Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Chrome Users in Small Bandwidth Areas


I am not going to pretend that I know it all but I am going to report from my experience with three browsers- Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), Firefox 3.0.1 and Google Chromes. I have been using IE7 before I upgraded to IE8 when Microsoft launched recently. Mozilla Firefox has also been with me before I downloaded the 3.0.1 version a week or two ago from Yahoo! I installed all three of them and I have test driving all three of them. In fact, I have all three pinned to my quick launch pad.

 I use a Dell Inspiron 1520 Core 2 Duo (Intel) and I reside in an area (West Africa) where we still have the challenges of small bandwidth. From my experience I would openly assert Google Chrome browser does some 'automagic'. Where Firefox 3.0.1 and IE8 crawl to a halt unable to 'cope' with the signals coming in trickles, Chrome chugs painstakingly on until my page is completely loaded. The only issue I have with Chrome is its difficulty in downloading PDF files. When I want to download PDF file I usually opt for IE8 because it allows my internet downloader do the job. I made Chrome my default browser and I tell you sometimes it could be a 'jealous bride’, it wants to monitor and manage every extensions and protocols. In all, Chrome browser is really a 'man Friday' when browsing speed gets so slow. IE8 and firefox3.0.1 will usually back off.

If you don't believe me, maybe you should bring your PC to any average cybercafé in Nigeria and get a feel of what I am talking about. The creator of both IE8 and Firefox 3.0.1 did a fantastic job but it seems to me that they released their browsers into circulation so as to maintain their esteemed places in the hearts of surfers. It feels safe to conclude that Google Chrome creators had concerns for the plights of surfers who reside in small bandwidth areas.

PS. Nobody paid me to do this. I just wrote from experience and a sincere heart.       

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Techie by Nature (How I launched into the Blogosphere II)

Techie by Nature

You may have to scroll down a little bit to get the first part of this story so that you can easily follow my thread. A lot of times you may not really know what you contain until certain circumstances, events or persons cause you to look inside of you and tap into those amazing resources God has deposited inside of you. It is very true that necessity provokes inventions. I will also add that scarcity and curiosity can spark off your creativity.    

During ward round yesterday (I am medic don’t forget) I told my unit members that I am a Techie by Nature. And I still remember this look of both admiration and you-ought-not-to-be-here kind of stare on their faces. They simply couldn’t understand why and how being a Techie and a medic can dwell together in one human vessel. Hey don’t crack your head- a Techie is somebody who is competent (good) in technology; somebody who has a passion for tech stuff especially computing and electronics (Microsoft® Encarta® 2008). No doubt you know who a medic is (a medical student, medical doctor, medical officer, or dentist).

Personally, I have this inborn passion for computers and anything that has to do with computing. I remember my high school days vividly. Then I really wanted to pursue a computer course but then came this little advice: “Son you’ve got lots of brains! Why not study medicine?!” Don’t ask me who that came from because I am not going to tell. Many years have gone by and I’ve come to discover that you don’t really have to be brainy to study medicine. A professor of Medicine once told us during ward round that any person was has school leaving certificate can be a professor of Medicine. All you need is the brain that can store loads upon loads of medical information. Just store up the names, principles, rules, procedures, parameters, values, and dosage, and reproduce it verbatim when it is demanded of you. You don’t have to creatively process anything. All you do is add a few signs and symptom together and hopefully place a finger on the likely or differential diagnosis. Now don’t get me wrong! Medicine is a lovely and noble profession. A medic is lord among mortals. Medics have limitless access to vital information about their patients and clients. And this makes them very powerful (at least in the ward, consulting room, or theatre). For lots of people who don’t know how the human anatomy and physiology functions, they are dazzled when medics roll out this information rather effortlessly.

Nevertheless, a medic’s creativity is greatly curtailed by the countless strict codes of conduct in Medicine. The landmarks set by the ancestral fathers of Medicine must not be moved unless a consensus has been unanimously arrived at after years (maybe decades) of due deliberation. Medical school is fun sometimes but Medicine is a jealous bride, she wants your mind for keeps, here and forever after. For someone like that has several tendencies as it relates to being a techie, I hope I don’t divorce her soon.

