:: Richard William Mushi Blog :: "We are the authors of our own destiny"

2010-11-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

www.filamucentral.co.tz

Follow up on Tanzania Movies! New Movies! News on movie celebrities! So on!! Enjoy!

2010-11-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

The 9 Types of Intelligence

1. Linguistic intelligence reflects the ability to read, write, tell stories, and learn languages, grammar, and syntax. Strengthen this ability by studying a new language, improving vocabulary, and writing.

2. Your friendly computer programmer has logical-mathematical intelligence. She’s comfortable with numbers, logic, reasoning, and abstractions. To increase logical ability, get a book of logic games, knit a sweater, and learn computer programming. Or watch a movie on video, and stop it to predict what will happen.

3. Those with strong musical intelligence are sensitive to sounds, tones, rhythms, pitch, musical keys, and structure of the songs (from verse and chorus to symphonies). Borrow different types of music CDs, sing with the radio, be quiet and listen to the sounds around you.

4. Those with strong spatial intelligence can imagine, understand, and represent the visual-spatial world. They may have a good sense of direction, hand-eye coordination, and visual memory. Some people, for instance, can visualize how furniture fits in a room without measurements, or buy a scarf that matches the blue in a blouse at home (perfect “chromatic pitch.”) To strengthen your spatial intelligence, be a backseat driver and provide directions for a trip, fit the groceries in the bag or the car, play with jigsaw puzzles and mazes, build some Lego’s, or sculpt some clay.

5. Remember Gene Kelly performing “Gotta Dance!” in Singing in the Rain? He had bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, as do athletes, builders, actors, or surgeons (if they have fine motor skills). Yoga is a great way to increase this ability. Make crafts or build, ride a bike, dance, and learn tai chi or other sports.

6. Someone with interpersonal intelligence is good at organizing people and is aware of moods and motivations. He or she can communicate and lead well. To get more people skills, practice active listening—that is, repeat back what you think someone said. Learn about the types of personalities with the Myers-Briggs test (psychological preferences such as extraversion and introversion) or the Enneagram (a theory of nine personality types—possibly centuries old).

7. Intrapersonal intelligence is the ability to be self-aware and explore emotions, goals and motivations. This perspective on the human condition is used by writers, philosophers, psychologists, and theologians. To improve your intrapersonal intelligence, “know thyself”—write in a journal, meditate, try the personality tests mentioned above.

8. Individuals with green thumbs and “horse whisperers” have naturalistic intelligence. They are sensitive to nature and may easily recognize and classify species. To get more naturalistic intelligence, expose yourself to the great outdoors: plant a seed, volunteer at an animal shelter, take a walk with a naturalist at the park, read about classifications of animals (kids’ books can be a great place to start).

9. Spiritual or existential intelligence fits all Dr. Gardner’s criteria except for association with a specific brain specialization—though this intelligence could be a whole-brain function. Those with this ability explore questions about life, death, and what lies beyond the subjective perspective. Prayer and meditation increase whole-brain communication and lessen the blood flow to the parietal lobes (which give a subjective sense of time and space). Explore what lies beyond through inquiry, reading, or talking with others.

Sit and think critically! Which number do your intelligence fit????!!!!???!!!

2010-11-10T02:52:00.000-08:00

A wise man once said " He who would climb a latter begins at the bottom"!!. It has been almost a year since the blog has been updated! Yeah!!! That was because of my ongoing studies! For now I've completed my Ordinary Level Education! On break for like 5 Months till March 2011!

Being said so, expect to get new updates on various activities going on in todays world! I leave you with the following proverb!! " A new broom sweeps clean, but an old brush knows all the corners"

Meet me on facebook too! Richard Mushi {Username}, Richardmushi@gmail.com {E-mail)

2009-06-06T23:28:00.000-07:00

Join with G5 World Social Network at http://www.g5click.com/

2009-01-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

Hey! I saw this new along my daily browsing, i'd like to share it to some of you!

How global crisis will affect you in 2009

If you banked your hopes on the country`s top banker, believing that Tanzania is far away from the World`s powerful countries currently hit by financial crisis, and therefore can’t be affected, you were dead wrong.

The truth is that from the Chairman of a company at the upper echelons of society to those at the lowest rungs like coffee or cotton grower in a remote village, everyone will fall victim to the historic global financial turmoil which has caused economic recession ever witnessed since the great depression period.

As Tanzanians recover from the cheer of Christmas and New Year festivals, they will inescapably be hit by blows of the crisis during 2009 - described by President Kikwete in his end-of-the- year speech as `a tough year economically`.

To start with, the global economic recession will seriously hit tourism - a $1billion industry - with earlier predictions showing that revenue will decline by over 30 percent during this year.

In his end of the year speech, the President told the nation that in 2008, the global crisis reduced tourism earnings by 18percent.

Tourism is the country`s number one foreign exchange earner and one of the key indicators of the Gross Domestic Product(GDP), currently valued at $19billion.

With the credit crisis highly ruining US and Europe - the major source of tourists for Tanzania market-the year 2009 will be tough for the country`s tourism sector.

Another victim of the ongoing historic global financial turmoil will be the cotton sector which, during 2008, lost revenues by 54.4 per cent or Sh40.9billion.

The sector offers economic support to about 14million people in the Western Cotton Growing Areas, for whom the crisis will have an adverse impact.

Alarmed by the situation, President Kikwete this week said during his end of the year speech, ``by March last year a kilo of ginned cotton was $0.82cents but by the end of the year prices fell to $0.45cents…cotton traders told me how they have been highly affected by the ongoing crisis.``

The third casualty will be coffee, which last year suffered a 32 per cent loss due to global financial crisis.

Coffee exports earn the country around $90million per year.

By December last year, Arabica price fell by 34 per cent, reaching $104 for a 50kg bag, while Robusta price plummeted by 30 per cent, fetching $65.46 per bag.

On the trail is the Nile Perch industry which exports 80 per cent of its fish fillet to the European market, but due to the ongoing financial crisis, exports are projected to fall by 50 per cent.

This will be a thorn in the flesh to the already troubled sector which, in the past three years, has suffered heavily due to sharp dwindling of Nile Perch population in Lake Victoria and stiff competition from Vietnam.

Annually the Nile Perch industry exports fish fillet and related products valued at $200million, supporting 300,000 people directly and another 3million indirectly.

Currently, the only relieving aspect of the global economic crisis to Tanzanians is the plummeting fuel prices which by the end of last year reached $36per barrel of crude oil.

However according to the Economist magazine`s special edition of the World in 2009, fuel prices at the global market will surge to $75 by the end of this year.

However demand for oil in the rich world will fall in 2009 by around 1 per cent because of the ongoing global economic crisis.

Surprisingly, earlier projections by the Economic Intelligence Unit shows that food prices will drop by 25 per cent especially for maize, wheat and soybeans, while rice prices will also fall slightly by 19 per cent.

But millions of people according to the projections will still go hungry in developing countries during the year.

Summing up what need to be done, President Kikwete wants a special campaign to develop the domestic market which for so long time has not been effectively utilised by Tanzanians as well as the neighbouring countries.

For instance today, domestic tourism accounts for 40 per cent of all tourists who visit South Africa annually, while in US nearly half tourists are locals.

But, whether his free lecture to the Tanzania Tourism Marketing Board will this time be taken seriously by the concerned authority or not is a debatable issue.

In a country of 40million population, if at least 5 per cent of the population will visit various tourists’ attractions and spend an average of $100 annually, the sector will record $200million revenues generated from domestic tourism.

2009-01-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all! How you doing? Well, I know some people are now going back to work after this long holiday! So am I, I am going back to school after two day, I'm in some preparations of going to school. I'll be updating my blog from time to time when i get time. To leave off, let me say Thanks for all my blog viewers and their remarkful comments. Thank you so much, and be BLESSED.

Below, my current picture! Hope you like it. ( I've done so graphics).

2009-01-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

What'sUp?!! Hope Y'all are fine.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We really should thank God for keeping you alive till today cause there were others who would like to see the year 2009 but destiny wouldn't let them. I thank Lord for keeping me alive till today and continue with my studies and work.

I would like to talk about some of important issues that were covered near the end year of 2008 some of the being the USA election whereby Barack Obama was elected and now has kept a tremendous history to the world being the first black American / African to be the president of one of the superpowers in the world. He is to be officially be president soon after his 100 days since elected as Americans President-Elect laws. Well, I would like to say congratulation to Obama, and We believe that CHANGE has come to America, we are just anxious to see the changes. Obama's new era is faced by a big challage of the world economic crisis, but due to his words he has almost finished electing his team by which he promised the Americans that the will work on this issue. I was amazed when President-Elect Barack Obama appointed Hillary Clinton as secretary of the state that shows that politics isn't about hatred or competition but it is about uniting together so as to lead people and taking effective decision.

Next is about different government officials who participated in the EPA case where take to court to face their charges and this proved to the eyes of the Tanzanians that the president promise was fulfilled , some of the official who were taken to court were Daniel Yona and Basil Mramba and we still hope that others will follow.

The following event i am about to say, I write this with deep feeling and anger about the killings of people with skin problems know as ALBINOS, this is very inhumanity and as Tanzanians who kill this people believing that their body organs may bring uprise in the financial status its unbelievable beacause Tanzania is a nation with democracy, we are poor but we stay in peace, now killing you fellow Tanzanian just for money only because of his/her organs, with no mercy you take lives of children with the skin problems.. you deserve to die. The government have caught some of the killers and they are still under interrogation. President Kikwete's speech of 31 December said that this year they will pass a referendum about the killings of albinos to anyone who know any alibino-killers should vote. I hope this works cause.

Lastly is we should congratulate our national footaball team for their efforts past year and we still encourage them to represent Tanzania strong on their forthcoming African Nations championship .

We'll these are some of the events that i really wanted to talk about today, so here is 2009! There is alot to come, lets be together and see what God has planned for you and the nation this year. For now! Adios

2008-11-14T11:32:00.000-08:00

Hello!

How are you my dear viewers! I know that you have many questions , where is the boy? why is he not updating the site? Is he really alive?... Yes, i am alive and well.. i've been busy all over with my studies.. I' am on holiday so i am glad to say that i am BACK!!

On Air Today..... Obama's victory of the presidential election! More later......!!!!

Richie

2007-12-28T17:20:00.001-08:00

Bhutto death: How it happened

Vivid eyewitness accounts are continuing to circulate about exactly how Benazir Bhutto was killed as she left a campaign rally in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

One of the most direct has come from Getty picture agency photographer John Moore who had been covering the rally all day.

As he was preparing to leave, he told the London newspaper The Guardian, he was "shocked" to notice that Ms Bhutto was standing out of her car's sunroof waving to supporters as her vehicle slowly pushed its way through the crowds.

He continued: "As this happened, I was aware of Bhutto ducking back into the car and heard at least two gunshots. I picked up my camera unaware of exactly what was happening.

"As I did so a bomb detonated next to the car about 30ft (10m) from where I was in the crowd.

"I kept the motordrive running as I was pushed back in the crowd, getting pictures of the blast as it went off and crowd members reeling from it.

"The volume of people stopped me getting any closer."

Many of the pictures he took have since appeared in newspapers, television and news websites around the world - including this one.
'Kalashnikov'

A BBC correspondent at the rally, Shahzad Malik, said: "I heard a blast. I rushed across to where so many people were lying injured and dead."

Speaking from his hospital bed, an unnamed eyewitness gave this account: "Madame Benazir came outside the gate [after the rally]. After that there was commotion, there were shots and there was an explosion and then it was chaos."

The bomber caused carnage (Warning: Graphic content!)

Another eyewitness - also unnamed - was even closer: "We were standing right in front of her. In that instant a young man, fair, about 20 to 21 years of age, he fired a Kalashnikov aiming at BB [Bhutto].

"He was standing beside me, moved a little back, so I thrust my hand out at him and just then there was a blast.

Asked if it was the suicide bomber himself that he'd seen, he replied: "I can't really say. Was it him or someone else, I can't say."

A member of Ms Bhutto's PPP party, Mohammad Zaman, told the BBC: "The meeting went perfectly well. She delivered her speech, she came down the stage and got on the land-cruiser.
"She started coming out, we heard three [shots] fired, and after that the bomb blast went [off].
"And when I came down the road I saw there was loads and loads of injured. And I really thought that her vehicle was safe and left the place safely. I was hoping she would be okay."
In fact, she had been fatally injured.

PPP supporters have been accusing President Musharraf's government of failing to protect Ms Bhutto.

But this has been vehemently denied by the acting Interior Minister, retired General Hamid Narwaz Khan.
'Dedicated security'

He told the BBC the government had had reports of threats to her life, and had passed them on.
In the heat of the moment I think she got up just to wave at her supporters, and that is the time and the chance which the suicide bomber got to hit her Hamid Narwaz Khanacting Interior Minister

He continued: "She was protected, and we had provided a dedicated officer... to take care of her security.

"Her rallies were also secured.

"This rally in Liaqat Bagh ... the venue was totally secured through screen doors and a bullet-proof rostrum. All other security arrangements had been made with a very large deployment of police.

"She came out after the rally and sat in her vehicle and the movement started.

"Even at that time there were about 20 police escorting her, and the security officer assigned to her was travelling with her in the same vehicle."

The minister went on to describe how the road was blocked by a group of her supporters, and Ms Bhutto stood up through the open sunroof of her car to greet them.

