By Kate Voss

In the age of widespread internet, where free Wi-Fi is available anywhere from coffee shops to libraries, Africa is undoubtedly lacking in regards to affordable and widespread access to the internet. In 2011, a UN commission stated that access to broadband internet is a basic human right, but Africa still stands as the world’s last major untapped market for internet.  According to Internet World Stats, the current internet penetration in North America is at a 78.6 percent, Europe at 63.2 percent and Africa at 15.6 percent.

White space broadband — a technology that makes use of the unused channels between TV broadcast signals left open to protect interference between multiple networks — might just be the solution Africa needs to solve its internet access crisis. Wireless broadband internet is able to utilize these “white spaces” in order to transmit data and provide remote regions, where traditional cable is expensive and hard to lay, providing anyone with the opportunity to access high speed internet.

A white space device (WSD) is designed to detect the unused areas of airwaves and utilize them to transmit signals for Internet connectivity. Due to the low frequency of the adapted white space radio waves, signals can travel up to a 10-kilometer radius, enabling them to reach remote areas. White space is not only cheap to provide, since it operates on an already existing structure, it also penetrates walls and has the ability to bend around physical obstructions (like trees, or better yet, mountains) far better than mobile signals can. These low-frequency signals are the reason that single, large TV transmitters can broadcast a signal to millions of residential homes, versus cell phone signals or cellular radio, which need towers every few miles.

Already, there have been various proposals, such as IEEE 802.11af that advocate using white spaces to provide and improve the availability of wireless broadband Internet access, and are working to define standards for future spectrum sharing. Powerhouse companies Google and Microsoft, who have been long-term supporters of white space usage, have already started trials in Kenya, Cape Town and Tanzania in hopes of lessening the digital divide and creating new opportunities for education, healthcare, commerce, and government services in Africa and other underdeveloped countries.

Africa currently heavily relies on mobile phones to access the internet, but only the wealthy can afford such devices, and mobile phone companies are hesitant to build expensive networks in remote areas. Satellite internet was once the only option for connecting rural communities, but now, if white space technology proves effective, African countries could have access to affordable broadband access that requires less set-up, runs faster, and costs less.

Google is already claiming that their white space trial, which began in March and implemented white space Wi-Fi in ten schools in Cape Town, has had positive results. The company announced that, “After six months, the trial has been a success. The participating schools, which previously had slow or unreliable Internet connections, experienced high-speed broadband access for the first time. Teachers were able to use videos in their lesson plans, make Skype calls to other schools, update school websites, and send regular email updates to parents. Students could use educational videos for research. Because the service was better and faster, teachers and learners used the Web to enrich the classroom experience.”

In addition to the Google white space trials in Cape Town, Microsoft launched a white space pilot in rural Limpopo. Microsoft hopes to prove that white space technology can be used to meet the South African government’s goal of providing low-cost internet access to 80 percent of South Africans by 2020. The company worked with the University of Limpopo as the hub for a white space network that would provide internet access to nearby schools in local communities, and also provided each school with Windows tablets, projectors, laptops and solar-panel chargers.

Microsoft previously worked with Tanzania and Kenya, and those trials proved that white space technology is an excellent solution for internet access in rural areas. As of today, the Kenyan government reportedly is delivering bandwidth speeds up to 16mbit/s to communities which previously lacked internet access and electricity. Likewise, in Google’s South African white space trial, the goal was to ensure that white space would not interfere with broadcast channels and that, too, was also successful.

World Bank research shows that a 10 percent increase in broadband penetration can result in an extra 1.4 percentage points of annual economic growth, but there are further benefits if Google and Microsoft’s tests prove successful. As the companies are working to perfect white space technology, there’s no doubt that any amount of increased internet access will help improve education by providing more resources and learning opportunities, strengthen the government by allowing for more interaction, and give Africans their basic human right — access to the internet.

About the author:

Kate Voss is a tech blogger from Chicago focused on covering new technology including electric vehicles and white space.

The best space film ever done, so far.

Gravity is a traumatic tale of survival that unfolds within space, as envisioned by the director of Children of Men and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Alfonso Cuarón. Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone, tied to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness.

