Skunkworks Kenya

This morning I am at the Fourth Web for Development Conference at the UN complex in Kenya which goes through to Friday. Web4Dev is …

… a forum for the web community of UN agencies, and international development civil society organizations interested in using their expertise to show how the Internet can promote development.

So Web4Dev is like a BarCamp where UN and government bigwigs turn up. You have a bunch of techies doing brilliant things in techie world, you have a lot of activists, development people, concerned citizens doing brilliant things in the development sector and you throw them together and see what they come up with together. Should be very interesting and informative.

Last night a bunch of us from Skunkworks met with a group of Web4Dev delegates at Pizza Garden. It was one big idea exchange. I heard many innovative ways on how to get more people involved in our online conversation, new exciting things you will soon be able to do with RSS, cooking with grandmothers! Oh and I got to mess around with an iPhone for the second time in 4 days.

Today’s programme at web4dev is full of the usual opening ceremony formalities and expert panel discussions. Tomorrow we dive into the code and projects.

Aside:
Apparently the UN complex in Nairobi is actually in Italy!

web for development

BarCamp Nairobi 2.0 is in full swing at Strathmore University in the heart of Nairobi. In the first two hours we are discussing everything and anything to do with everything and anything with a technological bent. The final two hours we will focus in on this year’s theme, Innovation.

The short talks cover a wide range of issues (as you would expect at a BarCamp!) so far we have:

• Alex Gakum – Protecting Innovation
• Wesley Kirinya – Schools working with companies
• Edgar Okioga – .net innovation
• Nathan Eagle – Mobile Epemology Apps
• Riyaz Bachani – Demonstrating the One Laptop Per Child laptop
• Valentine Wambui - Call Centre set-up (using Asterix technology)

this list will grow as more people turn up. If you are in Nairobi and reading this, get to Strathmore University NOW (Ole Sangale Road, off Langata Road, in Madaraka Estate. If using public transport, take matatu number 14, which leaves town from the corner of Ronald Ngala and Mfangano Streets and goes directly to the entrance of Strathmore University (the last stop).

We are recording as much of the sessions as we can and will upload them as podcasts.

barcampkenya

I should start by apologising. I am writing this using Microsoft (Micro$oft perhaps) Word on a PC running Windows XP. In a sense I am bringing the average down as Skunkers are generally dedicated open source warriors.

However I am using FireFox and this blog runs on WordPress both of which are open source so perhaps that is enough to balance things out (what is the verdict Skunkers?)

This is my first proper Skunkworks lecture. How Skunkworks Kenya works is one week they have a lecture on something IT related and the following week they have a more relaxed social gathering at Kengeles or some other spot in town. I seem to have only made it to the social gatherings thus far, skiving the lectures.

Today’s lecture is on ADSL and the format is quite interactive. Kip is at the front sharing his knowledge, most people are sitting back and listening, a couple a taking notes, and some, well they are messing around on their blogs. Questions are encouraged and are flowing. The range of questions is quite wide, some are purely technical, “How does this whole model change with the introduction of CDMA?”, to the practical, “We have tried ADSL in our office and now our ISP is suggesting that we try DSL. Is there any difference between the two?”, to the basic, “what does ADSL mean?”

If you are interested in IT, ICT, computers or simply want to learn something new every week that is IT related then you need to come to these meetings. Techie or not, geek or not, IT graduate or not, feelanga free like a fly in a fanta bottle.

Now let me get back to trying to understand what these guys are talking about!

Get Your Smell On today at Skunkworks

When: Today the 26th of June 2007
Time: 18:00
Where: Training Room, Wananchi, 1st Floor Loita House, Nairobi
Presenter: Kip (do you have a website bruv?)
Topic: ADSL, Broadband stuff in general.

Come and find out why your internet is so slow and hopefully what you can do to speed it up (hint: may involve having to lay your own private submarine data cable).

Everyone welcome, yes that includes you, your better half, your clande, your clande’s better half etc.