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Earthlings 2005

[martin-nyingi]

A Swan's Song

“Swans are usually very quiet and only produce the most magnificent of songs just when they are about to die.” Though I learned the statement is not entirely true, one of the six swan species is called the “mute swan”, since it is relatively more quiet than the rest of the swan species. The phase “swan song” means the final gesture just before death or retirement or even deadlines. It feels more…

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Black Swan, dark wars

“Black evil” is a n attitude that carries weight in many cultures. Think of black cats, dogs, snakes, and the evil kind anywhere and their association with witchcraft. The black-white dualism is usually more charged in matters superstitious beliefs. For instance, when Europeans tried to breed the black swan in Europe, it was not very successful at first, partly due to the association of black…

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And Man Made Machine

Well, how surprising is it to learn that AI has a godfather. His name is Prof. Geoffrey Hinton, a man who from the beginning always knew one thing he was right about. Software can mimic the neuron transmitters – the brain. And the guy is just on another level of brilliance. Turns out that AI also has a father – several fathers actually: Alan Turing, John McCarthy, and Marvin Minsky among others.…

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Confessions of Nairobi Men by Joan Thatiah

Finishing reading the book, Confessions of Nairobi Men reminded me of those times when my thrill used to come with reading a book in one seating. The book is special because the first page is fast moving, intense and deliberate. Even before I finished skimming through the page, I knew I had to join the bandwagon or readers who were praising the book within my cycles. Now here I am having…

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Time or Money: Urgency in Communication

“Time or Money.” That’s the title of Akon’s song that I am currently listening to. So the song says that there are two things a man can give to you: Time or Money. A man can’t have them both. If he has time, he has no money; and so if you have money you won’t have no time. The song is directly related to the idea of urgency. We have different levels of urgency, which may from time to time lead…

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What does it take to be an expert?

“What does it take to be an expert in any subject?” Well, research suggests that expertise in any skill or subject lies in four main factors. The first is having a valid environment; the second is having many repetitions; the third is having timely feedback system and the fourth is deliberate practice of the skill.   Research on how long it takes to be an expert at something suggests that it…

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Chasing Self-Discipline

There is a song I love very much called ‘These Walls’ by Arcando & VMK feat Tim Riehm. It used to be a motivation back then when I had just finished my studies. Now a few many years back, I reflect on my wins and loses during the new year. It goes down to self-discipline. Maybe had I been a bit more disciplined, I would be in a much greater place. But here I am writing an article which to some…

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Urban Planning and Expanding Cities II

The 17-18th Century industrial revolution triggered massive urbanization that pushed discussions on the need for technological expansion to the city management systems. For instance, during the first ever American Urban Planning Conference, in 1898 New York, a notable central issue of concern was how to manage horse manure effectively. Since horses were the major transportation modes, and there…

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Urban Planning and Expanding Cities

The idea of master planned development makes sense when you come to hear of it. It is when everything or almost all within a city is planned to order. We live in modern urban places where words like industrial area used to mean a lot, but not from a big picture perspective. Learning more about Konza Technopolis can raise any lay person’s interest in urban planning, as the planned city aims at…

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Self-Control - Discipline Equals Freedom

A Sunday morning with a pile of work pending. The good news is that this blog belongs to that list. A brief review of the book “Discipline Equals Freedom“. The last bit in the book, is the most lasting part of the book I would like to keep: Whom would I recommend this book “Discipline Equals Freedom” to? Probably to a A 18-year old boy to has just finished high school and to a 28 year old girl…

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Centennial Touch

How surprising can it be to realize a light bulb has been on since 1901? So we are living in a world that a light bulb has been lighting for more than 120 years. Adolphe Chaillet, the engineer behind the light bulb’s design probably never knew he had patented an eternal bulb… almost close to inventing a small Sun. The Centennial Bulb as currently located in California, USA (still working after…

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Routineology 

How interesting it is to come across the idea that people who live long have one trait in common. They have routines, which have sustained over several decades. And such routines are not necessarily ‘the good activities’. The idea that routines could be key to longevity in life has even driven people to write about it. For instance, Dr Angel Iscovich wrote a book, “The Art of Routine: Discover…

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Centennial Touch

How surprising can it be to realize a light bulb has been on since 1901? So we are living in a world that a light bulb has been lighting for more than 120 years. Adolphe Chaillet, the engineer behind the design probably never knew he had patented an eternal bulb. The Centennial Bulb Isn’t the same world that bulbs would barely last for more than a year? So we live in irony, in suspicion that…

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Le focused vs Le Diffuse

Le focused vs Le Diffuse

Many of us are probably aware of one of the greatest inventors of the modern times, in the name of Thomas Edison. “Vector cartoon illustration of a lightbulb with a “”Eureka!”” moment.SL” Edison’s genius was more on improving on previous inventions to make them more practical and affordable. He improved on the motion picture, telephones, direct current electricity and the electric bulb among…

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Forgive the Walrus Carpenter

Forgive the Walrus Carpenter

I love reading. By now I would say I do over read that’s scary because I am usually afraid I might not remember all I ahave read. I am reaching a point that I am starting to hate reading. Just like I would hate spending more time with my phone, buy I spend more and more. Nevertheless I stumbled across the tale about the Walrus and the Carpenter who trick dear oysters to follow them to a rock…