The 4 year process that Gravity took to come to life involved plenty of typical film-making challenges, but also the process of actually inventing technology to make the movie possible. As the director states, “It’s not a film that could have been made before now.” Initially he thought that it’s a small movie, and with only two characters, they would be done in a year. This wasn’t the case as the mapping out process of the film was being done; it became very apparent that the technology to create it didn’t exist, so they had to invent the technology. This, to them, was a process of discovery as they had no idea of what they were doing.

But how realistic is this movie Gravity, you ask. Well from my research I found out that in this case, the space-shuttle mission is the victim of a phenomenon first explained in a 1978 scientific paper called “Collision Frequency of Artificial Satellites: the Creation of a Debris Belt” by Donald Kessler and Burton Cour-Palais. The researchers explain how debris from a satellite collision can have a cascading, or chain-reaction, effect with other satellites. Unlike shrapnel here on Earth, which travels for a distance before gravity pulls it to the ground, each piece of collision debris in space just keeps moving, circling the planet in its own independent orbit, until it hits something, or eventually burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere. This phenomenon is called the Kessler Syndrome.

Am even lacking in movies to compare this to (maybe In Time), since it’s just so refreshingly new, it’s a rare breed. I would recommend all to see this movie and especially at IMAX 3D. Its a ground breaking, beautiful and technically perfect movie of which am quite sure film schools will be studying in future. 9.1 stars out of 10 because I love a movie with brilliant visual effects and makes you wonder if it really was done in space.

Its a sci-Fi Fairy Tale of the Haves and Have Nots

In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a perfect man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet’s crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium – but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens’ luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium’s Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.

If you’ve been watching movies this year you’ll note that they all kind of fixated on the earth’s annihilation, movies like After Earth, Oblivion, World War Z and even the comical This is the End. The director, Blomkamp, doesn’t consider his movie to be far flung science fiction though; it’s the unequal class struggle between the 1% and the 99% that explains why Elysium exists in the first place. The director keeps the action moving fast enough that there isn’t time to look into the plot until the movie is over. It’s worth seeing, if not for the action then for its futuristic technology.

We have advanced robotics that police over the poor while they work in hazardous conditions. I wonder why not have the robots go into the radiation filled rooms and finish off the work. Also there are space shuttles that cater to singular persons (the rich of course) and it’s a matter of minutes before they are in space, surreal. There are also those medical beds that cure anything, wow! Blomkamp doesn’t spend any time explaining how these miracles of nature work, which would take hours of complicated scientific jargon that no one would understand or believe, so it’s entirely skipped. Anyway, the basic principle is, be a citizen of Elysium, and literally any illness possible is cured. Got cancer? Not anymore. Did a grenade literally explode in your face? It’s cool bro, there’s an app for that. Seriously, all those medical disasters are completely cured in seconds. Also everyone on Elysium has one of these in their house like it’s no big deal.

Hopefully by now we understand that intentionally misusing technology is one of the quickest routes to dystopia. And while some people do abuse modern wonders, I think humanity does a good job of handling big innovations appropriately. Still, it’s science fiction like Elysium that reminds us all just how important it is to share the fruits of our technological labor. 9 stars out of 10

Some 1.5 billion people are affected by conflict, wars and atrocities in developing countries, notes a 2011 World Bank World Development Report. However, the events are expected to lessen, as mathematical models that use existing socio-political data to predict mass atrocities will soon alert governments and NGOs on taking preventative measures, winners receiving awards from a competition run by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and NGO Humanity International.

In the Tech Challenge for Atrocity Prevention competition, the winners announced on 18 November are set to do further research and pilot their innovations. Reports say that the top five winners from different countries won awards ranging between US$1,000 and US$12,000, among nearly 100 entrants who developed algorithms to predict when and where mass atrocities are likely to happen.

The competition began from the premise that certain social and political measurements are linked to increased likelihood of atrocities. According to organisers of the competition, the new algorithms could help governments and organisations identify risky areas, thus allowing them to intervene before mass atrocities take place.

