Archive for the 'Life' Category

I Love Soul Kitchen by The Doors

Published on January 29, 2010 in Life, Music and Videos. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

[Gachie, Kenya]
I LOVE MUSIC!! This is no secret to peeps who know me from growing up in Ottawa, Canada and my “club buddies” in Toronto (Comfort Zone, System Sound Bar, The Guvernment, Life, Film Lounge, Turbo, Labour of Love) and Montreal (Aria, Gravity, Stereo, Sona, Beach Club, Red Lite, Bal en Blanc, Swirl) where I’m absolutely captivated by the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) scene and its pulsating sounds — especially House music with  Dark, Tribal or Progressive elements by the likes of international mega stars like Dj Vibe and local Canadian talent like DJ Myka, DJ Addy, Dan Medland (retired), Creator, Kenny Glasgow and Manzone & Strong.

Rock on…
However, since I was 8 when I left Barbados, the majority of my friends have been white Canadians during my public and high school years and, well, they love Rock music. I’ve always been a big Doors and Jimmi Hendrix fan though. These 2 artists were definitely waaay ahead of their time. Pearl Jam and Smash Mouth also rock my world — pun intended.

One track by The Doors that really excites me is “Soul Kitchen.” The surreal instrumentals are first-rate and the lyrics as well as the vocals gets me so excited that I’m able to forget about all the crazy sh!t going on in the world — for 3 minutes and 33 seconds. Here, have a listen and see if you feel me on this one.

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Spitting Cobra on the Loose

Published on September 21, 2008 in Africa, Life, Opinions and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

[Ongata Rongai, Kenya]
GREETINGS FROM a really cool area just outside of Nairobi. Without a doubt, the Ongata Rongai and neighboring Kitengela areas have an amazing buzz between them. Everywhere you look, flats and houses are going up. And why not? Land is el cheapo here, and you’re not that far away from Nairobi, Ngong, or Karen. Oh, did you see that smooth tarmaced road heading from Bomas all the way into Ongata Rongai town? Wow, that’s what I call smooth sailing.

The new Tuskys super market is super kool and it’s stocked with everything under the sun. Plus, Barclays, KCB, and Equity banks have set up branches in this thriving town. Again, Ongata Rongai should definitely be on your list if you want to get away from the city sprawl of Nairobi that’s on the cheap. I wouldn’t think twice about moving here. I see BIG opportunities for entrepreneurs here to open up cyber cafes, bars/restaurants, retail outlets among other possibilities. And this area feels safe as hell thanks to the new police station nearby.

Oh, a cobra…
So my good pal Pippa lives up here with her son and 2 dogs (Shenzi & Mtokutu). When I saw her last week in Karen, she told me that she had to rush Mtokutu to the vet because she got sprayed by the venom of a spitting cobra that “hangs out” in a particular bushy area of the back yard. Yikes! I’m sure you’ll understand why I was a little hessitant to drop by for a visit, right? :-) What’s more annoying is that no one has seen the damn snake, but there’s a general understanding that a cobra visits the back yard once in a while.


Anyhow, I saw Mtokutu and she had some green ointment in her left eye to prevent further damage. Unfortunately, these 2 dogs don’t really understand the danger of its slippery neighbour. This sort of freaked Pippa out, and her good friend Dennis Matthews (a snake guru/catcher) from Kitengela told her to call him if anyone spots the “king” of the backyard.

Cobra ahoy…
Now check this out. My pal David dropped by to visit me and show me the plans for a golf course his peeps are planning on developing. We’re chatting out in the back yard and low and behold, we see this brownish-greyish cobra sloowly slide right on by us about 8 feet away and into the bush everyone suspects is one of its many homes. It’s like the cobra said “Hey guys, just ignore me…continue with your meeting…I’m just sliding by into this lovely bush you got in this yard. Carry on!”

I looked at David and said “Aah, so that’s the cobra I’ve been hearing about.” I then ran into the house to notify Pippa and also to make sure the 2 dogs were not outside. In no time, Dennis Matthews and his kids came by for a “snake outing.” This was going to be my first time watching some dude capture a 4 1/2 feet cobra.