"That was the time she was hit by the suicide bomber," he said.

"This was the best we could do," he added. "There were four other people travelling with her in the same vehicle ... if she had stayed down she would be safe, as all four of them are absolutely scratch-free.

"But in the heat of the moment I think she got up just to wave at her supporters, and that is the time and the chance which the suicide bomber got to hit her."

THE ASSASSINATION OF BENAZIR BHUTTO

1. Benazir Bhutto had addressed a rally of thousands of supporters in Rawalpindi's Liaqat Bagh Park

2. As her convoy was leaving the park via the rear gate onto Murree road, she was shot twice in the neck and chest

3. The gunman then blew himself up killing at least 16 people

4. Ms Bhutto was taken to Rawalpindi General Hospital, but was pronounced dead at 1816 local time.

2007-12-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

Hello,

May I wish you a Merry Christmas & a Prosperous New Year.

Richard William Mushi.

2007-12-21T07:49:00.001-08:00

Hello! Everyone,

Its near Christmas time, so many crimes are done within our neighborhood, all i can say is that we should be careful in every step we take and atleast improve your security status, especially at your houses. I came accross thing very shocking news about a radio presenter, from IPP Media, It's as follow:-

Presenter with Radio is killed by suspected bandits in a Dar pub

A presenter with the ruling CCM�s Radio Uhuru, Japhet Keneth Mangula (28), has died after being shot by a group of people suspected to be armed bandits in a Dar es Salaam pub.

According to Ilala Regional Police Commander Jamal Rwambow, Mangula was shot to death after the bandits invaded Sarafina bar in Ilala district\'s suburb in which the deceased was taking a drink.

He said the bandits, who were armed with a shotgun, machetes and clubs, invaded the bar and fired one bullet in the air before ordering revellers who were gathered for a drink to keep dead silent and surrender all their valuables.

The RPC explained that the event occurred at around 11pm on Wednesday when the deceased was seated at the counter.

In that event, according to the police, the deceased declined the order and started a fight with them, whereby the bandits shot him to death.

After that, the bandits took the deceased\'s mobile phone.
Rwambow said that the bandits also collected customer\'s belongings, including cash and mobile phones of undisclosed amount of money.

``At the counter of the bar, bandits managed to snatch 50,000/- before they fled,`` he said.

He said the body of the deceased was preserved at Amana Hospital in the city.

The Radio Uhuru Director, Juma Penza, said last tributes to the deceased would be paid tomorrow in Dar es Salaam.

The body would later be transported to Imalinyi Village, Njombe District, in Iringa Region for burial.

Ends

2007-12-21T07:47:00.000-08:00

Adobe Media Player for Watching Podcasts and FLV Videos

Adobe Media Player, a desktop media player that lets you play Flash Videos (flv), podcasts and QuickTime movies, just got better.

Adobe today posted a new build of Adobe Media Player on Adobe Labs - the UI is more or less the same but Adobe Media player can now play videos that are encoded using H.264 codec.

You would need Adobe AIR to install Adobe Media Player. And though you can watch videos that are already saved on your desktop, the current build of AMP ~~won’t let you add new RSS feeds~~.

Updated: For subscribing to your favorite video podcasts inside Adobe Media Player, go to “My Favorites” and click the “Add RSS Feed” link at the bottom. Thanks Brian.

Get Adobe Media Player [Available for Win and Mac]

Source: Digital Insipiration

2007-12-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

Windows Internet Explorer 8

Microsoft will release the first beta of Internet Explorer 8 in the first half of 2008 that will have full support for web standards. And the new browser will be known as “Windows Internet Explorer 8″.

Website designers will be able to write websites based on standards, insert a flag that tells IE to render in IE8 standards mode, and IE will then switch its rendering engine to use this new mode.

Thus IE8 won’t break the layout of existing websites coded for previous versions of IE (IE7 or IE6, for example). They’ll behave in exactly the same way in IE8 unless website designers opt-in to IE8 standards mode by placing a simple tag at the head of their HTML document.

It is not immediately clear if Windows IE8 will be available for Windows 2000 and XP versions. [MVP]

Source: Digital Inspiration

2007-12-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

The Popular Technology Video Bloggers of 2007 - Annual Roundup

The year 2007 was an interesting one for the video blogging industry. We did see some new faces in the tech vlog community but what surprised most is the high level of attrition among video bloggers.

Here’s a quick round-up of technology Video Bloggers who switched jobs in 2007 plus a look at new and notable tech video podcasts that were launched this year.

Rafe Needleman and Dan Farber of ZDNet launched Working Webware on CNET where they interview CEO of web companies. They have just made one appearance together but its worth the time.

Om Malik and Joyce Kim launched the weekly GigaOm show where they talk with tech entrepreneurs and review new start-ups. [Picture: Scott Beale]

Morgan Webb launched a daily tech show called WebbAlert that consist of a recap of popular technical news of the day.

Cory Doctorow, Mark Frauenfelder, Xeni Jardin and other BoingBoing editor launched Boing Boing tv in October 2007 and it soon became one of the top video podcasts on iTunes.

Veronica Belmont moved from CNET TV to host a daily video show for Mahalo called Mahalo Daily.

Amanda Congdon is hosting a weekly podcast for ABC called “Starring Amanda Congdon” but this is probably her last month with ABC. No

Robert Scoble is doing a video podcast for Podtech called “Scoble Show” but it was recently leaked that he has quit PodTech to join Fast Company.

Natalie Del Conte who moved to PodShow for TeXtra, a tech video podcast, has now shifted to CNET TV.

Karina Stenquist, host of the excellent MobuzzTV video blog quit this year after doing a record 469 video shows. She was replaced by Susan Hickey who too left after a very brief stint.

Tina Wood was doing some interesting interviews and podcasts for Channel 10 but not sure if she is still working for them as her last appearance was in August this year.

Other favorite tech video bloggers that have stayed around and continue to produce interesting content consistently include Lindsay Campbell (WallStrip), Cali Lewis (GeekBrief TV), Joanne Colan (Rocketboom), Laura Foy (Channel 10), Molly Wood (CNET TV) and Amber Mac (Webnation).

Also read: Most Beautiful Video Bloggers of 2006

Source: Digital Inspiration

2007-12-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

Before You Buy Any Mobile Phone Online, Feel and Visualize

When shopping online for a mobile phone (or a digital camera or an MP3 player), we usually read the first-hand reviews on gadget websites and then we do a comparison shopping to shortlist merchants who offer the best deals.

Perfect but while all these websites publish close images and the exact dimensions, it is still tough for an average consumer to visualize how big that model is without looking at it physically.
No worries, here are two excellent resources to help you visualize products better:

Compare Sizes of Mobile Phones with SizEasy

Say you have a Nokia N95 and plan to buy either an iPhone or the Motorola Q. Use the SizEasy service to quick compare the physical sizes of these different phone models.

If your phone is not in the database, just type the dimensions. You can also compare phone sizes to more popular physical options like a Coke can or a match box.

Test Drive Mobile Phones with TryPhone

TryPhone gives you the ability to try any mobile handset before you buy it online.

They provide interactive virtual handsets to simulate all the features of a physical device - you can test-drive the keyboard layouts, screen or run applications on the phone.

Not a big collection but features almost all the popular phone models.

Source: Digital Insipiration

2007-12-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

Hello Dear Readers,

It's a while since i posted any new info, thats because i was busy with studies, work etc.

I want to thank all my blog readers for you wonderful remarks about my blogs, and i hope you keep visiting and share the link with others,

As i written on the header, i will be posting different issues in the (IT) Technology World, from today, i will be frequently posting new information, news, gadgets, softwares, etc. I hope you enjoy and get educucated through the post and don't forget to leave your remarks or comments (-_ -) !

Thank you!

NB: The sopa opera shown at TVT (Tanzania National Tevelivion) "The Long Wait" ended on Thursday, i promised to post you about the The Long Wait just as i did on It Might Be You (Which ended last two week and another started sopa opera started called Only You! I will post more about the new sopa opera soon!), but under difficuly circumstances, its wasn't possible.

On the bright side, for you visited recently there was an XML flash gallery on different Dar-es-Salaam city but its could not load, I am working on it. Cheers!

2007-11-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

Fresh moves for linking country farmers to markets on cards

Latest study has revealed that small holder farmers in Tanzania are failing to commercialize their undertakings mainly because of lack of proper marketing information.

The study was conducted in Morogoro Shinyanga, Singida and Dodoma regions where almost 90 percent of farmers acknowledged their lack of as much as necessary information on farming products and available markets.

The results of the study were discussed at a meeting held Monday in Dar es Salaam seeking to thrash out means and ways possible for improving small holder farmers.

Richard Isiaho, the Executive Director from Fit Resources firm which performed the survey said interviewed farmers could not exactly say whether farming falls into the category of businesses or not.

The survey was commissioned to the firm by the Dodoma based Rural Livelihood Development Company (RLDC).

As a result, most farmers see no reason for increased productivity and large scale operations, and these practices are holding them back.

Worst of all, he said, many farmers in the surveyed areas conceded that they are lacking access to markets simply because they are not aware about their existence and their behaviours.

`They either sell their produce to one another or else top middlemen at lower prices who later on transport them to urban areas where lucrative prices are obtained,` he noted.

According to him, the only solution, which would help those farmers to develop, was through promotion of specialized commodity marketing programs on various media outlets.

The contents of such programs could be informative on aspects like availability of markets and inputs.

The study covered more than 1,800 people, including farmers, government officials and non-governmental organizations and lasted for nine months starting May last year.

Speaking earlier, the chairman of RLDC, Dr. Ralph Engelman, said that media has always been a powerful tool when fully deployed for purposes of educating farmers on matters related to their development.

Most relevant information to Tanzania`s farmers would be the one that would uplift them from subsistence to commercial.

He revealed that his organization was ready to facilitate the establishment of such radio programs but was still sorting out some issues with stakeholders on how to go about it, he said.
RLDC is an initiative of the governments of Tanzania and Switzerland to improve livelihoods in the rural areas and it started its operations last year.

Participants said those ideas came at the right time and were ready to support the initiative.
G. Kumbi from the Sokoine University of Agriculture said his institution is a bank of various farming information and was ready to share them with other stakeholders.

`We are ready to support the RLDC initiative through provision of any information relating to agriculture to the farmers, which we hope could support them` he noted.

Another stakeholder identified as Hawa Kihwele, from Small Farmers Network (Mviwata) in Mbeya said government bureaucracy was partly responsible for denying farmers access to relevant information.

Source: IPP Media.com

2007-11-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

JK to open African World Business Congress in Arusha

President Jakaya Kikwete is expected to open the Africa World Business Congress (AWBC) to be held in Arusha for four days beginning this Saturday.

The Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) Managing Director Emmanuel ole Naiko told reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday that Tanzania won the chance to host the conference after a great competition that involved six African countries.

The theme of the meeting is `The ABC of creating an effective and fully operational African Private Sector`.

The AWBC brings together big business people in Africa where by in cooperation with New Economic Partnership for Africa�s Development (NEPAD), they always conduct such conferences aimed at attracting investors in the host country.

Ole Naiko said that a total of 750 businesspersons from Tanzania and other African countries would attend the meeting.

He said different topics including Why Investing in Tanzania, Trade Policy, Enhancing Private Sector in Africa, Investment Opportunities in Telecommunication, Agriculture, Infrastructure, Mineral and Energy and Youth Empowerment would be discussed.

He called on local businesspersons to come forward and take part in the meeting.
For his part, event organizer Dan Cobaman said on Tuesday that besides President Kikwete, three other African presidents would attend the congress.

He said Madagascan president Ravalomanana had already confirmed his participation.
He said: `We are now waiting for a word from Monrovia and Kampala to be in a position to announce the participation of their Excellencies Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda respectively.`

The Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa is expected to close the conference on November 13, 2007.

2007-11-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

Hello

Dear. Viewers, sorry for not being online for some time, its because of studies, and recently exams, and alot of business to operate. To start lets have some latest news!

Richard William

Dar IT firm, US institution launch Oracle University

in coloboration

Vesl Technologies of Dar es Salaam, in collaboration with Oracle University based in the US, have launched Oracle University in Tanzania.

The inauguration of the university was done at a colourful ceremony in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

Speaking to The Guardian in an interview at his office yesterday, VESL Technologies managing director, Vijaye Beeharry, said launching of Oracle University in Tanzania would provide an opportunity for Tanzanians to be awarded Oracle professional certification locally.

He said the collaboration would make Tanzanian IT community more efficient and skilled at a very minimal cost.

``Courses to be offered, aim at building capacity of institutions in the country, to enhance their productivity and achieve maximum profits during their operations,`` Beeharry observed.
He said the institutions would include banks, the private sector, industries, government departments and other institutions, airlines, energy sector, utilities, mining, health, educational institutions as well as the IT industry which stand to enhance their productivity once they applied Database Administration (DBA) courses.

Oracle University would provide certificates of attendance to qualified students which could also be taken online.

VESL discovered the demand for quality training and certification and would be eager to work in achieving the desired goal by investing in Oracle Technology.

The technology is said to be only the first step towards achieving the full business value for information technology.

``With the government`s support, our aim is to create the foundationstowards building the cyber city in the East African region,`` he said.

Source: IPP Media

2007-10-04T16:25:00.001-07:00

Hey.. Hey... Hey....

