In addition, the engineers from Center Rock Inc. of Berlin, Pennsylvania (USA) deserve serious credit. If it wasn’t for their drilling equipment, those miners would still be languishing 700m below. One other thing. I was amazed at how the rescuers under-promised and over-delivered. We all thought the miners would be out around the beginning of December. Nope, these techies found the resolve to implement a strategy that has never been done before. And they carried it out like clockwork.

All I’m saying is that if these miners are going to be offered book deals, movie deals, free vacations, money and what not, please remember who SAVED whose ass.

But…
Now, regarding this whole ordeal, something else came to mind. WHY oh why does mankind react in such a helpful manner when and only WHEN really bad situations such as this occur? Here in Nairobi, I see so many homeless people as well as kids on the streets begging for food or money. Why can’t the government lend a helping hand? Oh yeah, what about the plight of Kenya’s 2007/2008 post-election violence IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons)?

By the way, how does the Chilean government respond to similar and LESS HEROIC issues? A perfect example is Haiti. WHY can’t we get some Chilean “rescue effort” willpower so that Haiti can get back on track? What’s holding things up? I know it’s not as glamourous as rescuing 33 trapped miners from the 700m depths of Mother Earth.

Oh well!

Related links:

• 25 miners free as Chile rescue goes off flawlessly
• Chilean miners’ rescue has global audience gripped
• Unknown minister Laurence Golborne now a star
• Chile and Haiti: A Tale of Two Earthquakes
• Clinton: Donors still holding out on Haiti pledges

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.

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.

Related links:

• New species – largest spitting cobra found in Kenya
  
• Photos: world’s largest spitting cobra discovered in Kenya
  

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!

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!

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.

———————
Related links:

• The ten very worst design mistakes of all time
• Web design mistakes (2002)
• Web design mistakes (2003)
• Web design mistakes (2005)
• Good deeds in Web design
• Top homepage usability guidelines
• Most violated homepage guidelines
• About Jakob Nielson
• The 10 Secrets of Selling Online (courtesy of Paul Graham – one of my favorite IT pros on the entire planet)
• Ask Dave Taylor (Industry guru answers a wide variety of technical topics ranging from HTML, web design, CSS, Mac OS/X, Linux, Unix, online advertising, shell script programming, SEO, MS Windows)

!! 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?

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.

——————-
Related Links:

• “Fatality” Makes Six Figure Salary Playing Games
• Fatal1ty – The Champ is Here
• ASUS’ Blistering Multimedia Gaming Monitor
• Asustek PW201 20-inch widescreen display with 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Asus PW191 reviewed
• My NEW Video Game Idea
• TribalMixes.com – Get Live House, Trance, Techo & Progressive DJ mixes
• Ishkur’s Guide to Electronic Music