tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25165635956000855392024-02-20T02:37:33.275-08:00Digital Africa Digital Africa is a mindset that is meant to be contagious.
Information is power, and we are advocates of using the Web for the empowerment of all Africans.
Our mission is to improve the quality of life of Africans through information sharing and the use of technology in this new digital age.
We often discuss The Semantic Web, ZMOT, Web Analytics, and Renewable Energy. But you may choose to use the web as a resource to amplify any interest under the sun
ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-27377252640845528592019-07-23T23:48:00.001-07:002021-01-16T07:11:12.276-08:00Robocapps! The Future Of The Automotive Industry<div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">1) First off, when you hear the term "Mobile Device", please.....</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Think not </b></i>what your Google Pixel 3 or iPhone 12<b> </b>can do for you.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Think</i></b> rather what you can do with <b>your car</b> - a less complex device that is mobile - by itself!</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">2) Think about how much more apt the term "mobile device" will be once cars start getting autonomous.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">3) You have my permission to </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">completely ignore</b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> what you hear from the mainstream media about what and what car manufacturers are the leaders in the race for autonomous driving cars.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Instead, think long and expansively about this: When cars can drive themselves, which of those car manufacturers is more likely to come up with the kind of killer applications that will grab the most customers?!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ke3grb2m-xM/XTf4Ry8og9I/AAAAAAAASAw/WG7ROklJWWYtAwj8ihAXAqfKQZxU8GG4gCLcBGAs/s1600/robocapps%2Bshutterstock_1012090705.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ke3grb2m-xM/XTf4Ry8og9I/AAAAAAAASAw/WG7ROklJWWYtAwj8ihAXAqfKQZxU8GG4gCLcBGAs/s640/robocapps%2Bshutterstock_1012090705.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">My name is Rotimi. But you may call me Rotex. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This is going to be one of my shortest articles.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But it should pack a punch none the less. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So what is the future of the Automotive Industry?</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Is it going to be about</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Self-Driving Cars?</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Electric Cars?</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Transportation As A Service?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Or about</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">truly Mobile Devices?</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Capital YES!</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It's all of the above!</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So Digital Africa, my challenge to all of you is to start looking at cars as Mobile Devices. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I had written about<a href="https://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2014/10/appleteslabeats-blueoceans.html?m=1" target="_blank"> "mobile" devices in the past, so you can check that article</a> out when you're done with this.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Honestly, a car is becoming no different from your iPad. Except that it will be able to do everything that your iPad will ever be able to do, and do many more things that your iPad can never do!</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Start Coming Up With "Scenarios" Now!</span></h3>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">A scenario could be: "Grocery Orchestrator" = an application that when launched, will send your car to go pick up your groceries and also order them for you by <a href="https://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2019/01/Semantic-Web.html" target="_blank">sending linked-data messages to the Semantic Web end point</a> at a nearby Shoprite store. A human shop attendant could then be prompted to find your car in the parking lot and load it up with your items. Or perhaps a humanoid robot that understands RDF (the language of the Semantic Web) may also do this. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">My peeps, you have to start letting your minds dance around with various ideas that include self-driving cars and apps from now moving forward. Who knows? One of you might be the person to come up with the greatest robocapp of all time (lol @ GROAT). </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I have coined the term robocapp today. And it means an application that is developed for a robot car (or self-driving car), This application could also be built for <b><i>a fleet of robot cars</i></b>. Oh don't even get me started on this! </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I need you guys to take time out (maybe 30 minutes, maybe 2 hours) one night in a week. When you don't have electricity. When you have just finished praying about your future.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">When you are feeling restless and cannot fall asleep. When you are taking a shower.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Get your imagination going and get ready for the future before it comes. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But keep in mind that whether you do this or not, it will come!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VoLcSOWq-sQ/XTf9onu6KOI/AAAAAAAASA8/8pSj_Ciy0EclfQJmxcKuGydv6ooRlNJAwCLcBGAs/s1600/autonomous%2Bcar%2Bapps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="950" height="324" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VoLcSOWq-sQ/XTf9onu6KOI/AAAAAAAASA8/8pSj_Ciy0EclfQJmxcKuGydv6ooRlNJAwCLcBGAs/s640/autonomous%2Bcar%2Bapps.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Finally, and as usual, let me remind you to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/follow.g?view=FOLLOW&blogID=2516563595600085539#Robocapps">follow this Digital Africa blog</a> for more of my ideas. If you would like to write articles and share your ideas with DigAfrica, let me know. Comment below!<br />If you would also like to join our DigAfrica group on Telegram, let me know as well.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">For now, it's kwaheri from me!</span></div>
ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-69781689092109581472019-01-30T17:17:00.000-08:002019-02-03T21:02:01.700-08:00The Semantic Web <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Back in 2015, I wrote <a href="https://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/07/Open-Data-Semantic-Web.html" target="_blank">my first blog post about the Semantic Web</a>. It is a little bit long, but I recommend that you read it...but not necessarily before you read this one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today, I am going to spend more effort to guide you towards sparking your interest in learning more about the Semantic Web.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWC294XayQk/XFIapU6OcKI/AAAAAAAAO-E/WLOFHF6IqdgJsxMop8dKjvVY9ZqqOKc1ACLcBGAs/s1600/knowledge-graph-google-1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWC294XayQk/XFIapU6OcKI/AAAAAAAAO-E/WLOFHF6IqdgJsxMop8dKjvVY9ZqqOKc1ACLcBGAs/s640/knowledge-graph-google-1200.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">WHAT IS THE SEMANTIC WEB?</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The simplest answer I can give is, <b><i>the Semantic Web is the mature form of today's World Wide Web</i></b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Web is evolving slowly and steadily as certain owners of websites are using Semantic Web technologies to make their web pages "smarter". One big example is Google. Google <b>uses a lot of linked data</b> to build <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Graph" target="_blank">their famous Knowledge Graph</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But regular people use these technologies as well. It is as simple as adding semantic mark-up to your website's content, that transforms a few of the information on your page from a string of letters that only human beings that read your language can understand, into links (URIs) that can be traced by a computer/device back to their meanings. More on this later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Semantic Web is simply a world wide web that is rich in Linked Data. When you link data items (or <b>things</b>) together, you make it easy for computers and other devices to be able to find things through other things they had previously found. More interesting stuff happens when the links that connect those things themselves carry some <b>meaningful data</b> for the devices/computers to "learn". These new kinds of links are known as "properties", and they probably are the most ingenious aspect of the Semantic Web.