Sorry for not being online for quite some time now, bust with school, work etc.

Well! Here are some more pictures of Bongo - Dar-es-Salaam. Enjoy..

Y'all waiting for more pictures of sopa opera's here in Tanzania, i haven't forgoten about that, stay put!

2007-09-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

HAKI ELIMU

Haki Elimu Ad. Associates Kayumba and Emmy! Follow out the life of two different students in a different life style.

Kayumba's School.

Emmy's School Premesis.

Kayumba thinking, he could have lunch because his mother promised him he will prepare a good meal when he comes home from school.

His Mother making the promise.

Kayumba sleeping during the class period because of hanger and he's hugry because of hard work done at school, one of them is to mow school garden. Is says 'je hii ni sawa' means "is this right?"

Brought to you by HakiElimu..

For more conact! the addresses are above..

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More coming up! Keep the hard work Haki Elimu....

2007-09-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

IT MIGHT BE YOU

Something is telling me it might be you..... all of my life.......

It started when they were you.........

They made a promise, 'they will be best friends for ever'

Atlast, they found out, that they were in love, since they were best friends

Its Cielo San Carlos and Lawrence Trinidad

Cielo , saying remembering when they were young as she had planned to go to America, so as she can forget the pain cause by her fathers death, and also forget the Trinidad. But things were not good a planned...

Cielo's Step-Brother, Dereck, her sister Melba had a child with Ernesto, and he left her, he seeks a very hateful revenge on the Trinidad, and he is also Camilo's man, he does all his dirty works.

Lawrence, the son of a former Mayor, in love with the cousin of the Govonor.

Ernesto Trinidad, Lawrence's Father, former mayor of 'Montegracia'.

Frida Trinidad, Lawrence's Mother.Frida is an evel woman, She never liked Cielo since she is his sons girlfriend, and she killed Cielo's father,she is also angry at the San Carlos being the govonor because she did every means to make her husband (Ernesto ) win the election, and she also made the former govonor to endorse Ernesto, but the people were tired of him.. so they elected the San Carlos.

Father and Son! Lawrence now knows her mother is an evil woman, that will mess up his relation ship with Cielo, His father is a cool guy, he always supports Lawrence decisions.

Orlanda and Camilo (Govonor) The brother of Eseng, planing how to find Orlanda's child in every Orphanage in the city. When Orlanda gave birth to her daughter, Frida sent her men to kill her, so Orlanda believed that she was dead, but soon , one Frida's old men told Orlanda that Frida gave them an order to kill her baby, but they had mercy and left the child on an Orphanage.

The two families are enemies but their children Lawrence and Cielo are in love, they face the trouble between their love..... Orlanda facing Frida, as she was bailed out of jail for being the suspect for Eseng (Camilo's brother, Cielo's Step-father), and the truth is Frida's men set up explosives in Esengs movie theater as they were lauching it after renovating it. It was one of the touching espisodes.

Lawrence looks very suprised after hearing that Cielo was going to America, he was told by Gian.

Cielo remembering their promise between her and Lawrence, her father was killed by Frida, and lately they were kidnapped by Frida but now they are resqued alive, Frida shot Orlanda, and Frida was shot by Camilo, they are both in the hostipal now.. Frida is out of danger, Orlanda is still in danger.

Cara an Gian, Cara step-daugher of Orlanda and Gian adopded son of the Trinidad. They are in love, they do not want to be affected by the fight btn the two families, but they got no choice , so they meet secretly.
Cara was sent to the Trinidad house by Orlanda to be a spy, as Orlanda pretending to be a crazy woman, Orlanda (Ola) was captured by Frida, Frida had planed to kill her, but luckly Camilo came out after long time and met Orlanda and he sent his men to capture her because she escaped Frida's hide out. Camilo caught her, after Camilo was told by Eseng the truth that Orlanda was raped by Ernesto, that why Camilo vanished. Camilo and Orlanda were a couple, but Ernesto had a child with Orlanda, Camilo broke up with Orlanda. Camilo forgived Orlanda, and it was time for Cara to leave the premesis of the Trinidad, and her brother Waken was the outside spy who tried to find Orlanda as she was captured by Frida.

Waken was killed by Camilo's body guard as she was forcing Orlanda to leave Camilo so as they can start a new life, Cara hated Orlanda and Evil Frida conviced Cara to stay with her so as she can tell Frida all about Orlanda. Soon Cara found out that Frida was an evil woman, she was the one who told the San Carlos that Frida planed the boming at the movie theater and moved in with Orlanda and the San Carlos family.

Cara and Gian planned to meet each other everyday, and think of a way to be together, so as they can never break their love.

Orlanda talking to Frida, Orland had a daughter with Ernesto, Frida knows the child, but she does not want to tell Orlanda the wife-to-be of the Govonor Camilo, she send her men to force Frida to tell her who's her child, they burt Frida with Cigars (refer up top, you see Frida's face with burnt spots).
Orlanda's daughter is Cielo, Frida knew before anyone , Cielo was adobted child by Lupe and her dead father Eseng, Frida as she was evil, she changed Cielo's file in the Orphanage was changed by another fake file so as they will never know the truth.

Cielo ( Orlanda's child) crying after breaking up with Lawrence.

Lawrence crying after breaking up with Cielo. This is very touching.

This is the beautifull Orlanda. The wife-to-be of Camilo, the greatest enemy of Frida. Many of us may know here, she has been one of the main characters of many Soap Opera's in Tanzania's channels, Some of the characters in 'It Might Be You' are also in 'The Long Wait' of TVT. Want to know them????????Stay tunned it will be next after this.

TRIVIA

Will Orlanda survive? Will she know her daugter? Will Frida be sent to jail for kidnapping Cielo and Orlanda? Will Orlanda seek for revenge for what Frida did to her and Cielo? Will Ernesto divorce Frida? Will Cielo unite with Lawrence after what happend?

For many more, don't miss It Might Be You ever Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9:00pm, on Star TV. ( More pictures coming up, stay tuned)

* Arrangment is a follow:- {Pictures Cuption followed by the picture(different style)}

2007-09-15T01:01:00.000-07:00

After so many request of not puting my trademark on the pictures, so i provide them without the trademark. Enjoy!!!

2007-09-13T00:09:00.000-07:00

ICT: Forging a competitive edge

It’s no longer a foreign benchmark by which to measure competitiveness. The boom in African mobile commications is as much homegrown as it is based on foreign investment, and is therefore likely to prove more sustainable than previous rounds of investment.

For more visit www.richardwmushi.livejournal.com

2007-09-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Building in Dar-es-salaam City! Stay alert for more!!!

REMINDER: For different journals and news visit my new blog richardwmushi.livejournal.com .

2007-09-12T02:04:00.000-07:00

Dar-es-salaam Buildings.

I'v oppened a new journal blog addresses richardwmushi.livejournal.com . You will be getting more journal (articles, news etc) in there.. here we will be reviewing pictures, and latest tech gadgets.

2007-08-31T03:47:00.000-07:00

Africa to become world leaders in IT

What are the IT services challenges in the African continent?

Infrastructure is not what we are used in South Africa or the rest of the world, both in terms of availability and reliability. The business or in-dustry infrastructure is also lack-ing, for example bank clearing agencies and electronic mediums for communication. However, these are the challenges that create the opportunity for Africa to skip one step in the evolution of IT and business architecture and actually embrace new technology earlier. In mobile telecommunication, South Africa has kept up to date with the latest technologies and has made it affordable to most of the population.

In countries that have poor infrastructure like electricity, how have you developed solutions to get around this?

We are servicing the admini-stration hubs of financial services and more specifically life assurance, which are less prone to these types of infrastructure limitations. What we find is that back office administration is usually central and other areas are serviced via the Internet with the option of using mobile devices as a back-up. We are just entering the mobile era and are of the opinion that Africa could become a world leader in this field.

There’s the prevailing view that knowledge and information are vital to competitiveness in a globalised world. Africa lags the rest of the world in this regard, but is IT the solution to the continent’s development challenges? IT alone cannot be the solution; it can merely be an enabler to some of the development challenges in Africa. We also need to understand that knowledge and information will not only be an IT issue when competing in Africa. IT can be used to develop industries, for example long term insurance, which in turn funds infrastructure development, giving steps towards solving the continent’s development challenges. We firmly believe that by ensuring a strong long term insurance industry, countries are positioning themselves for development and growth.

Coulld you provide an example of how the IT solutions you offer have helped a company or country?

SDT provides software to life assurance companies, which en-ables them to efficiently service the market, establish trust in the products’ benefits and creates funds that can be reinvested in the countries development. Throughout Africa we have seen the companies using the SDT solutions expand their target market and their product offering. In Kenya we are now servicing three companies, which allow growth in the industry. SDT also services South African companies expanding into Africa and thus spreading expertise and knowledge across the continent.

There’s also the problem of literacy levels in the continent. To harness IT for development and growth people must be able to access and use it. Is this realistic in Africa?

Literacy levels are low, but on the other end of the scale you will find educated and skilled people in each country. We have yet to come across a country where there is not adequate skill to operate and use the IT solutions we offer.

I am of the opinion that one of the aspects governments could start looking at is how part of the revenue of companies should be used in addressing the literacy and education challenges. Imagine literacy training on the Web or computers being provided by the financial services industry as an add-on. Banks have branches everywhere, with good infrastructure, why not use this as a tool rather than an expense? There are many opportunities in Africa to help Africa, we just need to find the key to mobilise this.

Within the IT industry itself, to what extent do you find yourself competing with better resourced global companies and how has this impacted on your strategy?

We compete with better resourced global companies, including companies from the Far East. The main benefit we have is our understanding of the African market, our ability to address the uniqueness of Africa and of each country in a generic solution and our willingness to listen to our clients and prospective clients. Many of the global players, including some players from South Africa, are arrogant in their approach of Africa. We should be aware of this as the challenges on the continent have forced innovative products and solutions from which global companies should learn. SDT has also adopted a strategy of growing with our client, thus being prepared to take some risk in entering the market. This differentiates us from many of the global players.

How relevant are global solutions to African problems? Is there a one-size-fits all approach?

Global solutions do have relevance to some African problems, but it needs refinement and adjustment to the unique requirements of each country on the continent. One design fits all is still valid, but one-size-fits all discounts the independence of the African countries.

Global solutions render themselves invalid by not accepting the limitations in Africa and a ‘we know better’ attitude. Once you start listening to the wisdom in Africa and incorporating that in your solutions, it becomes relevant immediately.

What is your personal vision and ambition?

I am an African, I believe in Africa and I would like to see us make a contribution towards the development of Africa. I am passionate about implementing to-tal solutions for financial services groups in Africa, enabling them to grow and invest their funds in the infrastructure of the respective countries. If we can make a contri-bution to this, I will be proud of what we have achieved. I would also like to see Africa capitalising on the adoption of mobile phones and enhancing the use to become world leaders, which I believe we have all the capabilities and vision to achieve. -Business in Africa Online

2007-08-31T03:42:00.000-07:00

Hello! Whats'up

I found this very fantastic news about exports in East Africa.. For more information read the below story!

East African export bodies launch joint website on foreign markets

The Tanzania Board of External Trade (BET), in partnership with the Export Promotion Council of Kenya (EPC), the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) and the Holland-based Centre for Developing Countries (CBE), have launched a new web portal, http://www.eacexport.com, that is intended to facilitate East African businesses access information on foreign markets.

Speaking at the launch on Tuesday in Dar es Salaam, Industry, Trade and Marketing deputy Minister Hezikiah Chibulunje said information was the highway on which international trade was driven, adding: `This EAC export portal goes a long way in paving this critical pillar for effective trade participation in East Africa in general.`

Chibulunje said accessing reliable business information was always a challenge to many business enterprises, especially those in developing economies.

Whilst the digital divide between the developed and the developing world was narrowing, easy access to reliable, relevant and affordable market information remained an immense challenge.

According to the deputy minister, business stakeholders needed information to make critical decisions for them to prosper, especially exporters who needed information on topics such as market opportunities, market and product trends, buyer contacts, buyer requirements, price trends, market access requirements and how to penetrate export markets.

BET director general Hashim Khalfan, on his part, said building of a global business partnership required clear and concise information on global markets, adding that the website was geared to providing East African exporters with the right and timely market information for export development.

Khalfan said in response to this requirement the three core trade promotion organisations in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda had teamed together with CBI to build an effective and efficient online system to meet the information needs of the East African business community.

EPC boss Matanda Wabuyele said the internet was the driving forces behind globalization, adding that the regional information system for exports website placed East African products and services in the international business arena.

He said the portal was an initiative platform where exporters would not only have access to market information but also be able to get expert advice from a pool of export coaches specialized in a range of fields such as financial and quality management, packaging, insurance and export documentation.

On her part, UEPB executive director Florence Kata said the portal was jointly owned, developed and managed by the core TPOs in the three countries which had a dimension that was unique in the world.

Kata added that great gains had been achieved from sharing of information between the organization that had a much more extensive outreach to information sources and could offer so much by providing information about their own markets for their neighboring countries, thus giving a boost to intra-regional trade.

According to CBI expert Ton Lansink, TPO staff along with a network of commercial attaches from the three countries based in the respective countries and the Netherlands embassy had undergone extensive training that aimed at improving their skills in collecting, interpreting, analyzing and compiling information and feeding it into the EACexport.com portal.