Hide & seek…
So Dennis puts on his glasses – for obvious reasons. His 11 year old son also got in on the action as father and son proceeded to search the bush for the cobra. After a while, everyone was getting a little antsy and wondering if the cobra probably slid away some where else. Then Dennis’ son and Justin had a bright idea. They started to throw rocks into the bush like fire bombs. This definitely did the trick. Our slippery visitor was flushed out, and decided to head in the opposite direction away from all the falling debris. Smart fella. In the open grass, Dennis snared it before it got away. His son assisted and eventually it was placed in a bag.

Goodbye Mr. Cobra…
After a nice chat, Dennis and his entourage got into a land rover with the snake. He’s going to release it far away from this area so that it won’t ever come come back again. Well, hopefully. He said that cobras were territorial and there’s no chance of another cobra coming by for a visit. I hope so.

All in all, it was quite a afternoon. David’s spontaneous visit was quite a revealation. If he didn’t show up, we would not have had that meeting in the back yard so no one would know that the cobra had returned for a temporary visit. All I can say is “good riddance.” By the way, Pippa is thinking of getting a pet mongoose from the KSPCA to hang out in the back yard.

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50 cent cyber cafes in Nairobi

Published on April 4, 2008 in Africa, Info Tech, Life, Reviews and Travel. 1 Comment Tags: , .

[Nairobi, Kenya]
GREETINGS FROM Faith Cyber Cafe here in the Diamond Shopping Plaza on Tom Mboya Street near the Bata store and Tuskys. I love coming here once in a while because the dudes who operate this place are always accommodating of me and my Mac laptop. Oh, did I mention how CHEAP it is to browse here? It’s like 50 cents per minute folks. For you tourists from the West, that’s half of a Kenya Shilling…not $0.50. That’d be too expensive!

Bye bye expensive cybers…
Heck, in Karen (an expensive Nairobi suburb), everyone charges KSh 2 per minute to surf the Net. I remember this one cyber on Langata Rd. near Bomas. They were charging KSh 3 per minute. Can you believe that? What are they smoking? Please, somebody call the police for Information Super Highway ROBBERY. Gees. :-) Anyhow, I’m just waiting for those fibre optic cables to connect at Mombasa in late 2009 or so. ISPs keep saying that prices should drop by 75%. I’ll believe it when I see. it.

Trim city…
By the way, this Diamond Shopping Plaza is one heck of a place. Why? Because it has tons of womens hair salons everywhere. It’s like the Golden Computer Arcade in Kowloon (Hong Kong) where you’ll find tons of computer hardware for sale at great prices. The only difference is that they’re tons of hotties working in this 3 floor plaza doing a fabulous job making their female clientele look hot too. Any how, don’t take my word. Just drop by for a “pleasant” visit. :-)

The price is right…
Again, Faith Cafe only charges 50 cents per minute. Heck, that’s only KSh 30 per hour. How in Heaven’s name are these peeps making coin? In fact, most of the cybers in this area of town charge this rate. Some even dare to charge KSh 1. How rude. :-)

All in all, I like coming here when I’m in town because the staff knows me, and they really take care of me. That’s why they keep getting my business.

Happy web surfin folks!

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Feeding patients Bacteria for Better Health

Published on April 30, 2007 in Health, Life and Solutions. 1 Comment Tags: .

[Nairobi, Kenya]
MOST people who know me all too well can attest that I am a health freak. Well, what do you expect? I was raised by 4 strong-minded women (grandmother, aunt, mother, stepmother) when I grew up in Barbados, Canada and the USA. Heck, they were always cleaning, and I had regular chores (vacuuming, doing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, etc.) to do around the house. It wasn’t that bad though. Now, I kind of like doing dishes. To me, it’s very therapeutic. Go figure!

Prevention: the secret to good health
Furthermore, I like to take care of myself by going to the gym, rollerblading, playing pick-up basketball, running or any other enjoyable form of exercising. My motto when it comes to health is “pay me now or pay me later.” In other words, I prefer to exercise, eat healthy, etc. in order to prevent or delay health problems. Why? Because I absolutely hate hospitals and the toxic drugs that doctors like to push on their unsuspecting patients – usually at the request of unscrupulous drug companies.