In the award-winning mathematical model, the algorithms use sociopolitical indicators and data on past atrocities as their inputs. The data was drawn from archives such as the Global Database of Events, Language and Tone, a data set that encodes more than 200 million globally newsworthy events, recording cultural information such as the people involved, their location and any religious connections.

The Model Challenge, which was the last of five sub-challenges within the overarching Tech Challenge for Atrocity Prevention launched in 2012, successfully drew in new minds and thinking as well as added incentive to develop solutions to challenging problems like atrocity prevention, say reports.

Citing the example of the post-election violence in Kenya that began in 2007 and killed more than 1,000 people, the US Institute of Peace’s Genocide Prevention Task Force put together a list of countries at highest risk of mass atrocities based upon variables known to be associated with such atrocities – yet Kenya was not on the list when the violence ensued, reports continue to say.

In all, the USAID and Humanity United plan to work with the winners to develop and pilot new tools for atrocity prevention.

It is possible to quit smoking in an hour, reducing risks of acquiring diseases like cancer, notes Iquit Smoking, motivated to spread the message further by offering individuals an opportunity to franchise their habit-quitting technology.

“Our patented technology, refined expertise and mature product will guarantee that we will be leading the competition for many years to come,” reads an inscription on the Iquit Smoking website, regarding franchising the technology, “Our experienced team is well positioned to give continuous market leadership into a stable international network with high growth potential in an expanding market.”

The idea of “IQS” as a franchising system was born in 2001 in Europe, when a team of professionals consisting of medics, scientists, marketers of the innovative program aimed to curb the addiction, decided to launch it in the international market. And eventually open franchises.  Till then, Kenya became home to the first I Quit Smoking center in Africa in 2009, adding to the list of over 400 centers of its kind worldwide fighting smoking addictions.

“We plan to open up more branches in Kisumu and Mombasa,” Gheeta Dhanda a Therapist of Iquit Smoking Kenya said in an interview, revealing high hopes to reach out to many addicted by cigarette smoking. “We treat 25 to 30 people a month and in a good month, we see about 60,” noting that since the organisation began in 2009, close to 900 clients with a 90 per cent success rate have been treated.

The IQS technology known as auricular therapy combines ancient and modern technology plus one-on-one personal care programs of which, is becoming a popular option to those who would like to quit smoking.

Yet, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2015, the number of smokers worldwide is expected to rise from the current 1.2 billion to more than 1.6 billion. And in African countries like Kenya, the 2011 National Bureau of Statistics stated that the consumption of cigarettes in 2008 was 10.073 billion sticks; in 2009, 11 billion sticks, while in 2010 it was 12.157 billion sticks.

And if that trend of tobacco use is not reversed, disease burdens resulting from tobacco related illness include cancers, heart disease, inflammatory diseases of the trachea, blood vessels and other body organs would be on the rise, say experts. Maternal and child problems include miscarriages, deformities, premature births, underweight babies, stillborns and infant deaths as risk factors, in addition to hormonal problems such as impotence and eye diseases to mention a few.

Nevertheless, close to three quarters of smokers have tried to quit, using acupuncture inclusive of a laser or needles, medical follow up with Zyban a drug, patches, and through “cold turkey” or “will power”.

But when smokers fail to quit even after trying various means, IQS swears that their personalized, interactive treatment method comes to the rescue. According to IQS, the Auricular therapy removes the craving of substances such as nicotine found in cigarettes, a root cause of addiction. Yet, nicotine has been declared a highly addictive drug, compared to heroin, cocaine and alcohol, says the organisation.

The Auricular Therapy includes a Reflection Instrument Scanning Electro-pulse (R.I.S.E) device and an instrument that gently touches certain points of the ear lobe, helping the body release beta endorphins that block the craving of cigarettes.

Before the hour long therapy, the therapist during the meeting records key indicators of the smoker’s habit as well as personal information such as how many cigarettes he or she smokes in a day, when they began, medical history, health conditions to mention a few. However, the therapy is not proven to be safe on expectant mums, epileptics or individuals wearing a pace maker.