The EACexport.com portal had been developed to provide pro-active answers to exporters in the region with easy access to reliable, relevant and affordable market information and tools.

It features valuable information and useful export management tools for exporters as well as for small and medium-sized enterprises contemplating to export.

News Soucre: The Guardian

2007-07-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am back online after sometime cause i have been loaded with tons of work , but nothing to worry.. I will bring you some picture of my last tours in Dar-es-salaam soon! So Stay Tuned!!

Internet firm takes e-learning to Dar schools

Dar es Salaam-based internet service provider, WiA will provide computers and free e-mail accounts to all primary schools in Dar es Salaam.

Primary schools in Kinondoni district would become the first beneficiary of this corporate social investment and would br gradually rolled over to other districts as well.

Company`s Chief Executive Officer, Eric B. Mwenda, said last week that his company would provide two gigabytes (2GBs) of internet access space to the schools to link pupils with various information sources the world over.

As part of the programme, he said, pupils would learn basic ICT skills while in primary schools and join knowledge and information society as early as possible.

`Every one will be compelled to understand and use computer for communication, so if children do not learn now it will be a problem to them in future`, he said.

As the first fully owned indigenous Tanzanian network, WiA recognises the need to give back to the community and is very passionate about education.

However he did not mention the amount of computers to be distributed and its cash value.

Explaining on the internet services in the country, he said it is doing well but enough investments must be put in to avoid access and bandwidth challenges.

`There is a problem of networking failure; we as ISP providers have to sit down to solve it in order to save money and time for our customers`, he emphasized.

Likewise, he said, there imperative to make sure that all ISP have enough capacity to provide services to the total satisfaction of customers without technical failures.

WiA is currently based in Dar es Salaam but plans are afoot to invest USD80 million for expansion programmes from next year and reach areas such as Mbeya, Arusha, Mwanza and Tanga.

2007-05-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

Mobile TV predicted to be a hit

TV could overtake gaming and music as the consumer's favoured application for mobile phones, according to research.
Services in Japan, South Korea and Italy are attracting millions, confounding critics who said people would not watch TV on a small device.

But consumers remain confused by what is on offer, as competing service offer different content and quality.

For the UK, a shortage of spectrum needed for mobile TV means adoption of services might have to wait until 2012.

Money-spinner

Research firm Screen Digest forecasts that mobile TV will put gaming and music in the shade. It predicted that there will be 140 million global subscribers generating revenue of £3.1bn by 2011.

"There has been a lot of cynicism about mobile TV and the big unanswered question has been whether people would watch it. For us that has been answered," said Dave MacQueen, senior mobile analyst with Screen Digest.

A slow-down in mobile gaming and the fact that music via mobiles is unlikely to be a money-spinner for operators as people continue to 'side-load' music from their PCs, makes TV the best option for operators to make money, thinks Mr MacQueen.

As data services fail to make huge revenues and with regulatory and competitive pressures meaning the money people spend on voice and messaging is falling, operators need to make mobile TV a success, he said.

In Japan and South Korea there are now 5.8m people watching TV on their mobile phones, and even more watching TV on other hand-held devices and via in-car systems.

In Italy there are 500,000 subscribers to newly-launched mobile TV services such as that run by Vodafone in conjunction with Sky Italia.

The Vodafone service offers consumers the choice of 17 channels and can be paid for either monthly or is offered free for people that sign up to contracts.

For David McQueen, principal analyst with research firm Informa, mobile TV offers operators the chance to draw people away from increasingly popular pay-as-you-go services to the more profitable contract services.

Recording TV

"The spectrum allocation issue is unique to the UK and it means the UK is behind in terms of mobile TV" David McQueen, Informa

There are a variety of ways to deliver TV to mobile phones and individual countries are adopting different technologies.

For example Vodafone's service in the UK is delivered via 3G which has a maximum capacity of around 15 users per 2km radius.

This means it would not be able to support mass market uptake, although it is ideally suited for offering 'catch-up' TV services such as that offered by 3.

By contrast, so-called broadcast TV has infinite capacity but cannot offer catch-up services, although there are now handsets coming on the market which are capable of recording TV.

Dave MacQueen believes that consumers are going to be most interested in watching simulcast TV, where the programming on mobile devices mirrors that of conventional TV.

This brings its own problems because peak viewing on conventional TV does not coincide with how people consume TV via their mobiles - mainly in short bursts early in the morning and on the way home from work.

It all makes for a confusing picture for consumers, say market watchers, and it gets even more complicated in the UK where true broadcast TV to mobiles will have to wait until spectrum is freed up in 2012.

"The spectrum allocation issue is unique to the UK and it means the UK is behind in terms of mobile TV," said Mr McQueen.

2007-05-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Y'all!!

How are you doing?? Sorry for not writin for some time, but now i am back! to update you with latest information.

2007-04-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia offers access offline

Nearly 2,000 Wikipedia articles will be sold on compact disc to give people without a net connection access to highlights of the popular web resource.

The Wikipedia Version 0.5 CD collection includes topics such as geography, arts, literature, science and history.

The articles were selected by software that rated their quality and importance to the Wikipedia community.

Martin Walker, a senior academic from the US also helped set the selection criteria for the $13.99 (£7) disc.

"We wanted to cover the major topics, while also including a selection of articles considered to be the very best of Wikipedia," said Professor Walker, of the State University of New York, Potsdam.

"These featured articles aim to be well written and comprehensive, and also free from errors, bias, vandalism and marketing."

Language plans

The 1,964 articles were only selected from the English version of the online resource, which currently contains more than 1.7 million entries.

The Wikimedia Foundation, the group behind Wikipedia, said the CD reflected its mission of "making knowledge available to every human being."

"Not only does it provide those not connected to the worldwide web access to knowledge, but it also showcases some of the best articles created on Wikipedia," said Florence Devouard of the Foundation.

The collection is not the first time that the online resource has been distributed offline.

In 2006, children's charity SOS Children released a free encyclopaedia made up of articles selected from Wikipedia. The CD, aimed at eight to 15 year olds, included articles that had been "tidied up" by volunteers.

The CD is the first of many offline projects planned by the wikipedia community.

A DVD of 239,000 hand-checked Polish Wikipedia articles will be released in the next few weeks, and a French language version of the new CD is planned.

Other systems already allow users to take the online resource out and about.

Webaroo allows users to carry the free encyclopaedia on a smart phone with a compact flash card, whilst Encyclopodia puts the open source project on an iPod.

The latest offerings from Wikimedia means it further encroaches into markets traditionally dominated by companies such as Encyclopaedia Britannica.

2007-03-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

Dell gives the go ahead for Linux

Large firms like Oracle use open source Linux software Computer giant Dell will start to sell PCs preinstalled with open source Linux operating systems, the firm has said.

The second largest computer maker in the world said it had chosen to offer Linux in response to customer demand.

Earlier this year, 100,000 people took part in a Dell survey. More than 70% of respondents said they would use Linux.

Dell has not released details of which versions of Linux it will use or which computers it will run on, but promised an update in the coming weeks.

"Dell has heard you," said a statement on the firm's website. "Our first step in this effort is offering Linux preinstalled on select desktop and notebook systems."

Currently the company only offers Microsoft Windows on its computers, but sells servers running Linux.

Members of the Linux community welcomed the move.

Nick Veitch, senior editor of Linux Format magazine, described it as "significant".

"I think it sends a message in two ways," he said.

"One is that a major company is confident enough to be able to offer Linux preinstalled on a desktop - that sends a signal that Linux is usable to the average user - and I think it shows that there is a growing demand for an alternative to Windows."

Microsoft is the world's largest software maker and its proprietary Windows operating system is found on nine out of every 10 personal computers.

Dell currently only offers Windows software on its laptops

While companies such as Microsoft earn money by licensing and charging for use of their products, Linux code is freely available.

That means anyone can modify it or develop applications for it. As a result, there are many different types, or distributions, of Linux operating systems that offer different functionality.

As Linux is free to download and distribute, the exact numbers of users is difficult to quantify.

However, analysts believe that approximately 6% of computers users run Linux, similar to the numbers choosing Apple Macs.

Big business and governments, particularly in the developing world, are also starting to exploit the flexibility of open source code.

The UK Cabinet Office recently evaluated the operating system and approved it as a viable alternative to proprietary systems. Car manufacturer Peugeot has also rolled it out across its employees' desktop computers.

But until now there has not been a major computer manufacturer willing to preinstall Linux on consumer computers.

"The fact that Dell is offering a desktop with Linux is no surprise," said Mr Veitch.

"The surprise is that it has taken them this long."

2007-03-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

Volunteers sign up to build game

The world's biggest game studio has been created with the help of 20,000 volunteers.

Thousands of people have signed up to help develop a community-built massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMO).

Developer Dave Perry and publisher Acclaim are building a professional MMO with the help of ordinary people.

One of the users will be chosen to "direct" a future game and will receive any royalties earned.

"I want it to be a title they own and feel excited about," said Mr Perry, a 24-year veteran of the games industry.

Overwhelming response

The original goal was to try to develop a title faster than if it was done by professional developers alone, he said.

The project, known as Top Secret, is looking for artists, writers, designers and audio technicians from the ranks of ordinary gamers.

"With 20,000 people signed up we are already the biggest development team in history.

"We will end up with 100,000 people on this team. if 1% is any good, we are good to go."

Gamers have been able to sign up since last week and Mr Perry said he had been overwhelmed by the response.

"There is a real pent-up level of interest we didn't expect. We have touched a nerve."

There is a tradition of non-professionals creating content for the games industry. The 1998 PC game Half Life spawned an entire industry when fans created a modified (mod) version of the title, called Counter Strike.

Crowd sourcing

" Ultimately we are going to see that the games development industry is much bigger than we thought," Dave Perry

Many firms offer tools to users to help them build content and mods but this is believed to be the most ambitious commercial project to date.

Mr Perry has worked in the games industry since he was 15 years old.

In recent years he has made the transition from lead programmer to studio head and is currently working on four other MMOs, as well as creating a games finance business and driving the creation of an open source, global map of gaming.

A professional team of artists, programmers, designers, and audio staff will build the MMO but the creative impetus will come from the users.

"We are not doing this for fun; this is a professional game we are trying to make. It's a business.

"I hope it will prove to us that consumers are useful."

Mr Perry is hoping to take advantage of so-called crowd sourcing or "accepting that the combined intelligence of all these people is far beyond your own."

"While we want to think we've got all the best ideas it's just not true," added the Northern Ireland-born, now LA-based, developer.

Back-up plan

MMOs have become one of the most popular gaming genres, with titles like World of Warcraft attracting millions of monthly subscribers around the world.

Mr Perry said successful MMOs kept gamers on a continuing path of new experiences.

He said he expected the volunteers to come and go over time, with some recruited by the games industry to work on other projects.

"I am expecting a lot of head-hunters, developers and publishers to be looking around and trolling through the responses and hiring anyone that is good.

"I also expect to see splinter groups; teams of three or four working together on other projects."

He said that the whole industry would have something to gain from the experience. But he also said there was a back-up plan in place, if the contributions from gamers prove disappointing.

"If they deliver zero, we can still ship a title," he said.

Mr Perry is also helping the development of an interactive map which will reveal the global reach of the games industry.

He has funded a programmer to help start the map and is now turning over its development to users.

"It has to be created by the people for the people - they have to have complete control."

The map will encompass games developers, publishers and colleges offering gaming courses around the globe.

"Ultimately we are going to see that the games development industry is much bigger than we thought," he said.

2007-02-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hey!!

Hey y'all Whats Happening???

Sorry for not be updating my blog, that cause lately i was kind a busy.. i will be with you in a short while.. cause i got a very interesting thing coming next.. you'll love it!! cause is Superior!!!

2007-02-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

{NEW} Sony Ericsson's K810 and K550 Cybershot phones: slim 3.2 and 2.0 megapixel shooters

2007-02-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

{NEW}Sony Ericsson's W610 Walkman for US plebes

Enjoy!!

2007-01-21T16:00:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Ideavirus Tips

The single secret of Internet marketing success is this: ideas that spread, win.
Every site that's ever succeeded has done so not with Super Bowl ads or even banner ads, they've done it by creating an ideavirus. Successful songs, brands, political campaigns, they all work because of the ideavirus.

An ideavirus is an idea that spreads with a power far greater than word of mouth. Aided by digital networks, an ideavirus moves from person to person, reaching far more people than advertising ever could.

So how do you create and start an ideavirus?

1. Make sure your idea is remarkable.
Boring ideas don't get spread. Me-too products don't get talked about. We're now living in a world of fads and gimmicks and instant success. If your product isn't remarkable, don't even start.

2. Identify your hive.
A hive is a group of people who both share an interest AND talk with each other about it. If your remarkable product doesn't overwhelm a specific hive of people, then it's much harder to spread the idea. Napster was remarkable (free music!) and it was aimed at a specific hive: college students. Both elements were critical in the rapid growth of the idea.

3. Make it easy to spread.
I call it smoothness. Check out vindigo.com if you haven't already. It's a program that runs on your Palm. The cool part is that if you like it, you'll tell a friend. And if they want it, you can beam the entire product to them, for free, in less than a minute. That's smooth. Compare this to a product with a long, complicated URL, or a company that puts new customers on hold... the harder it is to tell your friends, the less likely you'll do just that.