I figure that if I take preventive measures today (pay now), then I shouldn’t expect any nasty surprises in the future (pay later). Right? Anyhow, the following Wired article brought back some wonderful memories because I have fed my body probiotics (good bacteria) after undergoing a colon hydrotherapy courtesy of an amazing Naturopathic Doctor in Canada. In short, it’s an excellent remedy for detoxing your body of years of unwanted, undigested stuff, which means that your body will be thanking you for years to come.


Here’s some good food for thought courtesy of the above link:

Modern humans are bacteria-killing machines. We assassinate microbes with hand soap, mouthwash and bathroom cleaners. It feels clean and right.

But some scientists say we’re overdoing it. All this killing may actually cause diseases like eczema, irritable bowel syndrome and even diabetes. The answer, they say, is counterintuitive: Feed patients bacteria.

“Probiotics (pills containing bacteria) have resulted in complete elimination of eczema in 80 percent of the people we’ve treated,” says Dr. Joseph E. Pizzorno Jr., a practicing physician and former member of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. Pizzorno says he’s used probiotics to treat irritable bowel disease, acne and even premenstrual syndrome. “It’s unusual for me to see a patient with a chronic disease that doesn’t respond to probiotics.”

Clinical trial data on probiotics is incomplete, but there are many indications that hacking the body’s bacteria is beneficial. {source}

Conclusion
As you can see, we’re able to control our health to a certain degree if we take prevention seriously. Probiotics, if used wisely, can provide your body with a resilient health insurance package if you get with the program today. And try to remember this quote by Dr. Tim O’Shea who happens to be my favourite Naturopathic Doctor on the planet:

How do the friendly bacteria, called probiotics, keep the bad bacteria in check? Well, think of a crowded theatre. You walk in, and there’s no place to sit; all the seats are taken. So you can’t stay. Same thing with bacteria. There’s only a certain number of “seats” in the colon. If they’re all taken by friendly bacteria, then there’s no chance for the bad bacteria to set up shop and start to duplicate themselves. According to most researchers, like Simon Martin, normal probiotics should be more numerous than the cells of the intestinal lining itself.

Here’s why probiotics are so important. Normal people generally have some cancer cells, Candida yeast, E. coli, staphylococcus, strep, and any number of other potentially bad organisms you can think of in their tract most of the time. But they don’t get any disease. Researchers know, for example, that 50% of men over age 75 actually have prostate cancer, found on autopsy, but only 2% die from it. Why? The body encapsulated the cancer: limited and controlled its growth, walled it off. The discoverer of the HIV virus himself, Dr. Luc Montagnier, said that HIV alone cannot cause AIDS. (The Coming Plague) Depressed immune environment is also necessary. Same with Candida or most other bacteria; normally they’ll be held in check by sufficient friendly bacteria. E. coli is actually a probiotic when held in check by normal friendly flora. It’s only when the friendly probiotic bacteria get killed off that the potentially bad organisms get a chance to get a foothold and take over. The bad bugs are then called opportunists.

So probiotics (friendly bacteria) are extremely important. The whole key is balance. Problem is, our friendly bacteria are constantly being killed off. How? Same culprits as cited in the ALLERGIES chapter: {source: Journey to the Center of Your Colon }

Here’s to your good health.

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Web Forum Watch: issue 1

Published on April 24, 2007 in Africa, Life, Opinions and Reviews. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

[Nairobi, Kenya]
I FIND the Internet fascinating as hell. Why? Because you’re able to quickly get an idea of what its tech-savvy population is thinking, simply by peeking web discussion forums regarding a multitude of topics. You just can’t get that on the idiot box (oops, I mean TV).

Go Mambogani go!
Today, I want to share with you a few web forums that I was peeking. The site I chose was Mambogani. Here’s a description of the site if you happen to browse one of their pages: “Mambogani Kenyan Portal – Forums, News, Chat, Kenyan Music Videos, Blogs, Photos, Kenya Business Directory, Free Kenya Classifieds.” If you’re looking to peek their excellent forums, just go here: http://www.mambogani.com/forums/

The good stuff
Anyhow, the following forum topics really piqued my interest, and I’m grateful to those peeps over there who created said discussion threads. After all, knowledge is power. Right?

