Evolution of technology - the growth

Growing up in the early 90s, only a handful of our neighbors owned television boxes and 99% of these were black & white screens. It was always a normal habit to knock at your buddies house door at 8:30 pm just to catch up on the captivating local drama Tausi on television. We all had something to say about Rukia, a lead actress in it. Radio stations were 2 or 3 with two of those being KBC English service & KBC Swahili stations. This is when sun-downer  was the coolest music session. I must admit i used to listen to my neighbors every evening since they couldn't miss the show.

A black & white TV with a multicolored screen                

It is unbelievable how technology & gadgets have caught up with us in just a short period of less than 2 decades. We are now having approximately 2 Million television set owners are in the rural areas while 1.4 Million live in the urban centers. These gadgets are now easily available and not only that but the technology has improved so much that we subscribe for TV viewing. We are now seeing introduction of more and more computer training in schools starting at the lower level of primary. As for mobile phones that's a whole new revelation.

An IT teacher in session


A young students class being introduced to computers

Computer lessons in schools has grown in the recent past as more and more people take up computers to run their lives. The government & non-government institutions have increased their support tremendously in the supply of computers to schools to enable our young be tech savvy at an early age. I remember that it was just the other day 2004 that i opened my first email address, Yahoo! of course. With a funny name that would have been an embarrassment to keep to-date.

Yahoo email logo 

The combination of multiple solutions into one gadget like a smartphone has completely changed how we learn and communicate.This has also totally revolutionized how we receive and propagate information. Smartphones have combined the different technologies and services into one, we have radios, TV, music players, internet among others all in one.

As we continue to witness this revolution with more and more innovations, we can agree that we are now under the rule of the machines, the computers. We have a new culture connecting the whole world, we are now a digital people using machines to accomplish tasks faster & more efficiently than ever in all areas of our lives. 


Technology in our hands

The world at our finger tips today.

Wi-Fi vs Wired/Ethernet technology..

According to Janko Roettgers of Gigaon, Wi-Fi will reign supreme by 2015, for the first time causing more worldwide IP traffic than wired devices, according to new data from Cisco. However, mobile network operators aren't off the hook just yet: Their networks will see data consumption grow 26-fold from 2010 to 2015.

He was talking on a report released by Cisco & here are some other key findings of the report;      --Global IP traffic will reach 966 Exabytes per year in 2015, up from 242 Exabytes in             2010.

• --The biggest driver for the global traffic growth will be video, which will account for 62 percent of consumer Internet traffic in 2015 (up from 40 percent in 2010).

• --P2P growth will slow, and P2P traffic will only account for 16 percent of global consumer Internet traffic in 2015 (down from 40 percent in 2010).

• --The Asia-Pacific region will become the biggest source of IP traffic, consuming 24.1 Exabytes per month in 2015, compared to 22.3 Exabytes per month for North America. In 2010, North America was ahead with 7 Exabytes, with the Asia-Pacific region seeing 5.4 Exabytes per month.

• --Worldwide, the average Internet household will consume 61.8 GB of bandwidth per month in 2015. Last year, it consumed merely 17.1 GB per month. A growing chunk of this bandwidth will be caused by passive networking, e.g. a PC downloading a software update in the background.

Lets compare Wi-Fi & Wired networks..


Wi-Fi is the industry name for wireless local area network (WLAN) communication technology related to the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless networking standards. BTW Wi-fi is a not the short name for Wireless Fidelity as many think. It isn't a short form of anything (read more  http://boingboing.net/2005/11/08/wifi-isnt-short-for.html)

The 802.11 standard is defined through several specifications of WLANs. It defines an over-the-air interface between a wireless client and a base station or between two wireless clients.

WiFi standards include -- 

802.11: This pertains to wireless LANs and provides 1- or 2-Mbps transmission in the 2.4-GHz band using either frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) or direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS)

802.11a: This is an extension to 802.11, that pertains to wireless LANs and goes as fast as 54 Mbps in the 5-GHz band. 802.11a employs the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) encoding scheme as opposed to either FHSS or DSSS.