Well, at first, the techie side of me was often at loggerheads with the medic side of me. But now I have been able to reconcile both of them. And today they are working synergistically in taking me to greater heights. Now I can boldly say that I want to fully revolutionize the management of patients, running of the hospital system, and the trend of health sector on the platform of medically compatible computerization and technology (at least in Africa). I shall begin from my own medical practice. If Bill Gate was to design a hospital how would he go about it? That is the thought on my mind right now. Please visit http://medipreneurs.blogspot.com for more.

Why scam, spam, or beg when you can blog?

  Are you a student, youth corper, applicant, or housewife trying to get by? Is it that the cash at hand is far from being enough to pay the bills or meet your needs? You can really make legitimate money online if you are ready to blog. Just pick any area of interests that you are passionate about and competent in and write about it. I tell you the world is waiting to read your story. You have the potential of reaching an unimaginable crowd of blog readers.

Below are some mind-blowing statistics I got from Blog World Expo website: 

Important Blogging Statistics

 

(http://blogworldexpo.com)

 

Isn’t that amazing! New doors are opening up for bloggers. My brothers involved in ‘yahoozy’ there is no more excuse for committing internet fraud, scamming or spamming when you can make some handsome funds from an engagement as easy and legitimate as blogging passionately about what you are good in. I will see you soon. Please let your comments be meaningful and purposeful.

   -Akpenyi Dennis (the Oracle of Denzyjones).

 

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

How I Launched into the Blogosphere



Intro

On the 1st of February this year (2008), I had a huge and a nice 'technologically' wrapped package delivered to my office by DHL. It was my first time to have stuff of that mega capacity delivered to me. I was used to picking up my mails and parcels from porter's office at the medical complex building on campus. I could hardly contain the euphoric feeling creeping over me as I signed on the 'Parcel Received' catalog. When I tore open the huge parcel in the company of my friends it was a new black and silver color DELL Inspiron 1520 laptop with Windows Vista OS. Alongside was a customized and tech-looking black DELL laptop bag with intricately designed compartments. It was dream come true. And all this was courtesy of my Big Sister and the ministry and firm which she belongs. As I stared admirably at the all-in-one electronic gadget, tool, and device that had just gotten into my hands, I knew that my life would never be the same again. And I have my big sister and her firm to thank for this monumental act of generosity. To them I shall remain eternally grateful.

In my 'neighborhood' owning a laptop automatically enrolls you into a new league of friends and cliques of at least well paid middle class income earners in Nigeria. So my status quickly jumped up a few notches. In my final year clinical class I became one of the premiere kids to exclusively own a new 'lappie' as it coined in my neighborhood. In the medical school where I am training laptop owners are mainly consultants, residents and few house officers. I began talking tech stuff, tweaking computer applications, exploring available software markets and, of course, surfing the web to update my OS, antivirus, and other installed applications. The pace of my one-year Community Health project (Pattern of Home Management of Malaria among Pregnant women who come to University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City) also got revved up. With SPSS installed in my system entering and analyzing data was more of a pleasure ride. For me the old, strenuous, and error-prone manual method of making spreadsheet became history. Microsoft Office Excel also came in handy here. My learning experience accelerated as my access to information kept increasing- I had most of my clinical texts, material and learning kits installed as soft copies on my computer. As a minister, preparing and presenting my teachings, preaching and motivational messages improved tremendously. And with this came big time entertainment and gaming. Right now, my life can be chronologically be categorized into 'pre-laptop' and 'post-laptop' era.