Oh…
If you run across any interesting discussion forums, please send me the links. I just might include them in an upcoming Web Forum Watch issue.

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The world is seeing RED

Published on March 20, 2007 in Business, Health and Life. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

[Dar es Salaam, Tanzania]
RED alert: Do your part to help prevent the spread of AIDS. I don’t say this enough, but I looove Oprah Winfrey. She has such a big, sincere heart and she always uses her super star profile to do a lot of good in this world. Heck, I wish she’d run for president. She’d kick Hilary Clinton’s ass in the polls any day of the week. In reality, she’d also get more accomplished while on the job. Clinton is a damn bureaucrat. Oh, I also have mad respect for U2’s Bono. He’s a class act.

What’s this RED stuff all about?
I thought you’d never ask. Just take a peek at this:

(RED)™ is a revolutionary program designed to eliminate AIDS in Africa.
“Lots of people here in the United States have been trying to deal with the
problems of Africa in a very serious way,” Bono says. “But not everybody has the
time to be an activist or put on their marching boots. So we said, ‘How are we
going to get the shopping malls involved? How are we going to get to where
people live and shop…?’”

By buying a (RED) brand T-shirt, a pair of jeans or even a cell phone, you
can help save lives. Part of your purchase will be donated to The Global Fund to
help those who need it most. Just the T-shirts that the audience is wearing
today will provide enough medication to prevent transmission of HIV from mother
to child for over 14,000 pregnant women. {source}

My thoughts:
Well, if you’re out at the mall and you see one of these RED products, then buy em all. Okay? Otherwise President Oprah is gonna hunt you down. :-) On a serious note, this is an excellent Go Africa go! story because it highlights that a little money at the cash register can go a long way in fighting AIDS at the prevention stage. Remember, the T-shirts Oprah’s audience was wearing provided enough ca$h to purchase medication for about 14,000 pregnant women in order to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child. That’s amazing!

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Happy New Year

Published on March 2, 2007 in Africa, Life, Opinions and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

I’m back
Wow, I’ve taken like 90 days off because I was busy doing some IT work at a Zanzibar hotel. Also, I was just tired from writing even though I had a ton of interesting IT topics to write about. So, my brain was cranking out kool topics, but my fingers just didn’t feel like typing a god damn thing. They (my fingers) sound like a new wifey, eh?? Ha ha ha. Well, stay tuned for some more enticing articles in the always changing (and crazy) world of IT.

Oh…
BTW, greetings from beautiful Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) everyone. I’m visiting the family of my good pal Zahida (she was a roommate of mine for a summer in Bayfield Hall at The University of Wesern Ontario, and now a dear, long time friend) who currently resides in Montreal – my favourite party city. Well, it’s a toss up with Toronto. :-) Any how, Dar rocks like no other city I’ve visited in Africa so far. In fact, I wish I came here first. For starters, I walked all over the damn city during the first 4 days when I arrived and feel that I know it really well. I just loooove hanging out around the Samora Ave, Morogoro Ave., Bibi Titi Mohamed Rd, Nkrumah St., Sokoine Dr. areas. Ditto for the Kariakoo market area which has tons and tons and tons of small shops and what not. In fact, I live in said market. It’s a lively area that’s also safe as hell…unlike one city in another country North of Tanzania that sometimes goes by the name of *laughs* Nairoberry. Heck, I havent even visited Coco Beach with my friend’s kids yet. I hear it’s a blast to be on the weekends…right next to the Indian Ocean.

Any how, I’ll write more about my love affair with Tanzania later. I gotta jet as I’m using the Internet cafe up at the beautifully spectacular campus of the University of Dar es Saleem. This campus is so well laid out, and did I mention how beautiful it is??

Later!