802.11b: The 802.11 high rate Wi-Fi is an extension to 802.11 that pertains to wireless LANs and yields a connection as fast as 11 Mbps transmission (with a fallback to 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps depending on strength of signal) in the 2.4-GHz band. The 802.11b specification uses only DSSS. Note that 802.11b was actually an amendment to the original 802.11 standard added in 1999 to permit wireless functionality to be analogous to hard-wired Ethernet connections.

802.11g: This pertains to wireless LANs and provides 20+ Mbps in the 2.4-GHz band.

Five Reasons to Go Wireless

1. Increased mobility and collaboration

2. Better access to information

3. Easier network expansion

4. Enhanced guest access

5. Improved responsiveness

Wired Networks.. also known as Ethernet; Is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks (LANs). Its a system for connecting a number of computer systems to form a local area network, with protocols to control the passing of information and to avoid simultaneous transmission by two or more systems.

There are three basic systems people use to set up wired networks. An Ethernet system uses either a twisted copper-pair or coaxial-based transport system. The most commonly used cable for Ethernet is a category 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable -- it's useful for businesses who want to connect several devices together, such as computers and printers, but it's bulky and expensive, making it less practical for home use.

Depending on how many computers you're working with, the office layout and other factors -- a wired network may make more sense than a wireless one.

Some of the major advantages of a wired network include;

Security

As wired networks are connected by physically plugging in a cable from one device to another, it is much more difficult to access them without authorization

Reliability

Wired networks bring with them a reliable, constant download and upload speed unaffected by the environment. As these networks are closed off and don't travel through the air, they aren't susceptible to fluctuations in speed or interference from other wireless devices. 

Distance

The fastest 802.11n Wi-Fi speed currently in widespread use can achieve a maximum range of 250 feet in the most ideal conditions, although substandard hardware, interference from other devices and physical obstacles such as walls and floors can substantially reduce this distance. Ethernet cabling, in contrast, can stretch up to 330 feet without any loss of quality. If you have a lot of floor space to cover, then a wired solution enables you to stretch your network further than a wireless one.

Ease of Use

The details depend on the computers and devices on your network, but broadly speaking, plugging an Ethernet cable into a laptop or printer is enough for it to recognize the network and get connected. There's no playing around with scanning for available networks, inputting security keys or trying to locate an area with a strong Wi-Fi signal.

There you have it. You now have a clue on the differences between the two types of networks. I personally prefer a wired connection when i need reliability & a wireless for its..wait for it..well for its "wirelessness"! 

We are going paperless!

There are many reasons why a company may decide to go paperless – to make documents easier to find and share, to free up valuable space in your office or to save a few trees. Whatever your reasons, there are many benefits to going paperless.

Zach  LeBar of tutsplus. dot com writes  "We're going paperless!" seems to be the statement of our time. Banks and phone companies remind us of that, while adding an extra fee for paper statements at the same time. Businesses post internal memos about going paperless, and you've likely decided to do so yourself when looking at the prices of file cabinets for your home office.

How true is this paperless thing?

I bet you have seen how of late the local banks, Kenya power, your college, your gas station are slowly turning you to a paperless customer. I must admit its just recently my local bank sent me a text informing me of their plans to ditch the monthly postal mail statement. For sure, i sometimes stay several months without collecting those mails and i bet its time they stopped wasting trees. 

Did you know that 30 million trees as the common estimate for the number of trees cut down annually for the production of books sold in the U.S. alone, that's according to ecolibris dot net.

Maybe it time we conserved our trees by going paperless. Me thinks its long overdue too.

4G networks roll-out in Kenya

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• People, Love Technology.
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• 4G download speed is 10 times faster than that of 3G network. This means you can download songs, videos and documents in fractions of a second. No more buffering while watching YouTube videos and live-streaming of full movie becomes the norm instead of a privilege.