4. Make it persistent.
Once someone becomes a fan, can you keep them as one? Most marketers forget that the best way to grow is to have the people who are already fans keep telling people, as opposed to always trying to find new fans.

5. Understand sneezers.
Sneezers are the people who tell other people about what you're doing. Some sneezers do it because they like the power that comes from finding and spreading cool new ideas. Some sneezers, on the other hand, do it for money. Don't confuse the two types, and make sure you give each person what they need.

6. Make a souvenir .
If your product is digital, it's awfully hard to charge a lot for it. But a souvenir; the t-shirt, the hardcopy book, the autograph, the live concert, the seminar, is priceless, and you can charge accordingly.

7. You're not in charge.
Once you unleash an ideavirus, it's going to move through the hive at the velocity it chooses, in the direction it chooses. You can influence, but you cannot demand.

8. Buy a lot of chips.
There are no guarantees. Plenty of ideavirus-worthy ideas never hit. No one knows why (yet). So be ready with innovative, noteworthy, remarkable products all the time.

9. Fill the vacuum.
What was the second brand of metal scooter? Everyone remembers the Razor. Being second is boring and it rarely leads to success. You've got to be first, to fill the vacuum.

10. Make good stuff.
I know I said this before in different words, but it's worth repeating. The viruses that spread the best are the ones that deliver real benefits (I didn't say morally redeeming, though... your product can be goofy but still be good.)

Have fun!

2007-01-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

How to Start a Profitable Home Business

I find that ads that tell me I can have a fabulous income with little or no work appeal enormously to the greedy, lazy parts of my humanity. Fortunately, I, like most of you, know that there is no such thing as being paid just for showing up. And you can't afford to be burned. So just how do you proceed? Here s a check list that s sure to point you in the right direction!

1) Make sure you are dealing with a reputable company.
How long has the company been around? Anything less than 2 years is pretty iffy. Is it a member of the Better Business Bureau? This is an excellent sign of integrity. Have any complaints been filed against this company? Let s hope not.

2) What are the start-up costs? How about maintenance costs?
If you are being asked to purchase a start-up kit costing several hundred dollars or more, you need to really investigate what it is you ll be receiving for your money. In my experience, you rarely get anything that is worth anywhere near as much as you paid. Also, how much product are you expected to continue to purchase monthly? Do you even use it? Does this leave money in your budget for advertising? Clearly, the best products to promote are ones that you need or would use anyway. Even better would be one that saves you as much money as it costs.

3) Is the product one that you can promote with pride and confidence?
You can only represent a product that you yourself are sold on. If you think that your product is a bit of a rip-off, you won t be able to hide that, no matter what. Also, is your product something that someone would want to buy without participating in your business? In other words, does your product have legitimate value in and of itself?

4) Does your product have global appeal?
Does your product target only one gender or one age group? Is it confined to certain regions or to only one country? Also, if your product is a vanity or luxury item, these are often the first to go when the economy suffers. Obviously, the wider and the more practical the appeal, the better. If your product can be employed by people throughout the world, this is even better.

5) How much overhead does your product eat up?
If your product needs to be manufactured, packaged, warehoused and delivered, these costs cut into profits. A lower profit margin means a lower payout to you, the representative. Products whose value is determined by informational content offer the highest rate of return. Companies that offer valuable informational products are the most generous and the most lucrative for you, the income-seeker. Plus you and your clients enjoy immediate delivery and do not have to foot the bill for shipping and handling costs.

6) How do I know if something is really just a pyramid scheme?
The word pyramid has gotten a really bad rap. Every viable organization takes on the shape of a pyramid. The president at the top has several department heads under him, who each have several managers, who supervise teams of employees, etc.

The problem lies not in the structure, but in the value (or lack thereof!) of the product and the compensation being passed up and down these lines. If the product is non-existent, or promises to be materialized in the future, or is grossly over-priced, then you are dealing with schemers and thieves. If, on the other hand, you are engaged in a business that pays according to a matrix, (be it 2 x 2, 4 x 4, whatever), as long as the product is a good value for the money and each representative is being compensated fairly, then you have a legitimate multi-level marketing (MLM) structure. It s good, old-fashioned, legitimate SALES.

Oops! There I went and said it. The dreaded s word. I can hear you already. But I don t like sales! I don t know how to sell! I don t want to make a pest of myself! I don t want to bug my family and friends! Believe me, I understand. That brings us to our final point.

7) Does your company supply you with state-of-the-art marketing strategies and ongoing training and support?

If you re like me, you probably shy away from anything that even resembles hard-sell tactics. If that s the case, you will want to look for a business that is fully automated with professional websites and internet tools that do all the promoting and background work for you.

Using internet tools is not difficult, BUT if you have never been shown what to do, why, it's nearly impossible! And nobody likes to be made to feel like an idiot, so it s important to find an organization that takes you from square one, trains you in the basics, and teaches you, step by step, how to become a professional, and never ever abandons you.

Well, I've given you a lot to think about, and I sincerely hope I have helped you. Internet marketing provides us all with a truly wonderful opportunity to realize our dreams. I mean this in the most literal sense. Once you find the right company for you, and get the support you need to go the distance, why, you'll find that there is plenty of wealth out there to go around for everybody. Isn't it high time you stepped up to stake your claim?

2007-01-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I would like to start by saying sorry that i havent updated my blog for so long. Thats all because i am too busy with work. Business is booming.

First i hope you all know that this month and last month was a holiday seasons so visitors, agents, customers wants their business to boom. to grow up, as you know IT Sector is improving in Tanzania so everybody needs a website.

As for me i had a tender to make a website on the Tourism Secotor, its a Safari / Tour Agency called World Air Safaris or visi the site www. wolrdairsafaris.com. Thats site took me sometime to make it and to renew everything.

By the mean time i had to renew our company website were by i was given the whole tender , Hotscom Technologies visit it www.hotscom.com. You can gain more about E-business, Web Designing, Web Hosting, SE Optminization and so many information about IT and what we do. I hope you all go and gain something in there about IT.

Also as you know Online Marketing is very important. So i had to do it in all the website. By now i am renew the website Download.co.tz, Where now it will be filled with alot of softwares plus new things like e-books, tutorials in audio and video and also Music. Get ready cause if you enter it you won't come out cause things you'll get their will be very useful to you,.. to your computer and for you knowledge.

Finally i would like to say Happy New Year to all who visited my blog and my member. I really appreciate it! Thanks.

2006-12-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

The King! Has ariveddd!!! Thankyou Very Much.. oh!! Hey everyone.. thats me...

2006-12-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Ahaahh.. Later that night.. there was a cocktail party at the State House " Ikulu", where by the president invited all the guest invited at the ceremony in the National Stataduim meaning the presidents from the neigbour countries and some few leaders in Tanzania. He is TLP Chairman Augustino Lyatong Mrema, chatting with the president Jakaya Kikwete a.k.a JK well everyone know the president is a very nice, charming man with a smile on everytime! but its accepted..

2006-12-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

Hello!! yesterday it was Indepenence Day in Tanzania. I like it very much... one of them being the fireworks thrown on 9th of december at 12:00 midnight meaning the flag of the whites the colonial rulers was moved and the flag of Tanzania was risen.

Also, i go a good news here down that proven that women are comming up really good.. technically read the news below:

Woman to fly military jets and more information about the ceremony in the National Staduim.

In his first independence day speech since he rose to power on a wave of popularity in December last year, President Jakaya Kikwete aroused tremendous passions at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam yesterday, after revealing that Tanzania had produced the first female jet fighter pilot.

She's flying on of them!! Thats exciting

The President was wildly cheered by the massive assembly of humanity that witnessed the climax of the 45th independence day anniversary at the venue.

Production of a female jet pilot is one of the achievements that the president cited in his speech, which was periodically punctuated by applause.

The other achievements included eradication of racial discrimination, consolidation and sustenance of peace and unity as well as frog -leaping towards greater progress in education, health, and infrastructure development.

He said at independence for instance there were a total of 3,000 primary schools with a total of 486,000 students unlike now when there are 11,560 schools with a total of 7,957,884 students.

As for secondary schools, there were just 54 in additon to 9 seminary schools with total of 13,897 students but now there are a total of 22,355 secondary schools having 675,672 students.

The President said the target now was to have a secondary school in every ward which means over 2,556 additional secondary schools have to be built to achieve that target.

He reminded the audience, too, that at independence the country had no single university but now it has 22 universities with a total of 40,881 students, of whom 13,145 are females.

On health, President Kikwete said the country has increased hospitals from 98 at independence to 219 compared to dispensaries that have increased from 236 to 4,670 todate.

On infrasturce development, the President said a lot has been achievcd right into the rural areas including having in place a 85,000 kilometre roads network in rural areas and increasing tarmac roads to 4,837 kilometres compared to just 1,300 kilomtres.

President Jakaya Kikwete paid glowing tribute to all independence struggle heroes, led by the late Father of the Nation Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere and veteran politician, Rashidi Mfaume Kawawa.

He said the task before Tanzanians in addition to sustaining the hard won unity, peace and tranguility included modernising transport infrastructure so that all the regions could be linked by tarmac roads.

He paid special tribute to the army and all Tanzanians for sutaining peace, harmony and unity.

Amid thunderous applause, the President led the audience in singing the popular birthday wish song, ’’Happy Birth Day to you’’

A colourful military parade and a show staged by some 4,000 students won the hearts and minds of both direct spectators at the stadium and those who followed the goings-on on television screens.

The ceremony was witnessed by Presidents Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Amando Guebuza of Mozambique, Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia, and Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi.

Others were President Ahmed Abdallah of the Comoro Islands, Burundi’s 2nd Vice President, Marine Barampama,and Lesotho Prime Minister Pumulo Mosilili

* I think you almost got full information. and the other thing that attracted and make me standup and praise them is the 4,000 kids that made words saying ' Miaka 45 Ya Uhuru" meaning 45 years of Independency. thats was marvelous. checkout this pic from a photo-journalist Issa Michuzi

President Kikwete greeting the citizen in an open car in a heavy security hehe.. you know our president : http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3812/1569/1600/302700/uh17.jpg

The 4,000 student singing: http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3812/1569/1600/337926/uh11.jpg

In everything sometimes bad thing happen, something happend at one of the 4,000 students, one of them fainted accidentaly, in the picture he is given first aid: http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3812/1569/1600/931703/uh18.jpg

Some of the guest of hounours who came to witness and some of leaders (in picture clearly) is the Prime minister and right is The President wife, Mama Salma Kikwete: http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3812/1569/1600/238400/uh7.jpg

The Rest are the leaders from the oposition party, the rulling pary CCM, rich and sucsess full business people, presidents from other countries, and citizens:

1) http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3812/1569/1600/232104/uh2.jpg
2) http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3812/1569/1600/771580/uh6.jpg
3) http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3812/1569/1600/474542/uh1.jpg
4) http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3812/1569/1600/228486/uh2.jpg
5) http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3812/1569/1600/782942/uh4.jpg

Being a citizen of Tanzania. I love my country, i like the country because of many reason in one hand is that its a peacfull country, but in the other hand is a very poor country, saying that included Economic, Poor Citizens, Electricity, THE HOLLY AND MIGHT MR.CORRUPTION, Drugs, Transportation Accidents including roads, air, water, THIEVES, and etc.

Now the load is to the president and his workers meaning ministers, DC's, RC's and the security of the country including the police force to make sure that the thives are finished, also the drugs that are now in the process.. But i am not saying that the government is not doing good.. its going good.. but they should increase the power as their slogan ' Kasi Mpya, Ari Mpya na Nguvu Mpya'.

2006-12-01T15:23:00.000-08:00

Maxfield intros MAX-IVY MP3 player

This shiny little MP3 player from Germany's Maxfield was making the rounds in early November but looks to now finally be available for public consumption (in various parts of Europe, at least).

Available in 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB varieties, the player boasts a scratch-proof (but undoubtedly not fingerprint-proof) magnesium shell, a 1.8-inch TFT display, and illuminated "touch key pad" controls, with a promised battery life of 14 hours.

While it bucks the trend with no apparent video support, it will let you put on a tiny photo slideshow and, of course, bust out the jams in your choice of MP3, WMA, or OGG formats. Look for this one to come in at the local currency equivalent of $185, $235, and $335 depending on how big you wanna go.

2006-12-01T15:17:00.000-08:00

Axion rolls out budget-priced GEO-632 GPS unit

Apparently there's a gaping hole in the handheld GPS market, as it seems a new manufacturer takes its first dive every other week or so, and this time it's none other than Axion. Diverting its efforts away from those portable DVD players and iPTV gizmos, the firm is unveiling a budget-conscious GPS that pulls double duty as a pedestrian guide when not relaxing on your dash.

Boasting a familiar 3.5-inch touchscreen, pre-loaded maps of the US and Canada on its built-in SD card, turn-by-turn guidance, automatic rerouting, and "2D / 3D night maps," the GEO-632 matched up fairly well with other entry-level offerings already on the market.

It also functions as an MP3 player and JPEG viewer when you're not circling the block, and comes bundled with an in-car mounting system to boot. While the device may not floor anyone in the features department, it can get you where you want to go for just $259.99, which is quite a bit less than the alternatives are demanding for their navigational intelligence.

2006-11-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

Database details 'harm children'

Serious dangers exist from the growth of government databases on children, a report has said. The Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) said guidelines ignored family values and privacy.

The study was carried out for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) which said the details on databases need to be "looked at carefully".