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A look at Web Usability & Design

Published on July 22, 2006 in Info Tech, Life, Music and Opinions. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Some things never change
Since I’m intimately involved in the creation of a new, exciting eBusiness “community” web portal that’s part eCommerce, part entertainment (eventually), and part community, I was tickled pink when I ran across Jakob Nielsen’s Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 1999 in cyber space. Most importantly, I’ll be sure to pass on this link to our web developers. So, who the heck is Jakob Nielsen (see pic on left)? Well, according to ZDNet’s Anchordesk, he’s “the smartest person on the Web.”

What’s surprising about this article is the fact that a lot of companies and web developers still make the same damn mistakes…and this is 2006. Like, do people not use the logic and common sense in their god-given brains?? {”Earth to web developers, please come in!! Can you hear me??“}

Repent or die
Even though I’m not a religious person per se, Jakob offers some timely web religion (er advice) for everyone who’s involved with anything and everything to with the creation of web pages. And just like my mother in Canada is still trying to get me to step foot inside a church so that I can be (gasp!) “saved”, I’m sure many future web projects will be saved by Jakob’s timely web design advise – if people will just read and subscribe to his “religious doctrine.” :-)

Take the information & run
 I’m convinced that this information will be of vital importance for aspiring web developers and companies in Africa who would like to really make some serious noise on the Internet. Hopefully, they’ll absorb Jakob’s excellent advise and reap the rewards of sweet success.

Only time will tell.

Oh, while you’re here, take a peek at Dave Taylor’s best-selling book on Creating Cool Web Sites with HTML, XHTML and CSS. It’s a must read for aspiring folks who are looking to gain an unfair advantage over their peers in cyber space. {“Doh, why did I provide this link to everyone?”} :-)

Happy computing.

Escapism & Diversion Dept.
Since I’m having a blast here in Africa, I’ve decided to use this section of my blog as a form of escapism from the fast-paced world of Information Technology. Most of the time, I’ll probably talk (or show pics) about the fantabulous world of Electronic Dance Music (EDM), which is one of my main passions in life. Just take a peek at my previous blog entry, Asus Creates Sizzling new 19in LCD for Gamers, to see how much I loooove this genre of music and the exciting music events it has spawned around the planet.

Speaking of music events, I can’t believe I’m going to miss the Sundance Music Festival at Beach Club, which is just a hop, skip and a jump outside of Montreal (Quebec, Canada). Here, you’ll find the world’s top DJs pumping out some of the most incredible EDM sounds to about 15,000 adoring fans. Let’s just say that the vibe is going to be “out of this world.”

Now, on other occasions, I’ll talk about interesting or scenic places I’ve visited (or heard about). And sometimes, I’ll just quickly mention stuff relating to healthy living (ie. medicinal mushrooms, powerfull herbal teas, exercising, etc.) because the most precious asset we all have in common is our health. Besides, I’m not a fan of Big Pharma.

As you can see, I like to be versatile because it prevents me from getting bored to death…like when I used to attend church as a kid, sitting on a hard bench for 2 hours or so catching up on my sleep. :-)

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Asus Creates Sizzling new 19in LCD for Gamers

Published on July 12, 2006 in Info Tech, Life, Music, Opinions, Reviews and Technology. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Seeing is Believing
Wow, this monitor looks absolutely amazing!! I soooo want one. Yo, Asus, what do I gotta do to get my hands on one of these thingys? Heck, I’ll trade in my little brother if you’re so inclined. Do you see me smiling? :-) Folks, if you think this monitor’s not destined for greatness, then take a peek at this:

Rife with unique industrial designs, the black-and-silver PG191 comes with a sleek aluminium alloy neck and circular base and piano-black panel frame, making it a stylish piece of décor for any environment. Specially designed for gamers, the display takes inspiration from stealth planes and tank cannons to put you in the atmosphere of the latest FPS shooters. The top-of-the-range PG191 integrates a 2.1-channel speaker system (two 10-Watt speakers and 15-Watt super bass system) to deliver an exhilarating audio experience when battling in the virtual world. Complemented by SRS Lab’s Flagship TruSurround XT audio technology, the display supports the latest game 5.1-and 6.1 channel sound effects. {source}