The data for fit patients is then programmed into the patented R.I.S.E device in which the computer software creates an individualized program. Using a special instrument, the R.I.S.E device delivers a small electric current to key points (as in acupuncture an ancient healing art) on the earlobe.

Then a flow of endorphins known as compounds naturally made in the body are released throughout the body, not only making the person feel energetic but removing the craving of cigarettes.

Lasting one hour, the smoker is guaranteed a 90 per cent chance of quitting the habit. And after 10 days, with the cravings gone, the nicotine in the body is flushed out by fresh fruits, vegetables and water.

However, those highly addicted or who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes per day are recommended to return after six months for follow up. A second session is worth half the original cost.

And after recovery, former addicts can open franchises of the technology. According to Iquit smoking therapists, this system is set to create new standards in smoking cessation because of its “unparalleled success rate”. Thus, the IQS program allows partners to participate in this growth and capitalize on the profit potential through franchising and licensing opportunities worldwide.

For details on quitting smoking or opening a franchise, send an email  info@iqskenya.com.

An expert has decried the existence of too many agencies in the fight against cyber crimes in Nigeria. According to Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, the nation does not need any additional agency to combat cybercrimes.

In an exclusive interview, he advised that instead of setting up new agencies, what the existing agencies should do is to update their knowledge base on cyber crimes.

He said: “We already have too many agencies – EFCC, ICPC, Police, etc. They should all learn how to handle cyber crimes same way they learnt to handle new crimes that emerge. They need to retool, and un/relearn, not create another special money-draining but ineffective institution.”

He said the incessant call for creation of new agencies may not be unconnected with the desire of those who want to be in charge of the coordination of the fight against cyber crimes in Nigeria.

“For one, many people want to be in charge of the coordination, as either the coordinating agency, or to have a say in who manages the agency that could be established to manage cybercrime ‘policing’ in Nigeria. Fortunately, the talk of establishing an agency isn’t as popular anymore,” Sesan said.

He described the move by the Nigerian Senate to remove the controversial Section 13(3) of the Bill for an Act to Provide for the Prohibition and Punishment for Electronic Fraud and Crime in all Electronic Transactions in Nigeria as a wise one.

According to the section of the bill, individuals who use electronic channels to share information considered threatening to national security or that could incite against government could spend up to 7 years in jail or pay a fine to the tune of N5 million.

He said: “The reversal is a wise move by the Senate and the accompanying statements around assuring citizens that their rights won’t be tampered with is reassuring – even for a government institution not known with integrity of promises.

“Citizens should now realise that their complaints are useful, especially as it relates to contribution to lawmaking processes;

“Social media, the platform under attack (alongside general Internet Freedom) and also channel of expressing disgust at erring policies, is now a much more powerful tool than it was in 2010 (when it was used to organise the first set of social media-led protests), 2011 (when it was used to monitor elections) or 2012 (when it was used heavily for Occupy Nigeria protests).”

In a move aimed at making the Google Translation Service available in more African languages, the world’s biggest search engine, Google, has added three Nigerian languages – Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo to Google Translate.

The three languages are spoken by more than 100 million indigenous natives and are an addition to Google Translate which is currently available in more than 80 languages.

With the addition of Hausa (Harshen Hausa), spoken in Nigeria and neighbouring countries with 35 million native speakers, Igbo (Asụsụ Igbo) spoken in Nigeria with 25 million native speakers, Yoruba (èdè Yorùbá) spoken in Nigeria and neighbouring countries with 28 million native speakers; Google said it is helping about 115 million native speakers who have access to the web to connect with new people.

In addition to the web-based service, Google Translate can also be accessed via a dedicated Android app; there is also a desktop web app for the service.

A cross section of Nigerians have commended the Nigerian Senate for listening to the outcries of Nigerians who spoke against the section of the proposed bill on electronic fraud which recommended a five-year jail term for anyone who speaks against the government on social media.

Sen. Gbenga Kaka (APC-Ogun) on Tuesday announced that Senators had decided to delete section 13 (3) from the proposed bill on electronic fraud because it could be abused and misinterpreted.

