Sunday, February 26, 2012

Are you an unclear reactor?

No, that was not a spelling mistake or typo, I did not mean to write 'nuclear reactor' - I meant to write UNclear reactor. What do I mean? Well, the word reactor is defined as "a person or thing that reacts or
undergoes reaction", another definition simply describes a reactor as "one that reacts to a stimulus". Our daily lives are full of all kinds of stimulus, some good, some bad, some fun, some boring, some
exciting, some mediocre - and we all react to these various stimuli in different ways. These reactions manifest themselves in a multiplicity of actions that we carry out on a daily basis that end up defining
what we do with the limited amount of time we have each day. The manner in which we react and order our reactions to these daily demands is what determines the kind of reactor we are. Whether we are efficient and effective or whether we are muddled up, messy and unclear.

Submarine cable cut cripples Kenya's Internet

Update: It seems that the cable got cut due to a ship that illegally anchored off the Mombasa coast in a restricted via which the TEAMs and EASSy cables make their terrestrial landing. Both cables have been severed. SEACOM is still up and should be carrying most traffic for the region at the present. A fourth cable, LION, which will link the Indian Ocean islands (Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion) should be going live in the course of March. It is expected that the repair to the TEAMs cable will take about 7 days

While details surrounding the circumstances and exact time that the TEAMs cable got damaged are as yet unclear, the incident has severely affected Internet services in Kenya and neighboring countries.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Wanna be hip in Kenya? Get a DSLR

I want a camera! No…. let me be more specific…. I want a DSLR camera (Digital SLR camera). And I have also realized that if I expect to be perceived as someone who is in touch with the times I must have a DSLR camera. This realization has gradually dawned upon me over the past several weeks as I have observed the increase in proliferation of these somewhat mystical but genuinely sexy gadgets. Mystical because there is a kind of magic that happens when a DSLR is in the hands of someone who knows how to use it and the images that come out of that union are, to say the least, breathtaking. Sexy because the damn gadgets have plenty of buttons, bells and whistles and seemingly cannot be discreetly hidden but bulge, protrude and hang openly with their naked charm out there for everybody to see.

While "keeping up with the Joneses" is something that is generally frowned upon let's face it, people like things, and from time to time there will be that gizmo, that gadget, that must-have doodad, that
makes a social statement which clearly separates the goats from the sheep. The current item that is clearly marking the more progressive in Kenyan middle-class society is the digital SLR camera.
One only has to grace a school swimming gala, graduation or wedding to see the very visible display of DSLR cameras. It is not uncommon to
have tens and tens of Nikon, Canon and Sony DSLR devices hanging around the necks, over the shoulders and in the grips of young urban
professionals at these events. In much the same way that a mobile phone seemed to convey upon it's bearer the appearance of being progressive, techno-savvy and socially fluent, the DSLR camera has solidly stamped it's authority as one of the modern labels of social standing.

Monday, February 13, 2012

For Sale: VOIP Equipment


4 x Cisco ATA-188 Analog Telephone Adaptor
The Cisco ATA analog telephone adaptors are handset-to-Ethernet adaptors that allow regular analog telephones to operate on IP-based telephony networks. Cisco ATAs support two voice ports, each with an independent telephone number. The Cisco ATA 188 also has an RJ-45 10/100BASE-T data port.
Kshs. 8,000 each

1 x Epygi Quadro E1 Gateway
QuadroE1: The Voice over IP Gateway
The QuadroE1 is the complete PSTN/VoIP gateway for growing small businesses that want to establish for example a corporate telephone network.
Connected over an E1 voice trunk for up to 30 (E1) concurrent calls to a PBX or directly to the local PSTN and via Ethernet to the Internet, the QuadroE1/ T1 seamlessly combines the cost reducing benefits of IP technology with the ubiquity of the PSTN, which opens a multitude of scenarios for free phone calls all over the world. Integrated Internet Access: The QuadroE1/T1 VoIP Gateway allows voice Internet access with firewall security, including NAT, policy and service based filtering .
Kshs. 90,000 (Initial Cost 200,000 but I have discounted as this equipment has been sitting in storage for over 3yrs)

13 x SNOM HS-MM2 Headset
This Snom Headset offers versatility and features an intuitive design.The Snom HS-MM2 is compatible with the Snom 320, 360, 370, 820, 821, and 870 IP Phones. Supporting wear on either ear, the Snom HS-MM2 allows you to switch the single ear pad to whichever ear you would like to use. The HS-MM2 also has been updated with enhanced ergonomics and weighing at only 95g this Snom headset is light and offers good wearing comfort. The microphone on the Snom Headset features noice-cancellation and restrains background noise so that you can use the HS-MM2 in any environment. The Snom HS-MM2 is loaded with other business class features such as a flexible metal mic boom, a quick release fastener cord, an adjustable headband and much more.
Kshs. 3,000 as new (Original Price Kshs. 4,500)

If interested, email me offline or call me on the number below.


Brian
cell:  +254715964281

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Online Security in Kenya needs to be mainstreamed

Today's(last night's) hacking of the Toyota Kenya website as evidenced by Moses Kemibaro's screenshot - http://t.co/w7RDDjfP - should serve as a wake up call to CxOs and any organization that has a web presence or online resources.

Especially as it comes hardly 2 weeks after the shameful hacking of over 103 government websites by an amateur Indonesian techie. In this particular case it turns out that all 103 sites were hosted on the same physical server - a malpractice, as far as web-hosting and system administration goes. It is clear that the increase in online threats and cyber-security issues has a lot to do with Kenya's improved connectivity to the global Internet - with 3 submarine fiber optic cables opening the country and sub-region to cyber-criminals and pranksters alike.