Now, some hardcore gamers are probably gonna be pissed off with the monitor’s built-in speakers. Screw em! I’m not a gamer so this is not really a problem for me. {Note to Self: “Must plan a clandestine operation at Asus HQ in Taiwan to free the PG191 from bondage. If I don’t make it back alive, my peeps will disavow any knowledge of ever knowing me…or borrowing money offa me.“}

The BEST things in Life are FREE
My very good pal Robbie (aka The Download Whore, aka Lead Foot) in Ottawa is definitely going to love this blog entry. He’s an IT pro who was also one of the world’s top video game players just a few years back. In fact, his highest ranking was #4. Let’s just say he’ll destroy any one in Quake. He sort of lived a rock star life “back then” getting FREE trips to Las Vegas and Seoul (South Korea) to compete against the world’s best gamers. Heck, video game manufacturers would even send him games and hardware devices to try out in order to get critical feedback.

Fatal attraction…for ca$h
Oh, Robbie’s Net pal, Fatality – a legend in the gaming world – even has a bloody video card named after him. Can you say, “Geeks??” :-) But it looks as though this dude has a license to print money. Take a peek at this:

At 24, Jonathan Wendel, aka “Fatality,” is living the dream. He expects to make over $200,000 this year as a professional gamer. {source}

Hmmn, I wonder if Robbie ever made that kind of cash just for starting virtual wars.

Out with the old…in with the new
Any how, I don’t think he’s into the gaming thingy as much. Why?? Because we’re both hooked on attending huge EDM events in cities like Montreal and Toronto. I fondly remember meeting this super kool dude after going to Club Vibe (in Ottawa) to hear Derrick Carter (also see here here here and here) destroy the decks (er turntables) with his delicious brand of House, which just happens to be a sub-genre of EDM (Electronic Dance Music).

Pssst…do you want to see the ultimate EDM event? Well, this pic is from the Sensation White Party (see more pics) in Amsterdam where you’ll find some of the biggest (and most expensive) DJs performing. Any one who’s serious about their EDM beats must attend this event. Ditto for Ibiza, Spain.

A great beginning
If you look back at my life, it’s utterly hilarious how I meet people. This is one of those occasions. So I meet Robbie and Hanna (a Ukrainian hottie) – his best friend at the time – at the end (5:30 AM) of the Derrick Carter event, and we all still felt like partying. {Come to think of it, Robbie has more skirt friends than Paris Hilton’s entire wardrobe skirt collection.}

Any how, this dude named Phil invites me and some other friends over to his place to chill and listen to some of his House music records. So now Phil’s pal, DJ Danny K, a new comer at the time, was spinning some of the most amazing EDM sounds I’ve ever heard. I like to call his style on that particular morning Dark Progressive House because it was upbeat, disruptive, inspiring and BASStastik. It was simply out of this world. You see, a really good EDM DJ has a signature sound (and rhythm) that you, the clubber, can tune into – almost like clockwork. Could this be the vibe that everyone always talks about afterwards? I believe so.

Dan The Man
So me and my buddies (Sarahkins, Robbie, Hanna, Liz, Tom) were like, “Holy sh!t…this dude’s fuck!ng amazing!!” Seriously, Danny K has got to be one of the best bedroom DJs I’ve ever heard in my life. Ditto for 3 other House cats: Rick “The Plant”, Pablo Diablo and DJ Ryan Dunlop. Let’s just say that I’ve attended tons of after parties so I’m a pretty good judge of bedroom DJ talent. By the way, if you’re lucky, try to get your hands on the “Fresh Ones” mix which was created by Danny K around 2004. All I can say is, “Wow!!“

New beats
Oh, and as they say, “the rest is History.” Me and Robbie have been very good friends since meeting in 2004. Thanks to the download whore that he is, I’ve been getting a steady supply of fantastic EDM beats since I’m on a sloooow Internet connection here in Nairobi – perhaps due to Telkom Kenya’s corrupt monopoly that’s kept this country in the dark ages when it comes to broadband Internet. Boy do I hate telecom monopolies. Besides, I am simply too impatient to look for DJ mixes on the Net from over here.