The government said child protection was a top priority but it had serious reservations about the report.

Databases relating to children have recently been established across social services, education, crime and health.

The report said one concern was so-called "e-discrimination" where police attention was more likely simply because of a child's records in areas such as education and health.

"Public trust and confidence will be lost if there is excessive unwarranted intrusion into family life " Jonathan Bamford, ICO assistant commissioner

"This raises serious data protection concerns relating to the appropriateness of collecting, processing and retaining the data," the report said.

The study said there was a "cavalier interpretation" of data protection and privacy, which included police sharing data on a nine-month-old baby without the parents' consent using the excuse of "crime prevention".

Sharing information can actually do harm, the report added.

In a "disturbing" case a nine-year-old was wrongly taken into care after social workers misunderstood medical information.

'Risk of harm'

ICO assistant commissioner Jonathan Bamford said there had been "substantial growth" in the amount of stored details.

"Just because technology means that things can be done with personal information, it does not always follow that they should be done," he said.

"Public trust and confidence will be lost if there is excessive unwarranted intrusion into family life or if some of the issues that have been identified actually materialise."

Among the databases included were Information Sharing Index, due to be introduced by 2008, the National Pupil Database, and "ASSET", a database which contains profiles of young offenders.

Next year the ICO, an independent public body which promotes access to official information, is expected to help public sector organisations share information and make sure they adhere to the Data Protection Act.

The ICO is also considering whether to provide more information - such as guidance for young people aged 12-18 on consent issues.

"It is important to emphasise that there is a sharp distinction between child protection and child welfare," said Mr Bamford.

"Data protection should never be used as an excuse for failure to protect a child from a real risk of harm."

'Respect privacy'

A Department for Education and Skills (DfES) spokesman said: "We have some serious reservations about this report's objectivity and evidence base.

"It is important to remember that it is not the view of the information commissioner himself."

He said the department took its responsibilities over data protection seriously and the databases had been developed in consultation with professionals.

"The support, protection and safeguarding of children is our top priority but in fulfilling it, we are conscious of the need to respect personal privacy," he said.

Liberal Democrat families spokeswoman Annette Brooke said: "This report raises real concerns that human rights and data protection laws will be violated."

The report comes after "nanny state" concerns over experts being drafted into 77 areas of England to try to improve the standard of parenting.

2006-11-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

Fujitsu launches Stylistic ST5100 Tablet PC lineup

While the specs on this current generation of Tablet PCs all start to bleed together after a while -- you know, Core Duo ULV processors, XGA screens, etc. -- the style war isn't over by a long shot, and we're definitely digging this "Stylistic" look from Fujitsu.

The new Stylistic ST5111 and ST5112 Tablet PCs sport U2500 procs, 4GB max RAM, 100GB SATA HDD and Intel 950 integrated graphics. Connectivity aplenty is available, including WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, Firewire and a PCMCIA slot.

Fujitsu is matching Lenovo and Apple's shock sensing tech for hard drive protection, and there's security snazziness galore, making these a decent bet for the business set.

The main difference between the two models is the 10.4-inch screen on the ST5111, while the ST5112 gets a whole 12.1-inches of real estate, yet each laptop still manages the same 3.5 pounds of weight and 6 hours of battery life -- with an option for a 9-cell battery with 9 hours of juice.

It all sounds pretty snazzy, until you peep the pricetags: the ST5111 "base configuration" will cost you a cool $2,429, while the ST5112 only bleeds you for $2,199. Both should be available now.

2006-11-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

Universal sues MySpace for copyright violations

Universal Music Group sued MySpace.com late Friday, claiming that the social-networking site is infringing on the copyrights of thousands of songs and videos.

Universal, owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi, claims that Myspace has looked the other way as users unlawfully uploaded copyright music videos.

In a copy of court documents filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Universal also accuses MySpace of aiding copyright infringement by reformatting clips so users can transfer them to friends or post them to other sites.

"Defendants have made infringement free and easy," Universal's attorneys wrote in the filing, a copy of which was obtained by CNET News.com. "(MySpace) has turned MySpace Videos into a vast virtual warehouse for pirated copies of music videos and songs."

Universal's announcement came hours after MySpace had launched a new copyright protection tool. The companies have also negotiated for weeks over the issue of copyright, according to Peter Lofrumento, a Universal spokesman.

"MySpace provides an extraordinary promotion platform for artists--from major labels to independent acts--while respecting their copyrights," a MySpace spokesperson said in a statement. "We have been keeping UMG closely apprised of our industry-leading efforts to protect creators' rights, and it's unfortunate they decided to file this unnecessary...litigation."

MySpace, which is owned by News Corp., has moved in recent months to guard against copyright violations. Last month, it licensed "fingerprinting technology" from Gracenote to help prevent unauthorized music from landing on the site. The filtering system, which launched on Friday, is designed to automate the removal of unauthorized works from the site once they have been flagged by copyright holders.

Apparently, this wasn't enough to satisfy Universal.

"We didn't try to sue (MySpace) right off the cuff," Lofrumento said. "We've been trying to negotiate a deal like the one we have with YouTube. Filing is always a last resort."

Negotiations between Universal and MySpace ground to a halt a week ago, according to a source close to the talks, who added that prior to that time, Universal executives became outraged when they found an unreleased video from rapper Jay-Z on the social-networking site.

Universal notified News Corp. lawyers on Thursday that the lawsuit was coming, said the source, adding that News Corp. tried one last time to persuade Universal to hold off on filing the suit, but Universal's representatives refused.

A preemptive strike?

Universal executives, said the source, think MySpace tried to preempt news of the lawsuit by announcing the release of technology to prevent copyright infringement.

"Do you think it was a coincidence that MySpace launched that filtering technology, one that hasn't been released yet, on the same day Universal filed their suit?" the source asked. "I don't think so."

This is a crucial time for some of the Web's most heralded companies. Sites such as MySpace and YouTube have attracted massive audiences by allowing them to post homemade videos to their sites and share them online.

But allowing them to post clips unchecked has let some users lift clips from TV shows, movies and music videos without permission from the copyright holder.

Last July, Los Angeles-based newsman Bob Tur sued YouTube after seeing his footage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots on the site. Universal has also taken video-sharing companies Bolt.com and Grouper to court over copyright.

Google, which recently acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion, has set aside $200 million in stock to cover possible legal fights over copyright, according to a report this week by the Associated Press.

At the same time, social-networking and video-sharing companies are scurrying to either devise new technologies to weed out copyright works or cut content-sharing deals with entertainment companies.

In October, YouTube announced that Universal agreed to offer access to thousands of videos from the company's archives to YouTube users. The partnership also allowed YouTube users to integrate into their videos songs from Universal's music catalog.

YouTube also struck a similar deal with Warner Music Group.

Universal's lawsuit raises obvious questions. If the suit succeeds, will all free services that let users freely post videos be in legal hot water too? What would that mean for other Web 2.0 sites?

The complaint charges that MySpace gives "its members tools to upload copies" of videos, thereby "providing means to viewers to disseminate" videos that infringe someone else's copyright.

But identical charges could be levied against practically every video-sharing site that doesn't prescreen user-generated clip--the list includes YouTube, of course, and Google Video, Grouper, Metacafe and VideoCodeZone.

What a federal court in the central district of California will evaluate is whether MySpace--and, by extension, similar file-sharing companies--can be held legally liable for users' copyright misdeeds.

The answer to that will depend on how judges interpret the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Grokster file-swapping case. In that unanimous ruling last year (click for PDF), the justices indicated that copyright violations turn on fine points like whether the service is capable of substantial non-infringing use, and whether the defendant can block infringements and failed to do so.

Grokster and StreamCast could be held liable, the justices said, because there was evidence of "unequivocal indications of unlawful purpose" and because "neither company attempted to develop filtering tools or other mechanisms to diminish the infringing activity using their software."

Fast-antiquated law?

MySpace, on the other hand, will be able to point to its "fingerprinting technology" and other recent antipiracy measures as legal defenses.

Right now, sites that deal in user-submitted work contend that they aren't liable for their users' actions under the safe harbor provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

The provision was designed to protect sites that enable the public to communicate or conduct trade, without accepting liability for user misconduct. If they were to accept liability, proponents of the provision say businesses such as eBay and Craigslist would soon be overwhelmed by lawsuits.

Sites such as Google Video and YouTube remove infringing material once notified by a copyright holder. But nobody knows yet whether this is enough to satisfy the courts, says Mark Litvack, an entertainment attorney with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.

Litvack says the question that the DMCA fails to answer is who has the obligation to protecting copyright materials: the copyright holder or the Web site owner.

"Does the copyright holder have to tell the site owner to take it down? Or does the site owner have to monitor the site?" asked Litvack.

The framers of the DMCA wrote the law before file-sharing or peer-to-peer technology emerged. "Nobody saw it coming," Litvack said. "The law was antiquated very quickly."

2006-11-18T02:04:00.000-08:00

Sling announces Symbian SlingPlayer, partnership with 3

Believe it or not, in some countries personal broadcasting to mobile video is actually encouraged, and Sling's about to capitalize on that more democratic "wireless dialtone" trend. (Verizon, Cingy, we're looking at you.) Paired up with 3, they've announced their SlingPlayer Symbian client for UIQ and S60 alike.

At least the N73 and W950 have officially now been shown running the new client it as a part of 3's X-Series initiative, aimed at making mobile internet, well, useful to customers without fear of reprisal for data usage. (Verizon, Cingy, we're still looking at you.) UK residents will be able to get their hands on X-series gear come December 1st, but the rest of us may have to wait some undetermined amount of time before the Symbian client is released for mass consumption.

2006-11-18T01:39:00.000-08:00

Thanko brings MP4 watch to market

With SolidAlliance too busy creepin' out the kids, who better than Thanko to bring the Shenzhen Adragon Digitek's MP4 watch to market? That's right, starting today in Japan, the 1GB model is all yours for ¥14,800 (about $125) or ¥18,800 (about $159) for the 2GB version.

Besides playing videos on that eye-corrosive 1.5-inch, 128x128, 260k color display, this watch will also playback MP3/WMA files which can be easily transfered in USB storage mode and listened to over standard 2.5-mm headphones.

Just remember, "MP4" players of Chinese origin does not mean support for MPEG-4 video. In fact, this watch appears to support AVI, MPEG and WMV video formats but only after conversion into wildly popular NXV. Still interested?

2006-11-18T01:25:00.000-08:00

Sony's PlayStation 3 review roundup

Ok, even though we didn't think Sony would ever pull together enough components to actually launch this thing (which probably explains the two week queue), the PlayStation 3 is finally upon us. You've witnessed the PS3 getting unboxed, getting some playtime, and getting ripped apart, but now you can finally hop off that fence you've been occupying and decide which console suits you best. Although you may lust after Sony's sleek and sexy new toy, chances are that you won't snag it on day one -- unless you don't mind getting shot at while you wait in line, of course.

Nevertheless, the initial wave of first reviews are in, and those fortunate enough to have already given the highly coveted machine a few hours of their time have spoken. Generally, reviewers felt that ported titles didn't do much to take advantage of the PS3's extra horsepower, and a Business Week reviewer "walked away more impressed with what it could do than with what it currently does.

" Moreover, nearly everyone mentioned the obviously high pricetag, but somehow felt that the PS3 packed a big enough punch to justify it, and CNET even went so far as to state that you'd "feel you got your money's worth, from both a gaming and multimedia perspective." So whether these reviews send you shooting out of the office in hopes of landing a good spot in line, or solidify your feelings that the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii would better suit you, be sure to read on before swiping any card anywhere.

2006-11-18T01:07:00.000-08:00

22Moo intros SeepuStar DV230 video goggles

There's certainly no shortage of low-res video goggles on the market, but Australia's 22Moo seems to think there's room for just one more (they must know something we don't), bolstering its own lineup with the SeepuStar DV230 wearable display -- apparently, coming courtesy of OEM manufacturer Icuiti.

While 22Moo's holding back on most of the specs for now, they do say that the Seepustars will give you a virtual 35-inch screen and can be used with just about anything with video out -- just don't be too disappointed if your brand new PS3 looks more like a PS1 after you hook it up to a pair of these. At least, we're guessing -- $250 will only buy you so much resolution. Look for these to be available later this month.

2006-11-17T01:41:00.000-08:00

Journalists want trade unions introduced in all media houses

Members of the media fraternity have agreed to push forward for the formation of a mechanism to foster freedom of information in the country taking a critical look at the Information Bill.

A statement issued after a three-day workshop on the media and information environment in the country said the participants came up with key issues that stipulate, among other things, on how the mechanism should be set up.

It said there was a need to expand the constituency of the Bill examiners to enable more people take part in the drafting of the proposal for the project and publicizing it.

The participants also agreed that there should be a thorough analysis of what the Bill could give and take and that there should be a comparative analysis of the same with other good practice laws in other countries.

They also agreed that MISA ? Tanzania Chapter should be ready to fundraise for the analysis of the Bill and engage media stakeholders to know its content.

They agreed that the media should liaise with community social organisations through TANGO to foster the move and appointed three people among- Mohammed Tibanyendera, Lawrence Kilimwiko, Maria Shaba, and Jesse Kwayu to engineer the process.

