Monthly Archive for February, 2010

10 Great Open Source Windows apps

[Gachie, Kenya]
ALTHOUGH I’M NOW in bed with Linux, my sorry-ass Windows buddies still enjoy being punished by trojan/virus/malware/worm infested Windows apps courtesy of Micro$oft’s disinterest in security going back to the early 1990s.

If you’re a glutton for punishment, then go ahead and run their over-bloated Office suite with its bevy of macro viruses and bugs that’ll make the unsanitary conditions of Mathare’s flying toilets green with envy. Ok, maybe I’m over-exaggerating things a little in comparing material waste to digital waste. :-)

By the way, Outlook is such a pussy when its PST file grows unusually large. One screw up and you’re FUBAR — fu!ked up beyond all recognition. All email data — gone. You already know about the gaping security holes in Internet Explorer, right? Well, suit yourself!

Windows is a lot like Kenyan politics: Buggy, bloated & unreliable!

Free, functional & open…
What, you’re still using Windows? Well, try these 10 free apps if you’re looking for some high quality Windows software to get work done — without worrying about bugs. I can personally vouch for VLC media player and AbiWord. The former plays anything and everything relating to video or music formats. If you have a strange media file format, VLC will play it — guaranteed.

What I love about AbiWord is its simplicity and focus on the basics of (ahem) word processing. It’s light on system resources and it just works. Wish I could say the same for MS Word, which can be a pain in the ass at times. Ever heard of couples always fighting with each other over tiny, inconsequential issues. That’s Word for ya. And Word 2007? Can you say over kill?

Happy Windows computing!

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My Visit to the United Nations Complex in Nairobi

[Nairobi (Gigiri), Kenya]
I TRULY BELIEVE THAT
outings less planned can sometimes turn out to be the most surprising (in a good way!) experiences in life. Well, today, me and my good pal were just going to the Village Market to pick up some stuff at Nakumatt and the Telkom Orange shop. Then, she called her pal (a real go-getter!) who has an amazing position at the UN here in Gigiri to join us for a bite or a coffee.

Instead, we were invited on to the complex for a bite at its Village Market-like cafeteria. My first impression of the complex is simply this: Wow, it’s bloody massive!! That’s gotta be 50 to 80 acres of buildings (offices, gym, cafeterias, library, etc.), green landscape, conference facilities, etc.

United Nations Office Nairobi (UNON) map

In addition, the 3 cafeterias have a wide variety of vendors serving tasty dishes — just like the Village Market. And the prices are amazing since you don’t pay VAT. I also hear that peeps who drive UN red plated vehicles get something like 30% off their fuel costs if they fill up at the UN gas station. And they also get to shop in the duty free stores — no VAT ever! Damn.

aerial view of the massive United Nations Office Nairobi (UNON) complex

In short, I had a great time at the UN today. It’s such a peaceful atmosphere and you get to see citizens from all over the world who are (ahem) “trying” to make a difference. But alas, what a fu!ked up world we live in. Ooops, sorry for the negativity. Here, I’ll smile for ya. :-)

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