Death and Rebirth of my laptop

Yesterday afternoon I came back home, sat at my desk and like always pressed the power button to turn on my laptop, but this time instead of a black screen and starting windows text, my laptop emitted two short beeps and the following message was displayed "non system disk or disk error". I am not ashamed to admit that I spent the next few minutes panicking. I just sat and stared blankly at the error message; all I could think of was everything that was not backed up: my work, my music, my books and my videos. After I calmed down a bit I did what one should always do in this situation; I restarted my machine and crossed my fingers. Sadly my hopes were dashed and the error message appeared once again. Next I restarted my machine and went into the BIOS to run a hard drive test. Unfortunately my laptop, a HP 2230s requires a BIOS password and I just couldn't remember it. I tried unsuccessfully for the next 30 minutes to remember the password. It was now around 2 pm and I realized that my only option was to go to a professional.
I went to my local tech store, Smart Cents Limited at Adams Arcade, my usual source for blank DVDs among other computing goods. The staff there confirmed my suspicions, that my hard drive was toast. It was not the first time I had encountered issues with my laptop; my battery had actually stopped functioning around 1 month ago but I thought a replacement battery would be too expensive and as long as the laptop still worked, it was only a minor inconvenience. To my surprise the staff at Smart Cents informed me that a new battery would only cost Kshs. 5,300 and a new hard drive Kshs. 6,400. Before hearing this I was actually contemplating purchasing a new laptop, preferably a basic, low priced one for the short term. They didn't have any basic laptops in the store at the time but the staff told me they could order one for Kshs. 35,000 to arrive by Monday. This was a bit out of my price range so I decided to look around and see if I could find a cheaper laptop to purchase. I visited BJ's Store; it has been branded "East Africa's First Electronic Superstore" on the upper floors of Adams Arcade to see if I could find a cheaper alternative. Alas, the cheapest laptop I could find was a Lenovo for Kshs. 38,000. I now began to seriously consider replacing the battery and hard drive instead of spending more money on a new laptop.
Whenever I need to make a serious computing purchase I always go to Starcom System Solutions Ltd. on the 1st floor of Norwich Union House in the CBD. In my opinion they are the cheapest and most reliable computing parts supplier in Kenya. This time they really lived up to my expectations, they sold me a battery at Kshs. 4,500 and a Toshiba hard drive at Kshs. 5,500. To my delight I managed to replace my faulty 6 cell battery with a 9 cell one at no extra cost. This meant that my laptop's previous battery life would be extended by a few more hours. The staff at Starcom provided warranties for both products and free installation of the hard drive.
Anyone who has had to reformat or replace their hard drive knows that the most tedious part of my ordeal was about to begin. When I got home the first thing I did was to install my operating system which was Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit. For the rest of the day and night I was occupied with updating Windows, installing drivers and installing software. As of the time of writing this post I have just finished installing Office 2010 and Skype. Windows is still updating. I have yet to reacquire all the data I lost but that is a problem for the future.
Availability of technology in Kenya has really come a long way. A few years ago replacing my laptop battery would have been amazingly complicated not to mention costly and the price of a laptop hard drive would have been ridiculously expensive. I actually saw a basic laptop at Starcom for Kshs. 22,500 a price that would have been simply unimaginable a few years ago. We still have a long way to go especially when it comes to the price of original software and games. However, this experience has left me with the hope that Kenya is on the path to making computing technology more affordable for all.

Hope for proper lighting on the streets of Nairobi.

One of the things I miss about living in the US and Germany is the lighting on the streets at night. You could walk around most places at night because they were well lit. Of course the lights were a deterrent  to any possible criminals so you felt quite safe.
In Nairobi on the other hand only some major streets, the CBD(Central Business District) and shopping centers are well lit at night. The lighting situation is so bad that on some streets drivers are forced to drive using high beams just to see. Of course using high beams are a hazard to other drivers but often there is no choice. As a pedestrian it is so much worse; any time I'm walking on a dark street at night I feel like I'm just inviting a mugger to make me his next victim.
Therefore the announcement yesterday that the county government of Nairobi will be rehabilitating old street lights and even installing new ones is welcome news to me and many others. Hopefully they are planning for widespread application of this plan. Every Kenyan should be able to walk around their neighborhood without fear of crime. Good street lighting would also go a long way to encouraging a 24-hour economy in the city of Nairobi.

Surprising state of Korean Animation

I read the latest issue of the South Korean comic (mahnwa) The Breaker: New Waves last night and as usual it was amazing. Not for the first time I wish that someone would make it into an anime as has been done for so many other comics.
South Korea has the third largest animation industry worldwide behind the US and Japan. Surprisingly most animation produced in South Korea is for others and not locally sourced. Many Japanese anime are produced in South Korea as well as US shows like Family Guy, Legend of Korra and The Simpsons to name a few. South Korea produces a few animated films each year and some are critically acclaimed but the most well know serialized animation is the cartoon Pororo.
Perhaps there is not enough of a local audience to tempt South Korean animators but I would suggest they should turn some of the popular mahnwas into animation at least for the international audience like me. Its not just mahnwas that would do well as animation, South Korean online comics(webtoons) like Noblesse and The Gamer in my opinion deserve to be animated as well.
A lot of talented Korean animators go into the popular gaming industry but I hope over time some would turn to converting local comics into animation.

Women be careful what you wear on the streets of Nairobi.

