In Africa

The New York Times in the article The New York Times > Africa, and Its Artists, Belatedly Get Their MTV highlights African musicians' plight:

"For the continent's artists - those bands with talent and drive but lacking a road map out of Africa or even out of their own country - the channel, called MTV Base, could offer the kind of break they long for, says Bill Roedy, president of MTV Networks International. The best of those artists, he said, may be able to jump from the newly begun local channel to other MTV channels around the world, giving them the global exposure that has eluded all but a precious few African musicians. . "

Monty Python Returns

The following Globe and Mail Quote is straight from the original Monty Python Dead Parrot Sketch:

"An indignant Israeli is suing a pet shop that he says sold him a dying parrot, reports the Ma'ariv newspaper. Itzik Simowitz of the southern city of Beersheba contends the shop cheated him because the Galerita-type cockatoo not only failed to utter a word when he got it home, but was also extremely ill. Mr. Simowitz adds that the shop owner assured him the parrot was not ill but merely needed time to adjust to its new environment."

Here is a transcript of the original.

Time to get a life

Read this story of pioneer blogger Justin Hall bowing out of the blogosphere at 31. Is it a case of burnout or he's simply lovestruck?

The Secret Genocide Archive

The New York Times' Op-Ed Columnist reveals reports that document the genocide under way in Darfur, Sudan. The Secret Genocide Archive is a secret archive of thousands of photos containing materials gathered by African Union monitors, who are just about the only people able to travel widely in that part of Sudan.

Chibuku Shake Shake

In the world of rebranding the transformation of a Southern African brew into a successful dance party brand is interesting. Chibuku Shake Shake is a party club in Liverpool, UK named after a potent African beer that a university student from Liverpool had discovered on his travels, sour tasting yet a staple for the working class of Malawi.

Global blogger action day

The global web blog community is being called into action to lend support to two imprisoned Iranian bloggers.
The month-old Committee to Protect Bloggers' is asking those with blogs to dedicate their sites on Tuesday to the 'Free Mojtaba and Arash Day'.

Absolute Power Corrupts

Swaziland's King Mswati, the only absolute monarch in sub-Saharan Africa, has lost his marbles as this Boing Boing story confirms.

Children in future will remember the time when fools dressed as kings, presidents and Prime Ministers ruled the world. The question will always be why, why, why...?

Sorry son, we allowed it to go on and on and on.......

Sod off, swampy

Living in a big international city like London has it's downside. Traffic moves at 5miles an hour on a bad day. Roads being closed off for hours to allow protesters of all sorts to indulge in their whim.

I think some of these protests cause more harm than they are worth. Of course, protesters will claim that this is the whole point. What annoys me the most is that most of the protestors have no idea of how important it is to get to work on time, they have no work to go to.

I think this inflamed petrol traders story should serve as a warning to unruly protestors:

WHEN 35 Greenpeace protesters stormed the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) yesterday they had planned the operation in great detail. What they were not prepared for was the post-prandial aggression of oil traders who kicked and punched them back on to the pavement.

"We bit off more than we could chew. They were just Cockney barrow boy spivs. Total thugs," one protester said, rubbing his bruised skull. "I've never seen anyone less amenable to listening to our point of view."
Another said: "I took on a Texan Swat team at Esso last year and they were angels compared with this lot." Behind him, on the balcony of the pub opposite the IPE, a bleary-eyed trader, pint in hand, yelled: "Sod off, Swampy."

Food Dye Alert

Reuters.co.uk reports:

"The food safety watchdog has advised people not to eat about 350 food products that have been inadvertently contaminated with an illegal dye that could lead to an increased risk of cancer.
The dye, Sudan I, was in a batch of chilli powder used by British tea and pickle maker Premier Foods to make a Worcester sauce that was subsequently used as an ingredient in a range of soups, sauces and ready meals.
'Sudan I could contribute to an increased risk of cancer,' Food Standards Agency (FSA) Chief Executive Jon Bell said in a statement on the watchdog's website."

Cost of living skyrockets in Zambia - Report

The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection Reports that he cost of living in Zambia has risen by a marked level with the monthly Basic Needs Basket for a family of six in the nation's capital higher than a month earlier.

The Blogs Must Be Crazy

Ms. Noonan a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal delves into the war between bloggers and mainstream media (MSM):

"The Blogs Must Be Crazy Or maybe the MSM is just suffering from freedom envy."

100 Funniest Jokes of All Time

The list of 100 Funniest Jokes of All Time is simply insane.

Smashing the immigration myths

Nice piece from A Logical Voice:
"From the rhetoric by right wing extremists, you could almost believe that Britain takes in all refugees from around the world, but these statistics show that is untrue. Plus, as other posts have shown the majority of immigrants in many western nations are from other western nations. It makes you wonder when this is the case, if those people who push for immigration clampdowns would push just as hard for less immigration from 'white' nations, as they do for immigration clampdowns from 'black' nations. These people often argue that there is no more room in Britain, if that were the case, is there no more room in Britain for only blacks, asians, arabs, and africans? Is there only room in Britain for white people?"

Learning From Mistakes

Mark is a young naive man. He reminds me of mistakes I have made before. The trick is not to give up. Follow the Dinner with the fired Google blogger story to avoid some stupid mistakes talented people make.

A genius explains

Having spent my youthful period at school in Zambia that has spurned friends who were so exceptional, The Guardian's A genius explains may have nailed the phenomenon.

