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Story Spaces – Collective Mentoring Through the African Storytelling Experience on Mobile Platforms

By
Tekedia Editors
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This is very interesting – moving the African storytelling to the mobile ecosystem where more people can get connected in this age. It is about mentoring and empowering. Story Spaces is just doing that. Working in partnership with Kuyu Project, they complement Ushahidi. They hope to inspire and motivate people to become better citizens.

 

StorySpaces can be helpful for crisis response as a crisis moves beyond immediate response, and looks at long-term recovery. Local residents in an affected area will benefit from being able to tell stories about their experiences and sharing with others who are affected. Also as stories are tagged and added to a specific StorySpace created for a specific crisis, the stories can be used by

 

  • Local residents and governments for gathering information for planning long-term recovery actions.
  • Those involved in providing psychosocial response – (e.g., to see what stories teens were telling about how they were coping in the months following a crisis)
  • Families for reconnecting sharing stories with each other.
  • Businesses to gather resilience stories from their customers and to use the stories to plan the best strategies of how the business will work to move forward.
  • Non-profit organizations for sharing specific stories with residents, volunteers, and donors.
  • Journalists for finding out leads to follow up on for more in-depth stories.

 

About the Kuyu Project

 

The Kuyu Project is a digital literacy initiative aimed at teaching African youth how to fully utilize social media and other digital tools to effect social change in their communities to achieve their goals and objectives.

 

We deeply believe that by offering an open platform and teaching digital techniques we are fueling the dreams and aspirations of these young minds which might one day lead to the innovations and technologically driven solutions that will change Africa and the world.

Hot-Dip Galvanizing As Corrosion Protection Method

By
Tekedia Editors
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Enormous economic challenges in the 21st century have brought tremendous needs to utilize available limited resources in the most efficient and effective ways. The impacts of globalization, currency devaluation, inflation, environmental concerns as well as massive natural disasters are changing governance at all levels.

 

Technological advances have enabled new ways of deploying services in timely and cost effective means. It has become very apparent that governance must be very strategic and the capacity to adopt technologies that would save cost especially in the long term is vital. Innovative technological applications drive efficiency, productivity and aid to enhance the quality of lives of citizens.

 

This technology should be durable, environmentally friendly as well as cost competitive. Over the years, many governments have made decisions to build and expand their infrastructures in order to be competitive in tourism, transportation and other key areas of the economy. Regrettably, governments have been slow to adopt and implement techniques to protect these facilities from corrosion.

 

As governments continue to focus on expanding militaries and managing political systems, budgetary allocations for expanding national infrastructures like bridges, dams, airports are expected to decrease despite increased levels of operations. To ensure that these facilities operate at optimal levels since building new ones are not immediate, efforts should be geared to preserve them using the most efficient corrosion protection method. This certainly affects all major economies: from Africa to North America.

 

Corrosion causes both economic and environmental problems and adequate techniques should be used to control it in facilities to ensure maximal service to the citizens. Adopting the right technological solution to the hazards of corrosion will arguably extend the usefulness of these facilities as well as help the state to save money in the long run. This will ultimately benefit everyone especially the taxpayers.

 

Presently, commonly used public corrosion protection techniques are painting and plating. These techniques though partially effective are not state of the art. They fail to deliver long-term benefits, which taxpayers expect from their taxes. As an engineering student that has studied the effects of corrosion and how to minimize their impacts, I wish to suggest hot-dip galvanizing corrosion protection method as a technique of choice.

 

This method of corrosion protection is a method where a metal is used to “bath” the one that is being protected to form a bonded structure that prevents rust. It is a form of “chemical mechanical bathing” of the metal that enables the formation of metallic oxides that prevent corrosion. This corrosion protection technique has been proven to be reliable, cheap, and durable with less harm to the environment. The process of galvanizing (bathing a metal with metal to form oxides resistant to corrosion) from which hot dip galvanizing is made has existed for more than 250 years and has been a mainstay of the industry since the early 20th century. It is used in different manufacturing processes to produce steel with unmatched protection from the ravages of corrosion. From roofing nails to highway guardrail, to Brooklyn Bridges suspension and to NASA’s launch pad sound suppression systems, galvanizing has provided means to protect materials from corrosion successfully.

 

In addition, the main component of galvanizing, zinc is readily available- about 25th in the order of abundance from the earth crust. This component is a mineral that is essential for growth and development of nearly all life- both plant and animal. About 1.4 – 2.3 grams are found in average adult with a recommended intake of 15 grams advised by the World Health Organization (WHO). In different forms, zinc is beneficial to life and in the form of zinc oxide is used as a nutritional supplement. It is not harmful to the environment and does not pose any threat to human.