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_8kAQm88Pk/XFIbdaFJaeI/AAAAAAAAO-U/BU2Y0gSxCmsOsjaM8wcosyY178Z52jWawCLcBGAs/s1600/The-Evolving-Vision-of-the-Semantic-Web.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_8kAQm88Pk/XFIbdaFJaeI/AAAAAAAAO-U/BU2Y0gSxCmsOsjaM8wcosyY178Z52jWawCLcBGAs/s640/The-Evolving-Vision-of-the-Semantic-Web.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">WHO INVENTED IT?</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tim Berners-Lee. The inventor of the World Wide Web (Not the internet). Like I said already, the Semantic Web will be the mature form of the World Wide Web that was invented by TBL. Here <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM6XIICm_qo" target="_blank">is a TED video where the man himself introduces the concept</a> to an eager audience. That video is REALLY worth watching especially the first 4 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And now, even though it was invented by TBL, I must mention that one very Key figure of great stature in the story of the Semantic Web, is our very own brother of Nigerian decent. Kingsley Uyi Idehen - <a href="https://www.openlinksw.com/company/" target="_blank">the Founder and CEO of OpenLink Software</a>, which has been instrumental in many of the most important Linked Data projects in the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was fortunate to <a href="https://plus.google.com/112399767740508618350/about" target="_blank">connect with Kingsley on Google Plus</a>, and he was generous enough to spend time teaching me a lot about the Semantic Web, and keeping on track as to what is important and what is not. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BHBf26tJLsE/XFIa5RSShoI/AAAAAAAAO-M/iecYabzSxV8nHKri9otxpAqX56130fDNQCLcBGAs/s1600/Creator-of-the-Internet-Tim-Berners-Lee-In-Favor-of-Blockchain-Technology-696x449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="696" height="412" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BHBf26tJLsE/XFIa5RSShoI/AAAAAAAAO-M/iecYabzSxV8nHKri9otxpAqX56130fDNQCLcBGAs/s640/Creator-of-the-Internet-Tim-Berners-Lee-In-Favor-of-Blockchain-Technology-696x449.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim Berners-Lee is the inventor of the World Wide Web. And he is a strong driving force in the development and adoption of Semantic Web standards, convincing governments and the corporate sector to get onboard.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">WHY A WEB OF MEANING MATTERS?</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before, devices (laptops, smartphones, watches, etc) merely display data (and information) for our consumption.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These days however, devices are increasingly becoming primary consumers of this data themselves. They are able to more-or-less understand the data that they are displaying to you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If they understand the data themselves, they can do many dynamic and meaningful things with that data, beyond just merely displaying it to you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the interesting goal of the Semantic Web.<br />One of the greatest minds in this area, Kingsley Uyi Idehen of Open Link Software (google him), describes this goal as, "....</span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">ultimately about moving </span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">literacy</span><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to the digital realm, above all else</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please, try to wrap your head around that for a minute.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No. Please take at least <b>5 minutes</b> to really think about it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The point of linked data is to help computers and other devices to, not only READ, but also to, understand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I mean something that can be comparable to human understanding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Devices cannot understand what we write today because the words you type on a page on your blog are merely a string of characters to them. "Chioma is the fastest female sprinter in Lagos" is no more meaningful than "5Fthyt Gh4&ff KOyyy %u 5fff5 uT$4f" to a web browser or any other electronic device without an expensive Natural Language Processing program operating within it. They cannot tell that there is a unique person "Chioma" and a major city "Lagos" in that sentence. After all there are many Chioma's on the internet. And there are even streets and boats in Portugal named Lagos. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So a web of meaning matters greatly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If I told you that I was a Chelsea fan, you immediately know that I mean this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLeaVI1GhAQ/XFIXvJ--cmI/AAAAAAAAO9w/lC4J8Raml58JtZnaeyfwvvUrstpyGRyJgCLcBGAs/s1600/Chelsea%252Bfan%252BChelsea%252Bv%252BMalaysia%252BXI%252BoxGh_CmQYu_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="594" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLeaVI1GhAQ/XFIXvJ--cmI/AAAAAAAAO9w/lC4J8Raml58JtZnaeyfwvvUrstpyGRyJgCLcBGAs/s640/Chelsea%252Bfan%252BChelsea%252Bv%252BMalaysia%252BXI%252BoxGh_CmQYu_l.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But what is stopping an HTTP: Web browser, if it could think, from thinking you meant a product like this one made in the city of Chelsea, Massachusetts:</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-17qxWiSuoE0/XFIYX_XDd5I/AAAAAAAAO94/NrElKcGPK9gajDvdFDFHWM95rMo01uuKQCLcBGAs/s1600/chelsea%2Bfan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-17qxWiSuoE0/XFIYX_XDd5I/AAAAAAAAO94/NrElKcGPK9gajDvdFDFHWM95rMo01uuKQCLcBGAs/s640/chelsea%2Bfan.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what is desirable in a web of meaning is that digital devices begin to understand the things that we say and the things that we <b>mean </b>when we say them. Google has done a pretty decent job of this up until now thanks to their famous Google Knowledge Graph that I mentioned earlier. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the most crucial part of what we are doing in Digital Africa. <br />We are trying to encourage you to <b>want to know how things work </b>so that we can find a way to use technology to solve our problems within the continent, and achieve our respective desired goals.<br />We ultimately want to place ourselves (hoping you join us) in a position where we can clearly see future big opportunities <b>before others do,</b> on our continent, and indeed the rest of the world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The only way to seize these opportunities would be for us to move really fast. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Learn quickly. But be thorough with all you learn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today, I work for<a href="https://www.tesla.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you" target="_blank"> a company that I really love.</a> I was able to get a job with Tesla because I used my skills as a Google Power User to dig up very <b><i>advanced </i></b>information and knowledge about Tesla and about SolarCity all the way from when I was living in Nigeria. I was actively consuming information that the majority of so-called "analysts" in the US today, who give "expert" commentary on Tesla and on the solar industry, are embarrassingly clueless about! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the time I was doing all my research on Electric Cars & Solar, I did not know that I would be moving to the US one day. So I wasn't learning it with any plan to work for the company. I just wanted to learn about it because I saw it as a very remarkable company with an incredible Mission, and I believed that it was a vision that would have a massive impact on the world and on Nigeria someday. And things have now turned out better than I was originally hoping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It turns out today, that all that knowledge that I gathered over the years, helped me to crush my interview when I got to California and applied to work for Tesla. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My knowledge of the industry still helps me to shine every time I talk to clients and people within the company today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So knowing the way things work matters a great deal: Whether it is knowing a great deal about a company's mission, it's products, and it's methods before joining that company; Or whether it is having a lot of knowledge about a certain technology of the future, well before that technology becomes ubiquitous and impacting to millions of people. A technology like <b>Linked Data</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is why I am convinced that paying acute attention to the Semantic Web <b>NOW and NOT LATER</b>, will be thoroughly rewarding to you in the next few years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This keen attentiveness to the uncommon details of the subject is what will set you apart as the world grows further <a href="https://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2016/01/from-Davos-to-Africa.html" target="_blank">into a Knowledge Economy. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">HOW WILL THE SEMANTIC WEB WORK?</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How does the World Wide Web already work?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, the simple answer is H T T P.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes! That "https://" or "http://" that you always see at the top of the address bar on your phone or laptop's browser.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can say http is like a vehicle that travels to the websites you are trying to get information from. Http uses your web browser (chrome, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">internet explorer</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> or opera mini) to collect this information from a server, and then comes back to serve you this information. Take note, the information can be anything from a blog article, to a Facebook photo, a music video on Youtube, or even a game. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />The problem is that your device doesn't understand what it is serving you. You can only use that device (laptop, smartphone with http-enabled browser) to access that vehicle (http) that speeds across the internet, being driven by your request, to help you obtain service from a server. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But now, imagine if your device can be programmed to LEARN what is the information that the vehicle is carrying. And not just to know the information there in, but to also understand the meaning. Imagine if the device can drive the vehicle (the HTTP vehicle mentioned earlier) for you if you needed it to?</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And this doesn't have to be a smartphone or laptop web browser. It can be any kind of device that can use that "HTTP vehicle" in itself. It can be Amazon Echo, Google Assistant or even an electric car. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Any of this things can run a Reasoner (a software that is made to infer meanings from browsing through linked data). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Think of a scenario where such reasoning software from all sorts of devices roam from page to page on the Semantic Web, learning about things, and can readily carry out more sophisticated tasks on those things for you at your command. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It won't be easy to see a really clear picture of that right now, until the Semantic Web fully matures, and more sophisticated reasoning software are developed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-scHhQhL40Hw/XFIbtPnNRyI/AAAAAAAAO-Y/1IyvDCUSar8R4bxzpww-lqfDaxhXriEqACLcBGAs/s1600/SWSwordCloud.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="462" height="350" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-scHhQhL40Hw/XFIbtPnNRyI/AAAAAAAAO-Y/1IyvDCUSar8R4bxzpww-lqfDaxhXriEqACLcBGAs/s640/SWSwordCloud.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A web page from a news article from Punch may contain a link to another news article from This Day. But in the normal world wide web, that link is merely a oneway bridge that can take you or a computer from one article to another article. The link has no meaning except that it is a link.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, in the Semantic Web, you can have data items (or resources) within a web page that link to other resources (either within the same web page or in another web page on the Web). But the most ingenious thing about the Semantic Web is that the link between these two resources that holds all of the magic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">e.g. You may have a data item UdMax that links to another item called "RealEstateAgent", by a link that has the property "typeOf". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now if you were a student of the Semantic Web, by reading that code, you can immediately tell that it means that UdMax is a Type Of Real Estate Agent. But now, because of that typeOf link, even machines also understand this as well now.<br />They also understand that UdMax is in the same class as all other resources that link to that same RealEstateAgent resource using the "typeOf" link. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But it gets even more delicious than that, but I won't go into all the interesting things that you can extend typeOf to. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another example is in fashion:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Say for example you were managing the website of The House of Deola Sagoe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You could actually have the web page that showcases her "Komole" fashion line not only describing that fashion line using semantic linked data, but you can also link that Komole to Deola Sagoe's wikidata item in Wikipedia (<a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5259977">https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5259977</a>). Then you link it with the "offeredBy" property in Schema.org</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What this does is taht it tells computers and other devices that Komole fashion collections are offered by Deola Sagoe (fashion designer) head of The House Of Deola Sagoe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The computers will link all of these together, and they understand that Komole is something in similar category to fashion collections offered by the likes Gianni Versace, Gucci and Luis Vuitton. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So if someone like the Duchess of Sussex was visiting Nigeria in year 2025, her AI personal assistant may recommend that she check out Komole fashion articles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or something like that sha...... ;-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">LIMITATIONS</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But like I always warn my fellow social scientists coming into the internet technology world, I must again warn that the best way to learn about a new technology is to always start with learning the present and past limitations of that technology. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't be like lay people who love to tell each other that <i>the Israeli secret service knows EVERYTHING about anyone entering Israel, and that they have a recorded video of everywhere they went to and everything they did, and recorded sound of every conversation with everyone they talked to, while they were in Israel</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I mean this is just plain ridiculous.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Technology is not magic. Eventhough sometimes it may look magical. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Semantic Web has a lot of limitations. A lot of hurdles need to be overcome for it to fully mature and for us to start seeing the magical things we expect from it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is when you learn of these limitations and the things that are needed to tackle these limitations that you will be well suited for the opportunities that come with whichever technology in the future.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5kt8NoINnU8/XFIb3NrvFKI/AAAAAAAAO-g/FIfNwr9XXE8R-Orf-jtsxPxTWBK9RP8UgCLcBGAs/s1600/istockphoto-478963336-612x612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="612" height="454" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5kt8NoINnU8/XFIb3NrvFKI/AAAAAAAAO-g/FIfNwr9XXE8R-Orf-jtsxPxTWBK9RP8UgCLcBGAs/s640/istockphoto-478963336-612x612.