The section stipulates a seven-year jail for people who intentionally publish slanderous messages about government electronically.

“Anyone who intentionally propagates false information that could threaten the security of the country or capable of inciting the general public against the government through electronic message shall be guilty of an offense.

“And upon conviction shall be sentenced to seven years imprisonment or N5 million fine. ”

According to him, they consulted with several stakeholders before reaching the decision.

“Following the public hearing which was held after the second reading, the section 13 (3) of the provision was taken exception to by the social media.

“And since the bill is now in the public, I decided to consult with the Senate Committee Chairman on Information, Media and Public Affairs, and that of Judiciary.

“After consultations, we resolved that section 13 (3) of the proposed bill could be abused at any point in time and could be misinterpreted.

“And as a result, I have their permission to announce to the world that that section shall be deleted.”

Many Nigerians who responded via social media this morning said the lawmakers made the right decision.

Tope Okeyanju said: “The lawmakers demonstrated that we are in a democracy where the voice of the people matters. They proposed it, we spoke against it and they hearkened to our call for its deletion.”

Dapo Awosanya said if they had gone ahead and passed the bill into law, many Nigerians would be silenced.

“Social media is currently the only place where we can say what is truly on our minds. If they take that away from us, it could lead to anarchy and social perversion,” he said.

The bill is entitled: ‘’A bill for an Act to provide for the prohibition of and punishment for electronic fraud and crime in all electronic transactions in Nigeria.’’

The bill passed through the second reading in the senate and was greeted with a lot of criticism from the social media.

We now shift gears today from your mobile phone to the internet, or should I say ‘IT stuff’ like the ordinary person will say.

Some words that are still puzzling people include:

• Cyber security- this are measures or technology procedures that are intended to protect computers, networks and data from unauthorized access or any other attacks that happen through the internet by cyber criminals.

Who are this cyber criminals and what is cybercrime.

• Cyber crime- This is an illegal action that is performed through computers as well as other internet devices, e.g. hacking (trying to break a code to access sealed information). Apart from hacking other cyber crimes include identity theft, hate speeches/crimes, telemarketing and internet fraud, credit card account theft. Well, of course cyber criminals are those that perform those actions.

• Cloud computing- This can be describe as connecting a significant number of computers through a communication network at the same time. One could say that cloud computing, also known as Cloud technology,  uses a network base provided by real server hardware which is simulated by software running on one or more devices.  This hardware are however not physically available so they can be moved around everywhere and anywhere; that’s why is called cloud.

Energy journalism Awards has been launched in Kenya’s capital Nairobi.

Organized by the ministry of Energy and Petroleum and utilities under the ministry, the award is looking to ensure that Kenyans are well informed about the industry as well as major projects planned both for accountability and support for the citizens.

The awards seek to promote accurate and comprehensive coverage of energy matters in the country. Journalists from all platforms have until end of January 2014 to submit entries which will be judged and winners announced in March.

The launch was officiated by Kenya’s Principal Secretary in the ministry, Eng. Joseph Njoroge. He noted that recent happenings in the sector had raised energy’s stakes even higher.

“With discovery of commercial oil reserves and the deliberate plans by the government to generate over 5000MW of electricity over the next forty months, the energy sector will greatly improve the economic performance of our  country”, noted the PS.  “Provision of modern energy always mirrors the economic performance of any country in the world. As Kenya takes major steps in availing more modern energy, the impact on the economy will certainly be felt. Since energy tends to be a technical subject, we must partner with the media to break it down so that we can move together as a people”.

Speaking during the launch, Acting KenGen CEO Eng. Simon Ngure said there is need for all Kenyans and energy stakeholders to keep abreast and be adequately informed on the development of energy resources in the country.

“The ambitious power plans by the government aim at giving Kenyans quality and affordable electricity and hence deserve support by all”, said Ngure.

The awards categories will focus on various energy sub themes such as energy policy and regulation, efficiency and green initiatives, petroleum, electricity and power distribution. Other categories will focus on rural electrification initiatives, energy finance and community relation stories on energy matters.