 

Besides, it is 100% recyclable with less energy required to process it for use in corrosion protection. It could serve as the ultimate material to protect our state’s structures in the parks, waterways, airports, etc. The following are few advantages of the hot dip galvanizing over other methods of protection from corrosion:

 

* Hot dip galvanizing enjoys a low initial cost advantage over many other corrosion protection techniques. In addition, it is less labor intensive compared with other corrosion protection methods.

 

* In rare cases where hot dip galvanizing has a higher initial cost than other corrosion protection techniques, it is more cost effective in the long term since it is durable with less maintenance needs. Because the protected materials are metallurgically bonded to the metal it protects, it offers superior resistance to abrasion and water and general mechanical damage in transport, erection and service.

 

* Hot dip galvanizing coatings enjoy a high life expectancy of up to 45 years even in severe coastal and urban environments. In addition, this life expectancy and performance of the protected metal are easily predictable.

 

* Hot dip galvanizing process is simple, straightforward and closely controllable. The coating thicknesses are regular, predictable and easily specifiable. This enables precision during usage and design resulting to quality results.

 

* Implementation of corrosive protection is readily faster with hot dip galvanizing thereby providing a way to reduce project time and government money. A fully galvanized protective coating can be applied in few hours compared to a proper four-coat painting that requires up to one week. Hot dip galvanizing does not require any further site preparation, painting or inspection. Once erected, cladding can begin immediately, thus accelerating the construction program.

 

* Inspection of hot dip galvanized coatings are assessed readily by eye, and simple non-destructive thickness testing methods can be used without the complexity usually used in other protection techniques. This could save money for government as well as provide an easy means for contingency planning.

 

* The protection offered by hot dip galvanizing is complete since all parts of the materials are protected, including recesses, sharp corners and inaccessible areas. This is because the material when dipped in molten zinc is completely covered – inside and out – including awkward corners and narrow gaps. No coating applied to a structure or fabrication after completion can provide the same protection as hot dip galvanizing.

 

In summary, hot dip galvanizing offers public utilizes across the globe a more strategic option to protect the state’s infrastructures. Compared with other corrosion protection techniques, which are presently being combined with it to protect the state’s facilities, it is less laborious both in implementation, maintenance and inspection. In the long run, it would offer better returns on investments through its long-term cost competitiveness and durability. Hot dip galvanized materials are harmless to both human and environment and should be the method of choice over paints, which contain dangerous chemical components, in corrosion protection in our parks and public places. Adoption of this state of the art corrosion protection technique would be for the best interest of taxpayers because it would provide far better value than any other technique.

Global Android Market Share – Possible Drivers for Embedded Systems

By
Tekedia Editors
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To get the Android market share, we went back to the latest InMobi data, March 2011. Android is very strong and has already toppled iPhone OS. Note the conditions of this data as noted below:

 

Data in this report are sourced from our global mobile advertising network which served 31.9 billion impressions in March 2011. With 114 countries receiving over 10 million impressions in March 2011, we are able to claim one of the broadest and most representative networks in the world. Exact specifications are as follows:
• Global Available Impressions in March 2011: 31.9 billion
• Regions Represented: Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, and South America
• Countries Represented: 114 countries with over 10 million impressions in March 2011
• Base Measure: Available Impressions
• Reports: Market Summary, Manufacturer Share, OS Share, and Top Handsets & Connected Devices
• Time Periods: December 2010, March 2011
• Comparisons: March 2011 versus December 2010

 

The key stuff for us is what Android offers you in the market of embedded systems. This is very huge. Below as some projects you can build based on Android and you can get started immediately. Oh yes, your phone can configure easily any of these functions. Thanks to the all powerful ADK which is engineered for embedded systems.

 

  • RFID Android based supermarket inventory control—-using Android tablet to access and monitor inventory
  • Speed monitoring system for road safety——Android tablet interfaced with speed monitoring system
  • Security monitoring system or aid for security personnel—-In which Android tablet will be interfaced with wireless security cameras
  • Fuel or fluid level inventory control —–holding your tablet,you can monitor and control fluid level anywhere in the world
  • Automation and process control —interfacing sensors, relays,speed controllers etc to Android tablet through micro-controller wirelessly

 

Apps Store Paid Apps – You Need Authentication With Device IDs

By
Tekedia Editors
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We have received many inquiries from people asking how they can submit PAID apps in the apps store. The simply fact is that counting as we noted before will not do the job. There are people that will click an app that will not finally download it. That was why we just took out the counter to avoid false impression.