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>OPPORTUNITIES</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As African countries develop, and our rulers finally begin to "lead", we expect that technological advancement will be a major aspiration for most Africans. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I expect that African countries, states and cities would follow the example of European and American govts who publish open linked data for the public, promoting accountability, transparency and increased access to information.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As Africans publish linked data, the kinds of things that software reasoners will be able to do with all the data available on the Web will become increasingly more interesting and exciting. Important new entrepreneurial ideas would spring up as a result. Many existing business models would receive a massive boost (e.g. self-driving cars and navigation).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But the most important thing I can think of for now is that, in the Semantic Web era, many different business applications <b>will be connectable to other</b> business applications to unlock fantastic growth opportunities. This is inevitable, as <b>connecting</b> "things" through <b>logical relationships</b> is the very essence of Linked Data. </span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-46304409847766960672018-11-26T13:30:00.000-08:002019-01-01T21:17:08.046-08:00VSLWJ-1 Where Are You?<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am calling this series The Very Short Long Winding Journey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will use the acronym VSLWJ</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is part 1, titles Where Are You?</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To all the new members of Digital Africa, I welcome you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The best way to describe myself is that I am a social scientist that has become very much into technology, and especially computer/internet/Web technology. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Digital Africa is a collective vision I have with some friends, to help Africans of all ages and genders to discover the many opportunities I have found as a result of purposeful use of the Web. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We want to help you learn the best way to use the World Wide Web to your advantage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am not saying that the way I am suggesting is the only way to do it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I am saying that this way has been very very effective for me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you know other ways, I will still suggest you add this to your arsenal. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am not claiming that everything I write here is the gospel truth and that you must obey them as the law. You are free to doubt and challenge my claims.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, I hope you all do, because that is how we sharpen our brains: by listening to various view points and challenging all of them frequently.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So let's go!</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google Is Not Your Friend. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You Are Your Friend.</span></h3>
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google is doing it's own thing. It doesn't care about you or me. It is just doing what it was programmed to do, which is to serve information.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are rewarding and empowering types of information. But there are also damaging and destructive kinds of information.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google can lead you to find info that can land you the wonderful job of your dreams. Google can also lead you to some terrorist websites that have led to the deaths of teenage girls in Europe. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So let me ask you, Where Are You?</span></h3>
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everything you know and can do today are things that you gradually trained yourself to know since your childhood.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You might be thinking that your teachers trained you. But the truth is that most of the effort came from within you yourself as you were paying attention to the subject those teachers were teaching.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But then, why don't I understand Geography the way I understood Economics?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Maybe it was because I immediately loved hearing about Demand & Supply, and I instantly got bored when they were talking about glaciers. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes somethings are more difficult than others to pay attention to, but that doesn't mean that those things are inherently harder than the easier ones you paid attention to. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What it really suggests is that the new things that you are learning have a relationship (either similarities or interesting contrasts) with some of the things you already know inside you.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So where YOU ARE NOW is what will determine how difficult or EASY it will be to go to where you wish to be. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So the next question to you will be, what do you WANT TO BE?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You pick up your smartphone, you open your laptop, you go to Google, then you search. For what?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Chelsea vs Tottenham football?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Kyle Jenner dating Wizkid?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What are you looking for?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whatever it is, you constantly go to the zero moment of truth to find MORE about that thing. And you do this for the other things that interest you. This is the current reality the technology has brought the world to today. And it is not only Google. Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube. All these apps serve you information in different ways. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you go to Facebook, it is because something kind of curiosity was on your mind. Maybe you want to know what your friend is saying today. Or you want to see what is happening in your Whatsapp chat group. Which ever way you look at it, you are still looking for MORE information.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When you open your Whatsapp, it is not to look for Rotimi's update. Because you are NOT thinking about my updates. You go to Whatsapp to CONTINUE what you are already familiar with. You keep up with people that you have already know before. People who are interesting to YOU! </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The <a href="https://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2013/09/zmot-conversations-in-africa.html" target="_blank">zero moment of truth</a> (ZMOT) is that EASY PLACE where computers/phones have made information instantly available. If information is power, then we have become many times more powerful than people of many decades ago. But what kind of power are we going after? That's the problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google is a ZMOT. Youtube is a ZMOT. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, Facebook CAN also BE used as a ZMOT. Whatsapp CAN BE used as a ZMOT. But these two primarily bring information to you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, in most cases, the info you get on Facebook and Whatsapp usually leads you to search Google or Youtube for clearer understanding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And yet, this doesn't mean that the info you get from Google or Youtube is always the correct answer. Not necessarily. Getting the right answer usually requires more than one attempt. </span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But the crux of the matter is that these platforms give you MORE information about some things YOU are ALREADY LOOKING for. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">ZMOT is a place where you go looking for answers (for information). On Google and Youtube and Quora, you go looking for answers. On Facebook, Whatsapp, etc, you might ask your friends or connections to answer a question you have.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, in the next part of this VSLWJ series, I will show that whether it is football or entertainment news or technology you are learning online, there are good ways to learn them, and there are bad ways to learn them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Your use of Zero Moment of Truth can help you or hinder you. This is coming in "<b>VSLWJ-2 How You Got There"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please stay tuned.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little children now have the potential to LEARN many times faster and more thoroughly than older generations. They can become geniuses so quickly that we would be astonished. This is because of the power of the learning tools they will be exposed to as they grow up. </td></tr>