Engaging my talent and gadget

For more 200 days after I got my laptop all I did was store information into it and retrieve on demand, make presentations with it, and entertain myself. Deep down I knew I was simply under utilizing my machine and this sadden and made me less fulfilled. So I began searching, exploring and learning 'anything' computer, software or internet. I have always loved computer and all the tech stuff about it. In fact, in my fourth year in high school I remember nursing a dream to study computer science in the University. I soon gave it for a medical career after I sat back to x-ray the then prevailing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) terrain- it was largely under developed and uninviting. And the sorry state of the economy at that time may the choice even less desirable. Parents in their own 'wisdom' counseled their wards to go for courses like Medicine, Engineering, Law, Accounting, Pharmacy and the like. They believed that with qualifications in these disciplines their wards were sure of a good job and a good start in life. But today with great revolution in ICT these parents have eaten their words. The testimonies of great techies like Bill Gate (Microsoft), Paul Allen, Maher Quabain (Starcomms, Nigeria), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google), David Filo and Jerry Yang (Yahoo!), IBM, Mackintosh, and the likes have pointed the world in whole new direction and made human existence leap into a new dimension. I believe human existence on earth was warming up for an unprecedented era as the American physicist John Atanasoff was in his workshop experimenting on the first ever rudimentary electronic computer in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Today, humanity can hardly do anything without computer or its application. Governments, Businesses, Organizations, Hospitals, Military, School systems hinge their existence and operations essentially on computer systems and networks. I have had time to reconsider my career and I have successfully re-charted my roadmap and I feel fulfilled by the thought of it because it engages my talents, aspirations and gadget. I could no longer sit back or remain a mere computer or ICT end user. Not after reading and listening to thought provoking and mind blowing stories about how kids like me first started out by turning their daddy's garage into a computer workshop and today own the best office complexes and estates in the world and still had the world eating out of their hands. I have resolved to begin by transforming the practice of Medicine in Africa by deploying the right technology into it (more from http://medipreneurs.blogspot.com).

Blogging vs. Spamming

My dissatisfaction and curiosity drove me into the internet. I wanted something worthwhile and meaningful out of my talent and interest in ICT. I remember leaving a ICT oriented motivational seminar organized by Johnson Abbaly's Achievers' Consortium charged up and ready to take on the world. It was during one of my frequent exploratory trips into the internet I discovered the blogging business and all the intrigues and benefits that came with it. Lots and lots of people, business groups and even political campaigns now thrive on blogging. One thing that quickly came to my mind after a bite of this valuable information was why was the 'boys' in my 'neighborhood' still involved themselves in internet fraud when they can make a fortune from blogging passionately about concepts, ideas, people, things or events. All that was required was a little hard work and quality time spent browsing the internet for freely and readily available information, tutorials and training on how to blog successfully. I am very sure Yaro Starak (http://blogtrafficschool.com) and Darren Rowse (http://problogger.com) will gladly serve them the baby bloggers' tips and tutorials. I recall enquiring from one of them if he knew anything about blogging and I was really sorry to hear how ignorant he was. I could hardly imagine why they ignore an engagement as worthwhile and rewarding as blogging and still prefer to totter at the brinks of been picked up by EFCC (A Law enforcement agent in Nigeria that handles the criminal cases such Internet frauds) and risks of doing a gruesome time ill-equipped jail cells.

This may just be the one of the foremost reasons why I began blogging- to prove to these ill-informed young people that there are legal and profitable engagements on the internet apart from forex. From my experiences in ministry, human resources, and personnel development and, of course, medical training I know that one of the successful ways of curbing a bad habit or tendency is to replace it with good or harmless one. Nature abhors vacuum and so if I am going to be successful in changing and transforming and if I may add, 'rehabilitating' their already convoluted minds I have to employ this model of 'Better-alternative' replacement technique. And I know this will definitely work because nobody argues with true success.

Again, blogging will in the long run enable me reach the millions of internet users in various continents with my message, knowledge, wisdom, and talent. I would love to die happily knowing that I left the world better than I met it even if it is just my immediate 'cosmos' that I was able to influence and affect positively. I once had a publication on campus- a medium I used in publicly sharing my best poetry collections and related inspirational and motivational articles. Every fortnightly I would pick a suitable poem or write-up from my growing collection, make it into nice graphically print-outs and have them pasted strategically on campus. The feedbacks, response and the publicity it gave me really spurred me on. Now with blogging I can publish globally and hopefully grow my readership to a global scale! The thought of this keeps on the internet looking for ways and method I could employ to grow and truly better my loyal audience and readers.