 

What we want all developers for PAID apps is to map activation of their apps through device IDs. So, someone downloads the apps, the app will not work until he has paid. When he pays, he will be given a code based on that person’s device unique ID. That way, he cannot take the app to another device or use the code for another person. The engineers are testing this in Owerri and this seems to be fine. One app per device and app will not work until paid and activation code sent. This process does not need internet. What happens is that after the app is launched, the app will prompt the user to activate. Together with you, you will generate codes a priori for your apps and as they finish you generate more. We guarantee that you will not miss a single revenue based on our technology. The activation code is a concatenation of the ID and other numbers we will not reveal now.

 

To interface with the Fasmicro Apps Store through its API, you must have a valid device ID. If your phone has been rooted and/or has gone through a factory reset, it is possible for the phone’s device ID to one not recognized by the store. If this happens you will need to manually input a valid device ID into the application. We will help you get the ID.

Solving the Global Retirement Problems – A Need To Evaluate The New Nature Of Work

By
Tekedia Editors
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0

Daily, we have become accustomed to reading about the many challenges America faces as a nation. It has unemployment problems, runaway federal deficit, real estate depression, health care crises and senior citizens that live longer. Yes, many see people living longer as a problem because we still operate industrial age economics with its archaic retirement system for a knowledge century.

 

Accordingly, when we look at what it will take to care for retirees over long stretch, economists get worried. From Germany to Japan, managing human longevity in the developed world has taken a central role in governments. On Sept 7, 2010, millions of people demonstrated in France over the government’s plan to change the unemployment age from 60 to 62.

 

But are these people really retiring, technically?

 

People retire at sixty years and then spend six hours a day on social media. These hours could have actually been redesigned to become work, if the system has mastered the constructs of the knowledge economy. When someone retires from running a small website and spends the number of hours we put on the social media, it simply shows our system is broken.

 

We fail to understand that in the knowledge era, someone could work far beyond seventy years. Yes, that old economic model of factory and farm economy that depended on physical energy is ending. Accordingly, the retirement age it produced should be replaced. I see no reason why a webmaster that maintains a website should retire from it and then spend 6 hours a day as a retiree on social media.

 

What the world needs is a new system that defines retirement based on the industry. In other words, we have to develop industry-based retirement system that looks at what it takes someone to do its job. While it makes sense for a farmer to retire at a younger age because of the physical requirements to work, it is not really important for someone whose work resolves around the web to do the same. So, we could say that the factory and farm workers could retire two years earlier than the knowledge workers.

 

Though it is bound to create challenges in the system, we can make do by finding ways to ensure that those knowledge workers that put so much time in the social media can invest some of the time in creative activities and government will pay them. So they might have retired, but government will put them through a transition stage through which they can technically work for the government via the web.

 

As more jobs move to the web, senior citizens can still provide opportunities than going into retirements immediately. It is possible that we can extend the years by creating a program where as they socialize on the web, we can develop work they can do. It is building a system that seamlessly blends into their retirement experiences.

 

The developed world needs a solution to meet obligations to the future and it is imperative that we use new opportunities technologies have provided. And associated human habits they have helped create. Nations need to quantify and understand how some government works could be done via the web and distributed to senior citizens who even during their retirements can help. Doing that means having a process that is structured to be in sync with their social media experiences.

 

Take for instance data collection and web surveys. Such activities can be assigned to senior citizens under a partnership through which they can be asked to help. It is important that private companies can be encouraged to develop a model where they can tap the enormous hours people invest on social media, especially the senior citizens, and use that to save costs. They could work remotely from their homes under flexible work schedules.

 

For a nation like Japan that has 23% of its population over the age of 65 and fertility rate of 1.34, about 0.7 below the acceptable minimum for a developed nation to maintain a constant population, it must think deep into new models for retirement. This will require more thoughts than what some of its provincial governments are doing- running dating sites for singles to boost procreation.

 

The developed world needs a system that evaluates the new nature of work. As work moves towards knowledge, requiring lesser physical energy, we have to find ways to extend the time people retire without obstructing how they have viewed their post-work lives. By using technology to build productive works into their retiree’s experiences, America and indeed the whole developed world could discover ways to continue to tap their senior’s experiences while balancing the nations’ budgets.

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