Crop circle

At one point I believed crop circles were made by aliens. I'm content to know that they are created by weirdos. This Surface to Air's Hello Kitty Crop circle is funny.

Singing Africa

One wmay wonder how Zambians survive anywhere in the world. This Little Reminder... sums it up nicely:

love Africa abundantly for her songs.
Africa is a singing continent; songs being so rich in words, in feeling and in emotions.
In Africa, we have a wealthy singing culture. No matter how dire the situation, we sing.
When a child is born we sing chant and dance; when one of us dies, we sing chant and dance.
We sing to keep our energies churning when working in the fields, we sing when pounding foodstuffs, we sing in rhythm with our simple tools.
Yes, life is simple and basic in my singing Africa.
We sing when with the plenty, we sing when faced with injustice, we sing when faced with justice; our birds even sing with us.
Oh God! Africa is a song.
Singing heals us, singing consoles us, singing soothes our souls, and singing generates hope.
Singing is life in our Africa
Oh, what a singing tradition! Africa, what a singing continent, you make me love you more and more.

Thanks Nicholas Kawinga

Re-defining Racism

There is a development in the UK that is so close to boring electioneering. While I appreciate border control and the need to keep misfits from penetrating them, this Res Ipsa Loquitur blog is breeding racists in the name of conservative causes.

Current Berkeley students and alumni unite to keep out immigrants, how original. Picking on Africans is the best they can come up with. The sad part is how ignorant such people can be. They will probably graduate to run drug rings, brothels and all the sickening economic activities when they get into the real world. Their best customers will be desperate scared immigrants their so eager to keep out!

I have lived in the UK long enough to smell racists, the usually come out during the election period.

Farewell to Fiorina

The volatile world of CEOs. Fiorina (HP) and Marjorie Scardino (Pearson plc owner of FT) are among women I respect in business. There is a whole list of women ceos who have managed great businesses. You can view more profiles at CapitalistChicks.com. This piece from Marketwatch.com sums up the saga quite well;

Of the many lessons one might take away from H-P's Carly Fiorina bombshell -- that arrogance is no virtue in a leader (read David Callaway's column), for example, or maybe that female chief executives have made sufficient strides that today one can be unceremoniously dumped just like an underachieving male chief (see Gender Gap) -- perhaps the most salient is that one ignores the market's will at great peril. Despite claims by Hewlett-Packard's board that Fiorina's ouster was prompted by her management style, the poor performance of the company's shares (HPQ) during her tenure likely was the key. See full story.

The Next Big Thing

Nokia Corp. which sponsors Mpelembe Alumni & Friends introduced a new phone Monday that can play digital music, said that more than half of its new phone models this year are expected to have music capabilities. The world's largest handset maker also said that 'Music is the next big thing in mobile multimedia,' a Nokia executive said in a release.

Really Real

Really sad news..
Contestant on NBC Reality Show Commits Suicide

And how sad is it that this will probably get more people to watch the show? "

Love at first site

singletons who go online for a dot.companion: "Discos and singles bars are a distant memory for today's lonely hearts. Now, with the internet becoming the meeting place of choice is Cupid alive and well in cyberspace.

Zambia PLC

It is encouraging to see Zambians abroad being encouraged to Invest back home: "The Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE) wishes to get in touch with leaders of Zambian Associations abroad so that we can periodically send information for dissermination for Zambians abroad. W e wish to encourage Zambians in diaspora to invest back home.

Currently there is a lot of American interest in the Zambian stock market with an alliance having been forged between Stockbrokers Zambia and Auberch Grayson of New York.

Brian K. Tembo
Marketing and PR Officer"

Nshima

It is interesting to see how outsiders look at the Zambian lifestyle. The BBC highlights some of the issues in the Our Man in Zambia series of articles.

"Forget money, forget healthcare, forget a functioning education system, if there is one thing Zambians really cannot live without out, it's nshima."

Wikinews Chat- discussion about Wikimedia projects

I have been invited to participate in an online chat on citizen journalism and the interaction between bloggers and the Wikinews project. The "Wikinews and Blogs" chat will take place on Saturday, February 5, 2005, 22:00 UTC on the #wikinews channel on irc.freenode.net. You can learn more about the event at
discussion about Wikimedia projects:

I will be pleased to hear what people think about this project and how the Wikinews and blogs can be used to highlight Zambian issues.

Dilemna

The Germany government has unwittingly sanctioned prostitution by forcing unemployed women to take whatever work is available. What is interesting in this 'If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits' approach is that the maths does not add up.

The brothel owners and the sex workers will pay taxes to the biggest pimp in the land, the government, and still cannot claim benefits when they're out of work.

I thought slavery ended generations ago.

G-Life

The FT.com has a brilliant article on a substitute for the fallible human memory

Here is a snippet;
It's clear that a list of links, though very useful, doesn't match the way people give information to each other. The question that Google - like others - is now trying to address is: "How can the computer become more like your friend when answering your questions?"

The Most Desirable Women Ever

I have always wondered how Thandie Newton became famous. lanitodd99 provides a interesting explanation relating to The Most Desirable Women Ever:

"Exotic doesn't even begin to describe the lovely Ms. Newton. Her dark skin and delicate features make us wish that her native Zambia was more generous in its exports to Hollywood. The daughter of a genuine Zimbabwean princess, Thandie is the kind of babe you see once and remember for the rest of your life. That says a lot, especially considering the numerous high-caliber ladies we see in any given year."