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile, I have introduced a term here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some of you are probably hearing of the Zero Moment Of Truth for the first time today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I recommend that you<a href="https://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-is-zmot.html" target="_blank"> read more about it</a> and start building your curiosity about future technologies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also want to recommend for future purposes, anytime you come across a new term in anything you are reading online. Quickly right click on that term (the link) and open it in a new window, so that you can read up on that new term, understand it (you don't have to finish reading the whole thing), then go back to continue reading what you were reading with the term in it. Hence, during my learning journeys online, I may start reading one article, but end up reading 5 articles in the process.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So like I said, this is about helping you developing the purposeful reading tools and a personal learning system that you can use to EMPOWER YOURSELF! </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am very VERY open to contrary opinions, so please feel free.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also kindly follow the Digital Africa blog<a href="http://bit.ly/FollowDigAfrica" target="_blank"> by clicking here</a>. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also link up with us on Facebook</span><br />
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<tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #dddfe2; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px 12px;">Digital Africa started as a Google Plus community where I help young Africans get empowered by information about the world wide web. It also has a blo...</td></tr>
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<br />ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-52803828415826082332018-03-29T15:30:00.002-07:002018-03-29T15:30:55.794-07:00London Skill Acquisition Opportunity!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The British Council is offering a huge opportunity for young Africans (ages 18 to 35) to obtain valuable training and skill acquisition in <b>policy making</b> in London, UK. Those who are selected to go for this trip will travel around October 2018, so please get in touch with me ASAP for assistance and advice on how to apply and prepare for this opportunity. </span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gL5ZZAE4TO0/Wr1onsNsp4I/AAAAAAAAKoU/kGwiZt0DysIx-DwxfHC_-YCDGYdVxqvKwCLcBGAs/s1600/ghana-2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gL5ZZAE4TO0/Wr1onsNsp4I/AAAAAAAAKoU/kGwiZt0DysIx-DwxfHC_-YCDGYdVxqvKwCLcBGAs/s640/ghana-2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/future-leaders-connect/about" target="_blank">See it at the British Council Website</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dear friends, I know it's been a while since I shared a post about anything other than solar energy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I apologize for this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As you probably know, it is because I've relocated to California, and I recently got a job with Tesla Energy, which has reduced the amount of time that I have to spend writing articles online.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nevertheless, thanks to my lovely sister, who is a huge supporter of the Digital Africa cause, I was able to discover this great event.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You all know how much I have been repeatedly advising you to actively develop yourselves in terms of knowledge acquisition that has been made super easy and very accessible because of the world wide web, and especially because of each individual's own INTEREST and eagerness to use SEARCH. (<a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/02/googleplus-african-style.html" target="_blank">You can read my article about getting more out of search here</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, a big opportunity presents itself, and I am confident that if you work hard with me to prepare yourself for your application, you will increase your chances of being selected. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For starters, here are the requirements of the British Council for this programme, but it is very important that you don't read this list and begin to feel discouraged for whatever reason. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like I've said before, I am here to help.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 20px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; padding: 0.1em 0px;">You should be able to passionately explain how you want to make change in your country and how this links to your vision for global change.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; padding: 0.1em 0px;">You should have an understanding of policy and are interested in learning more about policy making. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; padding: 0.1em 0px;">You should be willing to engage in this long-term opportunity with the British Council to become a member of Future Leaders Connect and be committed to the network. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; padding: 0.1em 0px;">You are likely to be in your early to mid-career, aged between 18 and 35 (on Sunday 13 May 2018) and already have examples of when you have demonstrated leadership.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; padding: 0.1em 0px;">You will need to be based in one of our participating countries (Canada, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tunisia, UK and USA) and be eligible to access a visa to come to the UK. Please be aware some of these countries have varying eligibility criteria. Applications from Egypt and USA are by invitation only. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; padding: 0.1em 0px;">We are looking for emerging leaders who are committed to support the development of their country through policy change, and so encourage those to apply who have good knowledge and strong networks in the country they are based in.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; padding: 0.1em 0px;">We are looking to find a diverse group of people with different experiences, ideas and backgrounds. The programme is fully accessible for those with disabilities. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; padding: 0.1em 0px;">Be able to speak English at IELTS level 6 or equivalent (this means you would need to generally have an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings. You can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations). You do not need the official qualification.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; padding: 0.1em 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 25px;">
You cannot be currently employed by, or an immediate family member of, the British Council, Gradcore or the Møller Centre. </div>