The more I visit I blog sites, blog networks and blog hosting sites (http://blogger.com, http://wordpress.com, http://typepad.com, http://movabletype.com ) I could hardly contain my excitement as I glean up the opportunities and potentials available to bloggers (for more visit http://blogherald.com, http://payperpost.com, http://eatonweb.com). You can actually make good income from blogging part time not to mention full time.

People blog for various reasons: to share their messages and experience with the public, to build public awareness and pull traffic to their sites, make money or just for the fun of gossiping about people, things or events they fancy, hate or are indifferent about. Whatever the intentions are, I am sure there is a place for anyone. So far I have learnt that studying the blogging terrain, profiling successful bloggers (http://boingboing.com, http://technorati.com, http://techcrunch.com, and aptly picking up areas of interest and passion for example Electronics, Automobiles, Business, Political issues, Media, Fashion, Relationship, Celebrities, and so on one can really be a successful blogger.

Outro

There are lots of stuff I have churning in my mind and my fingers are itching to command my keyboard but I think it is okay if I cool off here and let you digest what you've read so far. Please do check back soon for the conclusion of this posting. If you are not in so much haste do leave a meaning comment. I would really love to hear from you. Till then keep winning! Y'all the stuff!

- Akpenyi Dennis (the Oracle of Denzyjones)




 

Friday, September 5, 2008

Here comes the World's greatest!

I saw her turn quickly around as she heard my lips utter these words: "Here comes the world's greatest." I looked at her and I knew she did not turn because something else caught her attention nor because the words were meant for someone else behind her. I knew that even if her ears heard the words but it couldn't register on her heart. After all, is it not the same heart that bore the intact memories of the summary of what was left of her life? She wasn't shy or trying to feign modesty. She was  simply a bitter woman whose past has held in thralldom. And so to her, my words were like rubber balls bouncing off the a concrete floor. 

She once listened. She once trusted. She once believed but not anymore. The pain and hurts and disappointments she's been through seem to have added an extra half a decade to the twenty-four years of her existence but did not mask the feminine beauty that would make any onlooker steal a second look. The looks in her eyes bore the clear evidence of the needs and voids in her soul. She had a 9a.m to 5p.m job and so she had at least enough resources to take good care of herself although that seemed quite lacking. She had in and out two marriages already and so she wasn't necessarily in desperate need of a man's attention or affection. She needed a message of truth spoken in love tenderly but firmly to her weary but willing heart.

All she needed was the fact that her heart could be encouraged to believe and act on these words. She needed to be told that she still got some good fight left in her. That she shouldn't throw off the gloves in defeat. She needed the hazy horizon of her life to take on a new and definite meaning. She needed to be taught how to make choices that make for successfully living.

When her beautiful face turned back at me, I repeated the same words: "Here comes the world's greatest!" and then added, "The world is waiting for that unique quota only you can contribute. You were born to be a gift to Mankind. Don't live or die in the contrary. No matter how much abuse you went through as a little girl or as a young woman married to a man she thought loved her so dearly only be dumbed for another woman. Don't allow events or the tides define you. Pick up your life with the hands of hope and teach your heart that the World is waiting for you."

Beloved, your story may be a replica or similar to the scenario I just painted. The truth is I have been talking to you regardless of gender. The world is really waiting for you. Begin like this: forgive yourself, release others from the grudge you may hold against them- that abusive parent, sibling, relative or spouse. Then keep adding value to yourself.  Remember your relevance to yourself, family, friends, boss, or society depends on how valuable you are. Keeping winning! Keep shining. Someone loves you. Someone cares about you. So don't hurt yourself. Preserve your destiny!  

                     - Akpenyi Dennis (The Oracle of Denzyjones).