Just when I think I can't be shocked anymore by the behavior of Kenyans something happens to make me think I will never understand this place at all. Last week there was a story of a young lady who had her clothes stripped off her by a group of men at the Embasssava bus stage. The men attacked her for allegedly being indecently dressed. The attack was captured on video and posted on Youtube prompting outrage on social media under the hashtag #mydressmychoice. There was a protest march through Nairobi yesterday by both Kenyan men and women carrying placards that read "My dress, my choice" while others wore mini-skirts.

You would think that a protest like this would at least put a stop to these senseless actions but just hours later on the same day a middle-aged woman was rushed to hospital after she was roughed up and stripped naked in Kayole area over claims she was indecently dressed. This time around the police were called in and currently over 90 suspects have been arrested while the police investigate.

Incidences of women being stripped occur in many parts of the country including Mombasa and Nakuru. This has never made any sense to me because if you are so concerned over what little someone is wearing then help cover them up, why strip them and therefore expose more skin. These actions lead me to believe the people committing these acts are less interested in morality and are just looking for an excuse to commit sexual assaults on women.  This is an incident that makes one ashamed of their countrymen.

Reduction in Fuel Prices

The government just announced a reduction in fuel prices, diesel down by Kshs 6.15 per litre, kerosene by Kshs. 4.57 per litre and super down by Kshs. 4.09. 
Kenya being as it is the question becomes how soon will petrol stations reflect these changes and how many may actually refuse to make the changes. Even though they are always quick to reflect price hikes. Also does the reduction mean a decrease in transport fares. This is especially relevant during the rains when the matatus make their regular price hikes. It is ironic that the excuse the matatu operators often make to raise prices is the high cost of fuel. But now that the price of fuel has dropped, I doubt we will hear of any drops in fare prices.
One of the factors said to be driving inflation in Kenya is the rising price of fuel which increases transportation costs. However now that fuel prices have fallen I would be shocked if we actually see any drop in the price of goods. Maybe I'm being cynical but one thing you can say about life in Kenya is that it doesn't often lead to an optimistic view about anything. But you never know maybe this time will be different.

Back online for good

I was very busy the last couple of months moving to a new place and all that entails among other issues so I haven't been posting. But that's all done and now I'll be posting frequently. Hopefully people like what they read, keeping my fingers crossed.

Road Repairs: Daylight Robbery

    As a Nairobi motorist I dread the coming of the rainy season, not because of the rain which has the ability to turn ordinary drivers a little crazy but because of the roads. I'm sure every driver has had the same experience; it starts with a crack and suddenly you have potholes all over your regular route. My regular route is through Kindaruma Road in Kilimani in particular the section between Ring Road Kilimani and Rose Avenue. I cannot count the number of times that road has been repaired over the past few years and once again it needs repair. It makes no sense that throughout the year the road is fine and then a few weeks under the rain and it's a complete mess. After enough complaints from motorists a road construction company is contracted and the road is repaired. The next time the heavy rains come the cycle is repeated. Often the potholes appear in the same places where they were supposedly repaired. Over the past two years there has been a lot of building construction going on nearby which means heavy trucks on roads. Therefore it's not that I expect the roads to last forever I know that's impossible but come on, is it too much to ask that they last for at least one year without needing repair.

                There are roads in Nairobi that seem to last without needing constant repair every year which leads me to believe the main culprits are the road construction companies and by extension the people who award their contracts. Those constructing roads are meant to be professionals and are we honestly expected to believe that they are so incapable at construction that their roads need to be repaired every year. Then what about all the other roads that seem to withstand the heavy rains with no need for yearly repair. Were those roads constructed by some magic formula that other engineers are unaware of?

                What this comes down to as in so many aspects of life is money. Anyone can picture it in their minds. The local roads authority gets a report of a road needing repair. They advertise for a tender for a road construction company to bid for the job. The 'best' bid is awarded the contract and the company with the winning bid repairs the road and gets paid after construction. I'm simplifying the process but you get the general idea. Multiply this scenario by the number of roads in Nairobi that require repair every time there are heavy rains and you can see the scam for what it is: pure corruption and theft

                What I find hardest to stomach is how the local roads authority can justify repairing the same road every time after the heavy rains. I mean seriously, how difficult would it be to add a clause to the contract stating that if the road is damaged by the rains for the next year all repairs would be undertaken by the construction company at their own cost. I'm sure the companies could argue that this would increase the costs of constructing roads but if the roads were well constructed to begin with then there would be no problems in the future. I know that there are a few companies out there that carry out their road projects with integrity but the rest are giving the roads construction industry a bad name.

                Poor roads after heavy rains are not a new issue but seem to be a fact of life for the Nairobi motorist. We accept the misconduct of the roads authority and roads construction companies but in the end we pay the price. How much have you paid lately to repair or change your car's tires and suspension? The next time you go over a pothole that has appeared on your way to work or home, think about the last time it was repaired and if it has not yet even been a year you will realize you have been a victim of this scam.

                Maybe now with a new county government in place there may be some changes but I don't hold out much hope because the road construction companies have not changed and until their practices change the poor quality of our roads will continue.

In the beginning...

I've always wanted to write a blog but never had the time until now. I'm not really an outgoing person so sharing details about my life and views has always been daunting. But today I decided to take the plunge. The first thing was to decide what to write about and man was this hard. I finally got some inspiration from another blog where the writer advises people to write about their passions. My passions are anime, manga, kdramas, books but I also want to write about Kenya this strange land of ours. I don't know ultimately how this will turn out but it should be a fun.