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</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, I am very delighted to share this great opportunity in Digital Africa for our members all over the glorious</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> continent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And I want to encourage everyone in this community to share discoveries like this in any of our groups:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/100051757425658077659" target="_blank">Digital Africa on Google+</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigAfrica/" target="_blank">Digital Africa on Facebook</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9t5gO8PaYEs/Wr1o3VhFeII/AAAAAAAAKoY/b05iQvQpD94Jo9g2bR0-htxOYnAtybw_gCLcBGAs/s1600/GroupHiRes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1324" data-original-width="1600" height="528" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9t5gO8PaYEs/Wr1o3VhFeII/AAAAAAAAKoY/b05iQvQpD94Jo9g2bR0-htxOYnAtybw_gCLcBGAs/s640/GroupHiRes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-5964800404643559822018-01-20T00:44:00.000-08:002018-04-02T23:38:49.867-07:00A Tesla Short<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On my way to work this morning.....there she was......little red riding hood.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the first time I would see one parked. Roughly, 100 meters from where I currently <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cerrito,_California" target="_blank">live in El-Cerrito</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That red beauty, surrounded by those lifeless, grey metallic dinosaurs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Tesla #Model3</span></h3>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DirujG-_zhA/WmLu_nJTvvI/AAAAAAAAJAQ/JiL5Fi1PmKcUcV87mczRiDbX4OEcbYfRQCKgBGAs/s1600/MVIMG_20180119_092232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DirujG-_zhA/WmLu_nJTvvI/AAAAAAAAJAQ/JiL5Fi1PmKcUcV87mczRiDbX4OEcbYfRQCKgBGAs/s640/MVIMG_20180119_092232.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Quick Disclaimer:</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I currently work for Tesla. But I must point out that I started my self-sustained advocacy for this amazing brand over 6 years ago, from far away Nigeria, where I lived until just a little over a year ago. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, now that I work for Tesla, and have been warned to be super careful about how I promote the brand online (social media and whatnot), I have become very tame about my online posts and articles mentioning the brand. Which makes me quite sad actually. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, this post you are about to read is completely my opinion. Every thought that goes behind the issues I raise in here, entirely originates from me and it has nothing to do with my employer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Backstory:</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When Tesla launched the Roadster in 2006, most of the world laughed at the little company from Silicon Valley, saying what could they possibly know about building cars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then the Model S came in 2012, and a few of them sat up and said, "hey wait a minute!" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But many still continued to scoff and show contempt for things they are unable to comprehend.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_3" target="_blank">Model 3 has finally arrived</a> amidst great panic and hysteria among the old guard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They now know beyond a reasonable doubt that their time is fast running out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In their panic and confusion, after failing to get government to help them crush their "tiny" nemesis, they resort to senseless bickering and prophesies of <a href="https://youtu.be/ie0XiOzs5Qc" target="_blank">impending doom for Tesla</a>.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They go around making announcements of their electric cars that will come out to "crush Tesla".</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ask them when are these wonderful Electric cars coming, and most of them will say 2020 or 2021.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Will these wonderful "Tesla killers" be any different from the Chevrolet Bolt? Or the BMW i3? Because those two did not kill anything but themselves! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet, they somehow want us to believe that they can use the power of TALK to wipe Tesla off the face of the planet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They think they can wave a magic wand and brag about their "years of experience" in car manufacturing. Or talk about expertise in stock markets and accounting, and that that would somehow make Tesla's growing fans suddenly stop liking the company. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So my thinking is this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If indeed GM and BMW have somehow figured out how to make their electric cars <b>look better</b> and <b>go further</b> than their Bolts and i3s, even then, I can argue that is is still NOT Tesla that needs to be worried.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is their gasoline-locked Chevrolet Malibus and BMW 3 series that should be scared of these wonderful electric cars coming out, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Afterall, Teslas, GM elctric cars and BMWs, Porsches and Audi electric cars are ALL still ..... CARS! And so are their gasoline cars. They all literally do the same things! But some of them (the electric cars) are constantly getting OPTIMIZED, while others simply CAN NOT! </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But the funniest part is that these "experienced experts" keep forgetting that <a href="http://bit.ly/TSLAvision" target="_blank">Tesla is a puppet-master in this story</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The undeniable truth is that Tesla <b>always wanted competition from the big car companies</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They always needed these dinosaurs to get off their lazy butts and build great electric cars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The mission is to get the world away from fossil fuels. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Elon Musk knew that as long as there was no catalyst, the old car manufacturers would NOT lead any serious charge into clean transportation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He figured that if he would have to FORCE the richest automobile manufacturers to start <b>doing the right thing</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have proof. Read this blog post by Elon Musk in 2014: </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--vGqr3B-H14/WsMaVjRnA7I/AAAAAAAAKqQ/C9-Vp-Y7KMgcFSKEFMlNLU5ImUVQGXRqgCLcBGAs/s1600/patent%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="913" height="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--vGqr3B-H14/WsMaVjRnA7I/AAAAAAAAKqQ/C9-Vp-Y7KMgcFSKEFMlNLU5ImUVQGXRqgCLcBGAs/s640/patent%2B1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-aNu3kd1EQ/WsMacnjd3fI/AAAAAAAAKqU/XBNuy-cAA0sbQG2VWmzae4qwo5EOLimOgCLcBGAs/s1600/patent%2B2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="840" height="416" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-aNu3kd1EQ/WsMacnjd3fI/AAAAAAAAKqU/XBNuy-cAA0sbQG2VWmzae4qwo5EOLimOgCLcBGAs/s640/patent%2B2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You see?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They have been begging for "competition". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So next time you hear someone saying that other car manufacturers are coming to crush Tesla, <b><i>please tell them Tesla DARES them!!!</i></b></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, also check out this <b><a href="http://bit.ly/TSLAvision" target="_blank">one going all the way back to 2006</a></b>. See for yourself, what I mean by puppet master :</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "heis asc simplified chinese" , "heis asc simplified chinese_n5" , "heit asc traditional chinese" , , "helvetica neue regular" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">"...This is because the overarching purpose of Tesla Motors is to help expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a </span><span style="background-color: yellow; font-family: "heis asc simplified chinese" , "heis asc simplified chinese_n5" , "heit asc traditional chinese" , , "helvetica neue regular" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.tesla.com/powerwall?attribution_eid=144175" target="_blank">solar electric economy</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "heis asc simplified chinese" , "heis asc simplified chinese_n5" , "heit asc traditional chinese" , , "helvetica neue regular" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">, which I believe to be the primary, but not exclusive, sustainable solution." - Elon Musk</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-go72TDzX_y0/WmLxtbvAiSI/AAAAAAAAJAg/qftVjelqNHIFFLkp7ncNJQwL8DfbhSyAgCLcBGAs/s1600/tesla-model-3-silver-prototype-promo-shot-headlands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1600" height="302" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-go72TDzX_y0/WmLxtbvAiSI/AAAAAAAAJAg/qftVjelqNHIFFLkp7ncNJQwL8DfbhSyAgCLcBGAs/s640/tesla-model-3-silver-prototype-promo-shot-headlands.