But thanks to Robbie, I’ve been introduced to the Dark Tribal/Progressive sounds of Rick Pier O’Neil. Now, this is the kind of EDM beats that can change the world – one listener at a time – as opposed to that CHEESY crap most of you naive peeps from the Top 40 world call “Techno”, which is just sooooo wrong. I suggest you listen to every EDM genre here to see and hear what I’m talking about.

Oh well…gotta jet.

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My Web Hosting Nightmare: Part 2 of 2

Published on April 2, 2006 in Africa, Health, Info Tech, Life and Opinions. 10 Comments Tags: , .

I’m back!
Well I woke up at 9 AM after I went to bed at 4 AM this morning. You’d think I’d sleep for 7 or 8 hours, but I didn’t. You see, when I’m in a country with amazingly nice weather, I just can’t seem to stay in bed for too long. Ditto when I was growing up in Barbados. Now in Canada, I’m quite capable of sleeping for 8 hours when it’s (gasp!) Winter time.

Take a hike
Anyhow, I went for a nice 1 hour jog – to clear my head – through Parklands, downtown Nairobi, and 2 nearby campuses of the University of Nairobi (U of N). Boy did I need that! My body and mind are “one” once again. I actually feel very relieved and calm. One thing though…keep your eyes on the road when you’re attemping to take a recreational jog in this city lest you end up on a one-way trip to the mythical land of Hades.

A stroll down memory lane & some “pleasant” distractions
Oh, I didn’t notice the cute skirts up at “U of N” either on my jog. Come to think of it…do I ever miss campus life (see here | here | here | here | here) at the University of Western Ontario (aka UWO). I knew I should’ve tried out for the cheerleading team since I don’t recall seeing too many women in my CompSci classes. BTW, I forgot we had a “Beaver” Hall residence on campus. The sheer irony…well, for those who know what I mean. LOL. :-)

Medicinal shrooms – how I love thee
On another note, too bad I didn’t bring down some of my medicinal mushrooms (Reishi , Shiitaki, Cordyceps, Maitake , etc.) from Canada, which I usually purchase from Ottawa’s Rainbow Natural Foods. Truly powerful (almost “magical”) stuff that’ll change your outlook on life – forever.

Ya don’t believe me? Read for yourself.

The study of medicinal mushrooms through the last three decades has proved its many beneficial outcomes and has been followed by the rapid development of manufacturing businesses dealing with commercial cultivation of mushrooms. In 1999, world production of mushrooms amounted to US$18 billion, roughly equal to the value of coffee sales.3,4

Medicinal mycology has deep and firm roots in fungi’s traditional uses in the medicine of the Far East. For centuries, Chinese and other healthcare practitioners employed mushrooms to treat various diseases. They valued the power of some mushrooms as divine (e.g., a special goddess was associated with the reishi mushroom). Reishi is also considered a symbol of happy augury and good future, good health, longevity, and even life with the immortals. The use of medicinal mushrooms has gone beyond medicine itself: different schools of Taoism employed reishi and other mushrooms as purifiers and promoters of mind and spirit.5 {source: Review of Medicinal Mushrooms Advances: Good News from Old Allies by Solomon P. Wasser, Ph.D., Dr.Sci. (Biol.)}

In addition, this short blurb is also an eye opener. But I wish they’d mention Cordyceps , which are my favorite natural adaptogens as they’re simply amazing for those who are into athletic pursuits and good all-around health – like me. {get more info: here | here | here | here | here}

In fact, an estimated 38,000 species of mushrooms, most provide a wealth of protein, fiber, B vitamins, and vitamin C, as well as calcium and other minerals. And at least three species have demonstrated phenomenal healing potential: maitake, shiitake, and reishi. These medicinal mushrooms have been shown to boost heart health; lower the risk of cancer; promote immune function; ward off viruses, bacteria, and fungi; reduce inflammation; combat allergies; help balance blood sugar levels; and support the body’s detoxification mechanisms. {source: Healthcastle.com }


Okay, enough of the lovely (and healthy) distractions. Remember, I’m still going through a web hosting nightmare, and no amount of cute skirts are going to make me lose my focus (ponders for a while). Go ahead, try me! Make your day! :-)

Customer dis-service continued
So, as I was saying at the end of my previous blog entry, my pal called the owner (Michael) from Afrohosting (see Whois). He in turns tells us that his host, Rackforce , shut him down because “one of his customers was sending spam from their account.” Now, I refuse to believe that a reputable company like Rackforce would throw out the baby with the bath water. It just doesn’t make sense.

