Randomness

okay, a quick one here.
Finally!!!!! The Crick boyz have cracked it down south. This was loooooong overdue, and a breath of very fresh air. The 20 run victory over the Zims could not have come at a better time, both for the boyz and for coach Baptiste. I must say that there is marked improvement in this team, and once again my apathy towards it has been dissipated. Good luck to the guys in the next two one dayers during the weekend, I will sure be rooting for you guys.

So China has decided to graciously grant the government (and the people??) of Kenya some odd 600 m for infrastructure development and pledges to give more, "as soon as Nairobi provides its list of priority projects" Wow!! What generosity!! Apparently no strings attached, really maybe not in the near future. I heard one nteresting anecdote from Pat Robertson of the 700 Club fame, of the way the US armtwisted Brito , which was then the world superpower but was deeply in the red. Brito went to borrow a long term interest free loan from the Stato, but no, Uncle Sam would have none of it. Instead, they lent the Brits some ching, but with rather long strings attached, literally forcing the Brits to 'reform' in the way they were running the Empire. Long story short.....China is Uncle Sams biggest lender. Siku moja wacha tu.....we are also getting into that box. Hmmmmmmm, but I wont mind a shiny new sea port and railway line coming our way. Tuko kwa box nyingi sana, one more wont hurt, au sio.

Piezoelectric Traffic Jams

We all hate traffic jams (well not all of us if you count those hawkers and the criminally inclined), at least I know I do. The prospect of remaining static at a time when you are supposed to be moving is never anyone’s pound of meat. We all know what it means to be stuck in a jam on one of Nairobi’s major highways, whether its Mombasa road, Thika road, Uhuru highway, Jogoo road, we all agree that it aint what one looks forward to. We all bemoan the amount of manhours wasted and the amount of fuel our (mostly ‘preowned’) jalopies consume, not to mention the harassment by matatus and the resulting chaos thereof.

What good can come out of traffic jams, one may ask. What about the end of power rationing, the reduction of power bills!!! Impossible, eh! Not according to Innowattech. This company has developed an innovative way of generating clean (green) electricity, called piezoelectricity. This is the ability to produce electric power in response to applied mechanical stress. In this case, electricity is generated by using piezoelectric materials under busy roads. How, you may ask? Well, a layer of piezoelectric crystals is layered under the tarmac, and this produces electricity when squeezed. Piezoelectric generators then harvest this energy and stores it into roadside batteries for onward use/distribution. The same technology can also be used on airport runways, railways and busy walkways. Apparently the Piezo Electric Generator (IPEG™) should be able to produce 200KWh, while a four-lane highway would produce about 1MWh of electricity, per kilometer, enough to provide power to 2500 households.

Now that is a system that can (theoretically) work here in Nairobi. No infrastructure is required. You don’t need to set up wind farms or solar panels and use up vast areas. You simply have to use the roads that you already have. In Nairobi we have perennially busy highways, walkways and fairly busy airports. Well, let’s not talk about the railways. Wouldn’t it be nice knowing that you are generating electricity, even as you stew in a cocktail of fumes and angry hooting in the midst of a never ending vehicular queue? As for the politico-economic viability of this venture is concerned…..well God knows? I don’t think the likes of Agrekko would smile at this idea.

Watch Innowattech’s presentation here.

Hello Blueswift

Hello blueswift, been such a long time since I posted something on your hallowed pages. Quite a pity, since I had promised that I would be posting more often. Guess, I sometimes overestimate my “gentlemanliness”, or do I just underestimate my “ruffianness”, my inability to keep promises?? Either way, am not going to give any more promises. I will post whenever, wherever and however in whichever situation of which I don’t know. Anywho, it’s good to be back writing.

I just discovered that am not the commentator that I used to be. Many things come and go and somehow I don’t find that particular itch to voice my opinion about them. Well, right from the social, political even the religious scene. I find myself rather aloof and detached. Is it a good thing? I don’t know. Is it bad? I don’t know either. My fence sitting is rather depressing…..yeah so I guess its not such a good thing.

Well, apparently, there will be no more Tusker at the next Safari Sevens. I don’t know why yet, but apparently there has been a disagreement over the sponsorship deal which according to KRFU included sponsorship for the Elgon Cup, EABL doesn’t want any of that. Methinks its ego stuff, just don’t know whose ego is bigger or more fragile. It would just be a pity if “Africa’s premier sevens tournament” dwindles off. Hope it aint déjà vu the cricket style (I since gave up on Kenyan cricket). But I guess, EABL is the bigger loser as things stand now. I guess gauging from the way corporates were trying to associate themselves with Kenya sevens much of last year and this year, there is no need to panic.

Now some dudes really know how to push the envelope far. Milton Mbhele!! If u aint heard of that name then I don’t know. Dude sure knows his ways with his damsels. How he convinced four chics to wed him on the same day will remain the stuff of legend for days to come. And dude got style too, white limo and white suit….. Well, food for thought there.