The participants agreed that media houses need to be empowered in terms of resources through a revolving fund and to that extent, picked Mohammed Tibanyendera, Lawrence Kilimwiko and Jesse Kwayu to prepare a project proposal for the fundraising.

They also noted that there was a need for all media houses to establish schemes of service as a way of addressing the rights of the journalists.

They agreed that trade unions should be introduced in all media houses in order to address the issues of bread and butter of the media functionaries, according to the statement.

The participants agreed to adopt a media workers’ charter, which MISA-Tanzania Chapter was asked to manage its drafting process and avail it to the organisers by next month.

The participants, drawn from various media institutions throughout the country, agreed that there was a need to review the relationship between media ownership and editorial independence.

2006-11-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

Vodafone joins broadband brigade

Vodafone is to become the latest mobile phone group to move into the broadband market with the launch of its £25-a-month At Home service.

The service, which should be available to most of the UK, will be available to contract customers from 8 January.

Unlike many rivals, Vodafone will rent internet access from BT rather than build its own broadband network.

As well as unlimited broadband, At Home will offer discounted calls to mobiles and free landline-to-landline calls.

Customers will also get a modem that will allow them to access the service, which will offer downloads with speeds of up to 8 Mb.

Vodafone will also provide a free technical helpline. However, the offer does not include a mobile handset.

In September, the group said it had agreed a deal with BT that would allow it to enter the broadband market without having to invest in a fixed line network of its own.

Stiff competition

A number of other mobile operators, including French-owned Orange, have begun offering bundled packages of services to their customers.

Carphone Warehouse and BSkyB, meanwhile, have announced cut-price broadband packages.
But surviving in this marketplace is a challenge, analysts said.

Stiff competition in the sector prompted the UK's second-largest telecoms group, Cable & Wireless, to leave the retail broadband market recently.

And on Thursday BT said increased competition meant that its share of new broadband customers fell to 25% from 30% in the three months to the end of September

2006-11-11T05:25:00.000-08:00

Trade pacts slow investment ? World Bank

Africa needs to reduce the number of its regional trade agreements to spur trade with non-members and remove barriers to investment, a senior World Bank adviser has said in Dar es Salaam. In addition to several bilateral trade agreements, African countries belong to at least 12 regional trade agreements, each with a different set of rules that members and non-members have to follow while trading.

Their memberships often overlap and diagrams illustrating them look like doodles, prompting economists to refer to them as a ”spaghetti bowl.” ”There has been a preoccupation on the continent with regional trade agreements,

” Harry Broadman, economic adviser to the World Bank’s Africa Department, said late on Thursday at a briefing for reporters, diplomats and government officials.

”It is highly confusing if you are an investor concentrating on making an investment or engaging in import or export,” he added while making a presentation on his book, ”Africa’s Silk Road - China and India’s new economic frontier”.

Regional trade areas on the continent include Southern African Development Community, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and Economic Community of Western African States among others.

”The current ’spaghetti bowl’ of intra-African regional trade agreements provides little, if any, incentive for new trade and investment; in some cases they appear to be more ’trade diverting’ than’ trade creating’,” Broadman said in an overview of his book.

To solve this, African countries will have to reduce the regional blocs, he said. ”What is required is to create a unified free trade area, or at least several of them, not what we have today,” Broadman said

2006-11-10T05:25:00.000-08:00

Online scams target the wealthy

Phishing scams have become even more sophisticatedHigh-income earners are being preferentially targeted by online "phishing" scams, research has shown.

Phishing involves using e-mails with links to fake websites to trick people into revealing bank account numbers.

The study, by analysts Gartner, found that people who earn more than $100,000 received nearly 50% more phishing e-mails than lower earners.
It also found that those on higher incomes lost on average four times more money than other victims.

Overall, the number of US adults who have received a phishing e-mail has doubled from 57 million in 2004 to 109 million in 2006. Overall losses from the attacks have risen to $2.8 billion (£1.5 billion), Gartner estimates.

"The good news is that, this year, fewer people think they lost money to phishers, but when they did lose, they lost more," said Avivah Litan, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

"The average loss per victim nearly quintupled between 2005 and 2006, and the thieves seem to be targeting higher-income earners who are also more likely to transact on the internet."
Sophisticated scam

The Gartner survey of 5,000 adults in the US estimated that 24.4 million Americans have been duped by a phishing e-mail in 2006.

The average loss per victim has grown four-fold to $1, 244, with about only 50% of the money ever recovered.

"For at least two more years, phishing attacks will continue to increase since it's still a lucrative business for the perpetrators "Avivah LitanGartner

However, high-income adults lost an average of $4,362 the survey found.
It also showed that this group received an average of 112 phishing e-mails compared to an average of 74.

The Gartner research follows a report by the Association of Payment Clearing Services (APACS) earlier this week that also highlighted a surge in phishing scams and a rise in the amount of money lost.

In the first half of 2006 the number of recorded incidents in the UK rose 16-fold to 5,059, costing banks £23m, APACS said.

However, banks are not the only companies targeted by phishing scams. The Gartner research showed that brands such as eBay and PayPal are also impersonated in an attempt top lure victims to handover bank details.

Phishers are also becoming more sophisticated, using websites with an average life of just one hour to try to entice web users.

But companies are fighting back. The recent upgrades to the web browsers Firefox and Internet Explorer include software that flag up known phishing sites.

However, Ms Litan believes even these measures are insufficient.

"Many of the browser upgrades are still incomplete and immature in terms of protections afforded," she said.

"For at least two more years, phishing attacks will continue to increase since it's still a lucrative business for the perpetrators."

2006-11-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

PlayStation 3 launch due in Japan

Sony's long-awaited PlayStation 3 console goes on sale in Japan on 11 November.

Hardcore fans of the game-playing gadget are already queuing outside stores for their chance to snap one of the 100,000 Sony has made available.

The PlayStation 3 is the second of the next-generation consoles to launch and comes more than a year after Microsoft's Xbox 360.

The launch is widely seen as a huge gamble for the electronics giant.

Game gear

The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is being sold in two configurations. The most expensive version has a 60GB hard drive and wi-fi on board and costs, in Japan, 60,000 yen (£270). The cheaper version has a 20GB hard drive, lacks the wi-fi and will cost 49,980 yen (£222). European prices are expected to be higher than direct comparisons suggest.

Both versions include a wireless controller, a Blu-ray high-definition DVD drive and a port so they can work with a high-definition display. Buying a PS3 also gives owners free access to the online PlayStation Network where they can meet and take on other gamers.

Sony expects five games to be available at launch including Ridge Racer 7, Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight, Genji, and Resistance: Fall of Man.

Like other next-generation consoles the PS3 offers gamers much more detailed graphics than ever before. The IBM-developed Cell chip inside the console uses seven separate processing cores which can be used to make the physics in game worlds more realistic and allow computer-controlled enemies to behave with great sophistication.

News agencies reported that Japanese PlayStation fans were already starting to queue outside electronics stores to try to be the first to get hold of one of the new consoles.

"The image quality is so superb you'd almost think it's a real movie," gamer Hisafumi Funato said after trying it out at a demonstration event in downtown Tokyo. "I want one, especially if I don't have to stand in a long line."

Cost crunch

The PlayStation 3 was originally supposed to go on sale in early 2006 but production problems and shortages of key components forced a delay. The European launch of the console has been pushed back to March 2007.

This has also meant that there are only 100,000 consoles for gamers in Japan. Sony said 400,000 will be available for the US launch on 17 November. Despite the shortages, Sony said it was confident of shipping six million PS3s by the end of March 2006.

Although Sony has dominated home console gaming since the launch of the first PlayStation in 1994 its lead is under greater threat than ever before. Arch-rival Microsoft released its Xbox 360 console in November 2005. By the end of 2006 Microsoft hopes to have sold about 10 million Xbox 360s.

Also due to launch in November is Nintendo's Wii console which is far cheaper than the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360. It goes on sale in the US on 19 November.

Analysts expect Sony to lose money on every console sold for some time to come.

"For all you know, it may take Sony five years to get back the money it's invested in PS3," said Mitsuhiro Osawa, analyst for Mizuho Investors Securities, "even 10 years if it doesn't watch out."

2006-11-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

'Enemies of the internet' named

RSF has been very critical of China's attitude to the webA list of 13 "enemies of the internet" has been released by human rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

For the first time, Egypt has been added to the list while Nepal, Libya and the Maldives have all been removed.

The list consists of countries that RSF believes are suppressing freedom of expression on the internet.

The civil liberties pressure group has organised a 24-hour protest, inviting web users to vote for the worst offending countries.

Visitors to the RSF website are also invited to leave a voice message for Yahoo's co-founder Jerry Yang, expressing their views on the firm's involvement in China.
RSF has been outspoken in its condemnation of Yahoo. The search engine has been criticised along with other companies for helping the Chinese authorities block access to some online material.

Improvements

THE 13 COUNTRIES BLACKLISTED
Belarus
Burma
China
Cuba
Egypt
Iran
North Korea
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Vietnam

The blacklist is published annually but it is the first time RSF has organised an online protest to accompany the list.

"We wanted to mobilise net users so that when we lobby certain countries we can say that the concerns are not just ours but those of thousands of internet users around the world," said a spokesman for RSF.

Many of those on the internet blacklist are countries that are regularly criticised by human rights groups, such as China and Burma.

Egypt is a new entrant and has been shortlisted for its attitude to bloggers rather than specific web censorship, said RSF.

"Three bloggers have been arrested and detained this year for speaking out in favour of democratic reform. This is an appeal to the Egyptian government to change its position," said the RSF spokesman.

"The fact that this year we have removed three countries from the list is encouraging. It shows that the situation can change for the better," he added.
On a visit to Libya, Reporters Without Borders found that the Libyan internet was no longer censored although it still considers President Maummar Gaddafi to be a "predator of press freedom".

2006-11-06T11:05:00.001-08:00

Police in Dar es Salaam are holding Tabora Regional Commissioner, Capt (rtd) Ukiwaona Ditopile Mzuzuri for allegedly shooting to death a commuter bus driver. Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander Alfred Tibaigana told a news conference yesterday that Ditopile, who once served the government as deputy minister, allegedly shot Hasani Mbonde (33) in the head, killing him instantly.

According to Tibaigana, police are holding the regional commissioner, as investigations into the killing continues. He said Ditopile, who has been in the public service for many years, having served as RC in a number of regions, allegedly shot the bus driver at around 7.pm, at the junction of Kawe and Bagamoyo roads in Kinondoni District on Saturday.

Tibaigana said Mbonde, a resident of Kawe Mzimuni, was driving a commuter bus?an Isuzu Journey with registration number T788 ACC, plying between Ubungo and Tegeta. Detailing on the incident, he said the commuter bus had collided with a Prado vehicle with registration number T816 AJT which was being driven by Nasoro Mohamed (42) a resident of Kijitonyama. Ditopile was a passenger in the Prado.

The RPC said Ditopile was heading to Bagamoyo from Dar es Salaam, with another passenger whose name could not be immediately be obtained. He said preliminary investigation shows that shortly after the collision, Ditopile’s driver alighted from his vehicle, to establish the extent of the damage. He discovered a minor damage at the rear of the vehicle.

However, Ditopile also got out of the car to assess the damage, went straight to the commuter bus driver and ordered him out of his vehicle. The driver allegedly refused to budge and shut the door and window of the bus. ”At this juncture, Ditopile drew a pistol and used it to knocked on the window of the bus, insisting that the driver should come out,” Tibaigana explained. He said in the course of the wrangle, Ditopile allegedly fired at the driver through the glass window and killed him on the spot.

Tibaigana said the body of the deceased is being preserved at the Muhimbili National Hospital mortuary. Prior to his appointment as Tabora RC, Ditopile, popularly known as ’Dito’ served as deputy minister in the then Communication and Transport ministry and as RC for Kigoma, Lindi and Coast Region.

He once served as Ilala legislator and member of the Coast Regional Committee of the ruling party, CCM.

2006-11-05T02:40:00.000-08:00

Itsss!! Dancing Timeeeee!!!

2006-11-05T02:32:00.000-08:00

Ah!! Supriseeeeeeeeeeeeeee

2006-11-05T02:28:00.000-08:00

One, Two, Opssssssssssssss!!!

2006-11-04T15:00:00.001-08:00

How is it?

2006-11-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

2006-11-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

The ever-expanding metaverse

Metaverse Evangelist" is not a title you expect to see on a business card, let alone one from an employee of a century-old technology company.

But then Roo Reynolds of IBM is not a normal employee.

Living a double life, one as a twenty-something software engineer and the other as an online four-foot alien, Mr Reynolds flits between dusty wood-panelled meeting rooms and anything-goes virtual worlds like Second Life and Entropia Universe.

His job since March 2006 has been to preach the gospel of the online 3D universe to IBM executives and the company's clients.

"I'm bringing the idea of virtual worlds to IBM," said Mr Reynolds, known as Algernon Spackler in Second Life. "Helping IBM to understand virtual worlds and how we might use them."

3D bubble

Companies like IBM are being forced to sit up and take note of these digital realms, 3D worlds populated by onscreen representations (avatars) of real life people, as they gain more and more popularity.

Second Life, the digital poster child of the virtual universe, has a population of more than 1.1 million and Linden Lab, its creator, says it is growing at about 38% every month

The company forecast that it would add nearly a quarter of a million new members in October alone.

A day out in Second life

And Second Life is not alone. Mindark's Entropia Universe, a virtual world based on the untamed virtual planet of Calypso, recently passed the half million milestone for its population.