• Most smartphones and tablets currently in production come with front-camera. With 4G Network, video chatting becomes easier and faster. This will save you the trouble of typing when you are chatting on your phone.

Now in some developed Countries we have 5G in its initial stages of testing. Several European nations like South Korea and Singapore have invested heavily in the 5G networks development, that will totally revolutionize the internet connectivity. One is able to transmit large volumes of data using a much higher frequency band than conventional ones, which would eventually allow users to send massive data files at much faster speeds through their mobile devices.

Internet Speeds in some Asian & European countries

Some several African countries like Ghana, Tanzania & Zimbabwe are on 4G network at the moment. This has enabled video chatting capabilities with most newer smartphones having a front camera o facilitate this. Faster file-sharing, uploads and downloads speeds are greatly improved compared to the 3G network. There is also the gaming capabilities where several users can game at the same time without the usual lags of 3G connectivity.

In Kenya the telecoms are still testing this service before rolling out. Under a public private partnership the service launch is encountering several problems with the private sector blaming the Government for the hick-ups & delays in the roll-out.

current telecoms data graph


For the past few months, we have seen different telecommunication companies invest in laying cables in most parts of the ,major cities in readiness for the high speed connections but have since gone numb on the way forward.

On the other hand internet coverage in most populated estate like East lands and Thika road areas are yet to take up the service due to unavailability of coverage or pricing barriers.


Workers laying underground fiber optic cables

Do we have too many personal interests in the telecoms industry that its hindering our growth? Can we keep up with countries like SA who are on 4G with better speeds on their internet? Do we have proper & updated legislation to govern the telecoms that easily decide for the rest what is going to happen & at what cost?

Some people are of the opinion that the delay is a well organized trick by the major telecoms in order to maximize profits since slower speeds translate to high bandwidth wastage & high revenues for them. 

We hope we will not be in this wait for another year while the developed Countries embrace the 5G networks.

Technology evolution so far. What lays ahead must be mind blowing to think off.

Govt accounts hacked! ..by Anonymous

Who is Anonymous? They are an international network of activists and hackers  (hacktivist) often identified by the Guy Fawkes mask. 

Hacker defined: a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data.

synonyms:

cybercriminal, pirate, computer criminal, keylogger, keystroke logger; informal cyberpunk, hacktivist.

A week or so ago we witnessed Anonymous in action, when the managed to hack not one but two of Kenya top govt officials twitter accounts...they took control and kept posting for several hours. 

They kept the KOT busy.. Below see one of their postings..

We are #Anonymous.
We are Legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
#ExpectUs 

                                                   — Kenya Defence Forces (@kdfinfo) July 21, 2014

According to the Star newspaper,

The government has said that all twitter accounts belonging to the Kenya Defence Forces have been restored.

Accounts belonging to KDF and Major Emmanuel Chirchir, KDF's Protocol and Liaison officer had been hacked into and offensive messages posted late Sunday night.

The hacker questioned the use of funds to acquire weapons for the disciplined forces while Africans are dying hungry. The Ministry of Defence verified account is a source of information for newsrooms both locally and internationally, and it's continued state under the Anonymous hackers raises issues of security of information especially at this time that the military is at war in Somalia and, and conducting security operations in Lamu.

The tweets posted by Anonymous hackers had not yet been taken down on Monday.

Through his twitter handle, Major Chirchir thanked the Presidential Strategic Communications Unit's digital team for recovering the accounts.

Within the hacker subculture there are different subsets: 
White Hats -- claim to be breaching security for non-malicious reasons, to test security systems for vulnerabilities. They are considered ethical hackers, and many companies hire white hats to evaluate their security. 

Black Hats -- are the ones to fear. They may have a political agenda, they are disgruntled and angry, or they may be criminals seeking data to use for financial gain. 

Grey Hats -- are a combination of both, this type of hacker could be your teenage son (or daughter) who just wants to prove that he is smarter than most.  He wants to hack into a site just to prove he can do it. He may not think he is doing anything illegal. 

Image source : Advisorwebsites dot com