After about 2 or 3 days, Michael did the most incredible disappearing act I’ve ever seen. Not even David Copperfield could match this. Incidentally, the web developer for our new site told us that Afrohosting had a lot of business with some NGOs based here in Kenya, and that they are all pissed. Again, Michael has fallen off the face of the earth. I presume he’s entered the 4th dimension. “Earth to Michael – come home!”

Cut your losses
Now, our new EBusiness web portal needed a reliable web hosting company to deliver the goods. Since Michael must’ve went into the Federal Witness Protection Program , we decided to cut our losses and find an alternative – pronto. Why?

Well, it’s sort of embarrassing when you’ve got interested investors, potential web partners, and web affiliates trying profusely to access your site only to get a blank screen. Actually, the pic to your above left is what appears when I “tried” to access Afrohosting.com on April 1/2006 at 5:18 PM. Oh, the suspended.page link you see in that JPEG image takes you to the screen which is captured in the next pic right below. How professional – not!

A shocking discovery
Now, it turns out that Michael’s Afrohosting.com company is NOT even hosted by Rackforce. What a bloody liar! The only speculation we’re going on right now is that he fu#ked up royally, and now his business is a goner. Perhaps he didn’t pay his bills? No one will ever know. Oh, if any of you guys see him, please tell him to send us a credit for our remaining web hosting plan. Also, if your hands are near his neck, please deny him some air. Where’s Lord Vader from Star Wars when you need him? :-)

Afrohosting.com goes “incognito”
This is almost too funny folks. But according to a Whois lookup for Afrohosting.com, it appears that their DNS servers are being hosted by (laugh) Incognito Networks. See the 3rd screenshot on this page below this text. What an ironic twist, eh? How very fitting since Michael has gone incognito on his alleged clientele.

Oh well, ya live and learn. Right?

What’s with the healthy stuff BTW?
So why the heck did I mention medicinal mushrooms in my IT blog? Well, IT, if approached from a negative perspective, is a very stressful profession when you take the following into account: Missed delivery dates, unrealistic expectations, security vulnerabilities, bugs, viruses, in-experienced users screwing things up, creeping featuritis in new apps, pointy-haired bosses {also see here|here } who don’t know jack squat about real IT, and the sheer increased complexity of today’s systems.
On the other hand, medicinal mushrooms have a calming Zen-like effect on the entire body, which is a possitive thing. They actually aid in reducing stress on your system – guaranteed. And you can take the bank.

The best things in life are FREE
Look, I’ve always made healthy living my firstpriority in life. Yes, even over a damn computer loaded with all of my favorite geeky stuff! Why? Well, if your health takes a serious nose dive, it doesn’t really matter how successfull you are, or how many material possessions you own. You see, I find that most of my IT colleagues have become slaves to their profession, and it’s come back to bite them right in the ass – in the form of BAD HEALTH and habits. Two to 4 large cups of coffee per day – with 3 sugars? Yikes, that’s a recipe for disaster! Better them than I.

All I’m trying to say is to learn from your experiences. In this case, I will make sure that my associates understand the need to truly scrutinize who they select to host their precious commercial “data” cargo (websites) next time.

But here’s the thing. After almost a week of being offline, and looking through the window from the outside, I realise that, “Hey, it’s NOT the end of the world.” This BTW is also my 1st sacred principle in life. In other words, the site was backed up, and no data was lost, so “chill dudes.” :-)

Ultimately, your health is the most important thing you have going in life. And it’s free when you enter this world. If your body gets a virus or encounters a serious malfunction, then it doesn’t really matter what happened to your data yesterday. Right?

And that’s my point.

BTW, don’t forget to follow the advise for choosing a web hosting company which is in the conclusion section of Part 1 of this blog. It’ll save you a ton of time. Trust me!

Happy computing.

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