Many of these new members of the population are young, early-adopters; precisely the kind of people that large companies cherish. In addition Second Life has a 50:50 split of men and women.

As a result companies are falling over themselves to set up a virtual world business, or "v-business". The scrabble is the 3D equivalent of the dot-com boom.

In Second Life, sports manufacturers Adidas and Reebok sell virtual training shoes in the world, Toyota and Nissan sell virtual cars while Starwood Hotels, owner of the Westin and Sheraton chains, test out their new hotels in the world.

Others are also taking note. The BBC has rented an island in the world to stage live music events, while the Reuters' news agency now has a permanent Second Life reporter.

Good timing

Based on the idea of a virtual world called the Metaverse, put forward in Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, Second Life allows people to do what they do in the real world without leaving their chair.

People meet, chat, dance and socialise. You can attend lectures, gamble and inevitably have sex.

Residents can also make and sell goods in exchange for the world's currency, the Linden Dollar, which has an exchange rate with the US dollar.

Property in the Entropia Universe can fetch thousands of dollars

Some estimates put the economic value of Second Life in 2005 at $64 million (£33 million). Meanwhile Project Entropia saw $1.6 billion pass through the world in the same year, which is set to double in 2006. Some objects, like a virtual space station commanded a price of $100,000.

With figures like those it is easy to see why companies are so keen to get in on the action, but it does not explain why it has become so popular.

"I think it was the right time for Second Life," said Dr Jim Purbick, a senior software engineer, and the only full-time employee of Linden Lab.

Dr Purbick cites the increase in broadband penetration and the ever faster speeds of personal computers as some of the reasons for its explosion.

But it also offers people something else, he added.

"You can meet up with people that you don't normally meet up with.

"You can get involved with events and groups around the world that you are interested in or heard about on the internet"

Virtual discontent

Justin Bovington of Rivers Run Red, an advertising and events company that works in Second Life, agrees.

"I think one of the things is that the collaborative space is so social and creative," he said. "In addition there's no doubt that broadband has been looking for its killer application."

Virtual club rocks

Rivers Run Red helped organise the BBC's One Big Weekend event in Second Life, a simultaneous, digital doppelganger of a music festival held in Dundee. He is also working with pop band Duran Duran on their Second Life presence.

But not all of the residents of Second Life are happy about the commercial gloss that is starting to spread throughout the world.

They argue that the appeal of these fantasy realms was that they offer an escape from the uniformity of a globalised society.

Virtual worlds are built by the residents for the residents, they say.

One entry on the Second Life blog reads: "Isn't there someplace that we can be free from crass commercialization?"

Inevitably there is some hype around the virtual world phenomenon with companies wanting to cash in on "the next big thing".

"We saw the same thing with the web," said Mr Reynolds. "Where I think it becomes interesting is where companies engage with it and continue to deliver something interesting, not just a one-off."

Digital future

IBM used to talk about taking bricks and mortar companies and turning them into e-businesses. Mr Reynolds now talks to them about the possibility of becoming v-businesses.

BBC rocks online world

And the technology giant practices what Roo preaches.

IBM is already hosting meetings in Second Life, although because it does not own the servers that it runs on, attendees cannot discuss sensitive company information, such as patents.

It has also demonstrated a real time "proof-of concept" of the Wimbledon Tennis tournament, where some of the action of centre court was simultaneously replicated using digital animations.

"It's not a comparison between doing it in real life and online," said Mr Reynolds. "But not everyone can afford to go to Wimbledon, but what they might be able to do is share some online experience in a virtual world."

Mr Reynolds, IBM and a whole swathe of companies are convinced by Second Life.

People are already talking about it being the Web 3.0, a 3D collision with the collaborative, social aspects of Web 2.0.

If that vision is embraced in the same way as the web, the metaverse evangelist's work will be done.

"My job will become redundant because everyone will be using it," said Mr Reynolds.

2006-11-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

Details surface on Fujitsu's Core 2 Duo-powered LifeBook T4215

We're all about giving ya options, and we're certainly down with speedy upgrades, and Fujitsu is making sure both areas of greatness are covered in its newly-unveiled LifeBook.

The T4215 takes over where the mediocre T4210 left off, but offers up a plethora of new hardware choices, and even promises a respectable battery life.

The convertible will sport a trio of 12.1-inch LCD options, including XGA for indoor and / or outdoor use and SXGA+ for indoors, Intel's T5500/T5600/T7200/T7400 Core 2 Duo processors, "up to 120GB" hard drive, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g, and the obligatory inclusion of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

The device is slated to look like a long-lost twin of the prior model, but manages to trim 0.2 pounds from its arguably bulky frame; moreover, the 6-cell Li-ion cell promises "up to six hours" of life, but we'd be happy with just under four.

While we aren't sure if this newest addition to the T-Series lineup will be available before the holiday rush, you can expect it to run you $1,799 (and way, way up) whenever it drops.

2006-11-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

How to hide in a connected world

As we enter a more connected world, where devices talk to each other and make sense of the masses of data we create, the issue of how much control we have over this process becomes more important.

Location-based technology has come a long way in a short time. Virtually everyone in the UK carries a mobile phone which can increasingly pinpoint our location to within 100m.

Satellite navigation devices continue to fly off shelves as we are persuaded to ditch the unwieldy map on dashboard approach to navigation in favour of a calm computerised voice.

Increasingly, mobile phone companies are offering location-based services to allow users to find restaurants and other amenities via their phones. Smartcards, such as Transport for London's Oyster card, are allowing us to travel without the need to fiddle for small change.

While all of these technologies are hugely convenient, they are also becoming our very own pocket-based stalkers.

The need to balance the convenience of new technology while preserving our privacy formed the subject of a debate between privacy experts in London this week.

Grassed by your sat-nav

"Three-quarters of us have our whereabouts known by mobile operators and, by extension, law enforcement. It is seen as a necessary evil and so far the explicit use of location data has been limited to high-profile court cases," said one of the panellists, Jonathan Raper, professor of geographic information science at City University, London.

While satellite navigation systems are currently stand-alone systems for our own personal use, imagine a scenario where satellite navigation companies offer traffic or speeding transgressions to the police without consulting the owner of the device.

"Then ask yourself, whether you are concerned about privacy?" said Mr Raper.

It is not just offline activities that can be mapped. Where we go on the web has become one of the most traceable of all our footprints and we routinely give out personal information which in turn creates vast data trails.

Online, people are increasingly willing to share data, from geographical information for projects such as OpenStreetMap, to highly personal videos of themselves on MySpace.

Microsoft as privacy leader?

It is very easy to collect all of our data and the fact that it is there means governments will come up with a good list of reasons as to why they need access

Caspar Bowden, Chief Privacy Advisor, EMEA Microsoft

The desire to share such information has led some to question whether anyone really cares about privacy online.

They should, said Ian Brown, privacy advocate and senior research manager at the Cambridge MIT Institute.

"US college students may enjoy putting up videos of themselves on MySpace but when the authorities start digging through and potential employers look at MySpace profiles they might start thinking that they care about their privacy after all," he said.

"It is easy to design invasive technology but we have to start looking at ways to make technology privacy-friendly too," he added.

Privacy advocates had found an unlikely ally in Microsoft, said Mr Brown.

Microsoft has not always been concerned about privacy. Its Passport system, now known as Live ID, was designed as a unified login service, envisioned by the software giant as a single-point of entry to web commerce.

It allowed users to logon to many websites using a single account but the fact that it also created a vast database of information on those who joined drew criticism from privacy advocates and users.

"Is Microsoft a country now it is issuing passports?" was one comment at the time that summed up disquiet about the scheme.

Now Microsoft is keen to put privacy at the heart of its projects. Its chief privacy advisor Caspar Bowden is the former director of the Foundation for Information Policy Research and, in the past, an outspoken critic of governmental and corporate invasions of privacy.

He outlined Microsoft's plans for an identity layer for the internet - what Microsoft is calling an identity metasystem.

Central to this metasystem will be Windows CardSpace, a means of identifying yourself online which will be available in the next version of its operating system, Windows Vista.

The identity system will require websites or CardSpace-enabled applications to obtain permission from users before personal data is used.

Importantly, the data is shunted around piecemeal so that only the necessary amount of information would go to organisations wanting to do business with you, explained Mr Bowden. The system will also help users eliminate spam.

Convenience versus anonymity

Mr Bowden's enthusiasm for the need for privacy online may not be shared by those who are unconcerned by their data trails.

"There will always be about 10-20% of the population who see absolutely no need for privacy," conceded Mr Bowden.

"But for most of us there are areas of our lives which we want to keep reserved for a group of trusted people and that is why we need rules to define what we need from privacy," he said.
Understanding how data can be used is important so that people can make informed choices about how their information is used.

"Data storage is so cheap. It is very easy to collect all of our data, and the fact that it is there means governments will come up with a good list of reasons as to why they need access. Data mining makes it easy for people to nose around in your data," he added.

But remaining anonymous in a connected world is hard even for the most hardened of privacy advocates.

"I didn't want people to know what journeys I was making using my Oyster card so I paid in cash to have it topped up, keeping it anonymous. Then one day at Heathrow, with limited time and a big queue I found myself paying by credit card and a connection was made," said Mr Brown.

The balance between privacy and convenience is not always an easy one to maintain.

2006-11-01T03:26:00.000-08:00

Virus writers target web videos

Some malicious hackers exploit interest in HalloweenThe growing popularity of online video has caught the attention of malicious hackers and hi-tech criminals.

Security firms are reporting more and more instances of booby-trapped Windows codecs - file compressors - required to play some video formats.

Some of the codecs let users play types of net-based video, but also have spyware and adware wrapped inside.

Others, say experts, are outright fakes that just want to infect victims with data-stealing programs.

Audience ratings

"Everyone is watching movies on their PC," said David Robinson, UK head of security firm Norman Sandbox, "they are downloading the latest, greatest clips."

While sites such as YouTube and Revver try to make it easy to watch video online, many of the downloadable clips posted on the web require extra software, called a codec, to play them.
Mr Robinson said many security firms were now logging instances in which spyware and adware firms are turning out software bundles that claim to roll together many popular codecs or just have the one needed to play a particular clip.

Some of the codecs do help to play clips, but others are disguised as a variety of nuisance or malicious programs.

Some rogue codecs plague users with pop-up adverts, while others invisibly install keyloggers that try to grab confidential data.

Anti-spyware firm Sunbelt Software discovered one codec that became a program that found fictitious security problems on a PC and demanded payment to repair them.

Many downloads look benign when scanned with an anti-virus program, but, once installed, download updates from other websites that contain the malicious payload.

Security firms expect the popularity of clips to be exploitedMr Robinson said the growth of booby-trapped video codecs was just another example of how hi-tech criminals have moved on from the old days in which a virus only travelled by e-mail.

Now, he said, they maintain a diverse portfolio of attack methods and will tailor these to whatever is proving popular online.

Mr Robinson said his company Norman Sandbox, which analyses captured samples of malicious code, gets hundreds of new variants of malicious programs submitted to it every day.

David Emm, senior technology consultant at anti-virus firm Kaspersky Labs, said it was only a matter of time before virus writers turned to sites such as YouTube and booby-trapped popular clips with bugs.

"YouTube is almost by definition unregulated," he said, and was ripe for exploitation by malicious hackers. "It gives an almost endless stream of stuff to tap into."

Already spyware firms are known to be using the popularity of some clips on YouTube and social networking site MySpace to install their wares on the PCs of more victims.

Increasing numbers of malicious attacks were pegged to news or other events, said Mr Emm, which helped to catch people out.

The upcoming Halloween holiday is already being exploited by malicious hackers who are baiting websites with viruses and trojans.

2006-10-31T11:46:00.000-08:00

Swahili web game to tackle Aids

Players makes choices in virtual relationships The United Nations children's agency (Unicef) has launched the first computer game in Kiswahili, aimed at halting the spread of HIV and Aids.
The game called "What would you do?" (Ungefanyaje?) takes players through various scenarios to explain the importance of prevention and testing.

The UN estimates that around 80% of all young people do not know how to protect themselves from Aids.

Africa accounts for most of the world's 2.3m children who are HIV-positive.

More than 100 million people speak Swahili across east African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the Unicef game, players choose from different options as two male and two female characters embark on relationships

2006-10-31T10:49:00.000-08:00

A Petrol Oil Car. Parked over there.. i think its not loaded with oil..

2006-10-31T10:31:00.000-08:00

Taxi's parked waiting for customers, here i was going to take a ticket going back to Arusha. at Dar Express..

2006-10-31T05:12:00.000-08:00

Thats the Ubungo Plaza Limited, in Dar-es-salaam.

2006-10-31T05:04:00.000-08:00

Oh! While i am in Dar-es-salaam. i had time to visit this Ubungo Plaza Limited.. Its very nice.. i took this photo while we were filling up gas in the car!

2006-10-31T03:30:00.000-08:00

Thats the Movenpick Hotel, located in Dar-es-salaam. Its a Wonderful hotel, very nice inside and outside.. but very expensive..

2006-07-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

Thats me, Mr. Richard WIlliam Mushi....

2006-07-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Richard William Mushi's Technology Blog site!

For latest and newest Gadgets and Technology new + Different Events

Will be posted by the one and only Richard Mushi

Enjoy!!!