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Quote me on this one: <br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">While the so-called experienced car-makers are building $40,000 electric cars that look like $18,000 cars, Tesla is busy growing its street-cred by building a $35,000 that looks as cool as some $50,000 cars.</i></span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who Is The Wiser?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now pay attention to this detail that the "experts" will NEVER tell you. This truth that the giant car manufacturers and car distribution networks who prophesy the death for Tesla forgot about. Whether ignorantly or conveniently, I really don't know. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is probably the part that the enemies of Tesla ridicule the most. They scoffed at it even more than they had scoffed at the idea of a tiny Californian company building cars...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/22/teslas-bid-for-solarcity-is-mad-science-commentary.html" target="_blank">scoffed at Tesla acquiring SolarCity</a>......</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>But now, I ask YOU to pay attention:</b></span><br />
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</b></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When these new "great and awesome" electric BMWs and Audis and Chevrolets that are going to be built by the old guard come out to crush Tesla's business, what effect would that have on the world at large?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Would these new electric cars be bought by human beings who have neighbors and friends? </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Would these new electric car owners not eventually learn about their new EV cars and the possibilities that they open them up to? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Would they not eventually discover that it now makes more economic sense for them to generate more-or-less carbon free "fuel" for their electric cars from home? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Would that not cause them to take a second look at </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">solar energy</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> and realize that they can now get <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SunStored/" target="_blank">MUCH CHEAPER ELECTRICITY from Solar</a> and a <a href="https://www.tesla.com/powerwall?attribution_eid=144175" target="_blank">Home Battery</a> at no upfront costs. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As this gradually but surely sinks into the minds and hearts of the population, the electric car explosion quickly leads to the renewable energy explosion (especially solar energy) and vise-versa.</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And, guess what solar company was already a clear leader in the renewable energy market, and has now become even more potent as its branding has changed???</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can you guess? </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'll give you a hint...... it is neither GM nor BMW.....</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zUsjTzxetsM/WmLxdGbIG3I/AAAAAAAAJAc/MjxneeGg4IQT7KIGlO47WSmAiEMQJfxZACLcBGAs/s1600/Tesla-Energy-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="549" height="246" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zUsjTzxetsM/WmLxdGbIG3I/AAAAAAAAJAc/MjxneeGg4IQT7KIGlO47WSmAiEMQJfxZACLcBGAs/s640/Tesla-Energy-logo.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bit.ly/FollowDigAfrica" target="_blank">Keep it locked</a> here. The future is truly going to be interesting.</span><br />
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</span> ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com010257 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530, USA37.905000083238228 -122.3049831949174437.804187083238226 -122.46703169491744 38.00581308323823 -122.14293469491744tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-6138570287570368442017-11-05T02:21:00.001-08:002017-11-08T08:18:19.910-08:00COP23 Despite Rick Perry<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Merriweather Light"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As COP23 (The 23rd Conference Of the Parties) approaches, </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2017/11/02/does-rick-perry-still-not-know-what-his-job-is/?utm_term=.0549f2817e48" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">this absurd episode occurs</a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The United States' </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Perry" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Secretary of Energy</a><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, Rick Perry, decided to drop a bombshell just a week before the event.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(►<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxv8WhqxVLg" target="_blank">click here</a>◄) And to be honest, if he hadn't brought Africa into his absurd argument, I would have simply just laughed for a few seconds and let it go. </span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l4-EWVJhGOY/Wf68EDZbLaI/AAAAAAAAInw/Zp2MWaa804EN8kz5RVJsh6_IjlvOny-oACLcBGAs/s1600/rick-perry-2017-03-03t022357z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="620" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l4-EWVJhGOY/Wf68EDZbLaI/AAAAAAAAInw/Zp2MWaa804EN8kz5RVJsh6_IjlvOny-oACLcBGAs/s640/rick-perry-2017-03-03t022357z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Perry Episode</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will commence in Bonn, Germany on November 6th 2017 and will last until the 17th. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This meeting of world leaders and leaders in business seeks to continue in its resolve to (at the very least) remind its members about their commitments to take action that will reduce, prevent, and manage the effects of excessive CO2 gases in the earth's atmosphere. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, Secretary Perry felt this was the best time to launch his misplaced campaign for fossil fuels, and decided to involve something that is very dear to me in the process.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Now, the funny thing about this is that I normally wouldn't have written anything about this man's absurd comments if he hadn't mentioned "Africa" in his twisted logic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But in order to let you know why I didn't find it all that funny, here is what he said: And <a href="http://bit.ly/DigAfricaRickPerryONYouTube" target="_blank">here is a video</a> of him saying it:</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"It is gonna take<b> fossil fuels</b> to push power out into those villages in Africa, where a young girl told me to my face...[blah blah blah]....when you have light, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">it shines the righteousness, if you will, on </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">those acts [the acts </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">of sexual assault.] "</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hold On! Rapists Can Be Repelled By Fossil Fuels???</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, that is amazing!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I really want to talk about why COP23 matters to us in Digital Africa, but let me just quickly unpack this man's depressingly disappointing argument for one moment:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1) Let us even assume that light (produced through electricity) can actually save this "mystery" girl from sexual assault. You know, let's assume that sexual assault cannot happen at noon in any part of the world.....Did she specify that she needs <b>fossil fuel </b>powered light, specifically, to save her?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2) If SHE did not say it was going to take fossil fuels per-se to protect her, but Mr Perry thinks this is the right solution, then how did Mr Perry arrive at this messianic ability of fossil fuels? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm curious. Is it possible that Mr Perry could simply be using this young lady's fear to conjure up an illogical argument for justifying fossil fuels a week before COP23?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3) Which is more likely to penetrate African villages <b>today</b>? Is it fossil fuels OR solar energy? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akon_Lighting_Africa" target="_blank">Ask Akon</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">4) Now. <br />Please, can somebody tell me this man was joking?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Because if he is serious, then <a href="http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/news/dong-energy-becomes-rsted-as-it-abandons-fossil-fuels-and-focuses-on-renewa" target="_blank">these folks </a>weren't drinking the same schnapps he was. </span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T3b4Rwov_b4/Wf7jBwm-4oI/AAAAAAAAIoI/GvjQ9g2JP-MhgpNkg8PX2F8GHdKCzB0igCLcBGAs/s1600/Na%25CC%2588ytto%25CC%2588kuva-2017-07-20-kello-15.01.08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="874" height="280" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T3b4Rwov_b4/Wf7jBwm-4oI/AAAAAAAAIoI/GvjQ9g2JP-MhgpNkg8PX2F8GHdKCzB0igCLcBGAs/s640/Na%25CC%2588ytto%25CC%2588kuva-2017-07-20-kello-15.01.08.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You know? I actually find it a bit odd that he choses to repeatedly use the term "fossil fuels" to classify them.<br />Considering the circumstances, I would imagine it is probably wiser to say, "power from natural gas or coal". I dunno. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, back to the more important matter that should be trending at this time:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why Africa needs to pay attention to COP23.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But quickly, a background.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What is COP23?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 23rd Conference Of the Parties - a meeting that involves all of the member nations (or parties) that form the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Their purpose is to collectively and individually tackle human-influenced global warming. It is important to note that in the opinion of the parties, a historic milestone was achieved in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference" target="_blank">2015 edition - COP 21</a>; the much talked about Paris Agreement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What Happened At The Paris Agreement?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Although it is widely regarded as a historic success, COP21 features commitments and promises to reduce carbon output and limit global warming to lower than 2%.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It should interest many of you reading this that a lot of the recent announcements by some countries to ban the sale of gasoline-engined cars, while at the same time investing heavily in a cleaner electric grid, can be traced back to their need to honour these commitments. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What Is Happening Now?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/climate/trump-paris-climate-agreement.html" target="_blank">A significant event</a> that was initially expected to have a mostly adverse effect on the COP21 resolutions was US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the agreement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, something else seems to be happening as a result. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/01/us/trump-climate-deal-cities-states-defying/index.html" target="_blank">This</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, some would argue that Trump's decision is only going to make governors, mayors and corporate leaders in the country more resolved and more fired up to do what they believe is the right thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Renewables Revolution Is Still In Full Swing</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Regardless of what Secretary Perry says, the world is embracing this change, and therefore, everyone of us members of Digital Africa must be alert to this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rick Perry's voice is certainly not loud enough to affect this global tide. Therefore, it will not likely be fossil fuels, as he thinks, that will "rescue" African girls from "sexual offences". (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">tongue-in-cheek btw</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On a more serious note, the evidence is strongly piled up on the side of solar energy and storage (google the hashtag #StoredSun) having greater penetration in rural areas in Africa. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I am, however, going to warn that solar may not easily or quickly overcome the role of fossil fuels in African cities and larger towns that are served by an electricity grid.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We should understand that the revolution in Africa will start outwards and slowly extend inwardly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Take Away For Digital Africa?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I keep saying, "Be informed. Stay in the know. pay attention."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Knowing what the leaders of the world are up to is never a waste of your time. Neither is knowing how your leaders in Africa are responding to these policies and changes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Digital Africa is, among other things, a community of Africans who are future oriented. We do not want to be left behind. We want to know what direction the world is headed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So if you have been following the stories from the UNFCCC since COP21, you would know that the major climate policy topic that was found to be the most important to African leaders, was that of "Capacity Building".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Therefore, as many of you that have been listening to my advise; either here on this blog, or in real life, my tip for you (for now) is to tune in to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/climateconference/" target="_blank">COP23 Youtube channel</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also consider doing google searches like, "COP22 Capacity Building in Africa" or "COP22 Capacity Building in Nigeria".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also consider taking a look at <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2017/10/SolarAfricaRising.html" target="_blank">my previous article about Climate Change</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Always learn to variate your keywords when using Google. Reading one document is never really enough to get the full gist of a topic/idea. Always try to converge information on that topic from several different sources. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tell me what you think in the comments section. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also link up with me</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/truth-blockchains-rotimi-orimoloye?trk=prof-post" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">on LinkedIn</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">or on</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Rot3x" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You already know where to find me <a href="https://plus.google.com/+RotimiOrimoloye" target="_blank">on GooglePlus</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And <a href="http://bit.ly/FollowDigAfrica" target="_blank">click here</a> to keep up with this blog.</span><br />
<br />ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-32134246642577495232017-10-13T21:55:00.002-07:002022-03-11T21:13:56.043-08:00Here Comes The Sun<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>Electricity</b> is the biggest challenge we have in most of Africa. And yet right now, the rest of the world is transitioning into using electricity as the only source of power for everything. Electric</span><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> cars like Teslas, are quickly becoming the norm.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So what would Africa do when the only cars left to import are electric cars?</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Let us start with an illustration that I like to use to explain my case for solar energy to my fellow Christian brothers and sisters.</span><br />
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<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TuPKXHianuw/WeGUgfUlCKI/AAAAAAAAIjs/oDsz7m0rwpAJRyOol2DJutGC7gFXiuL3gCLcBGAs/s1600/Solar-Panels-Green-Field-the-Sun-568x272.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="568" height="306" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TuPKXHianuw/WeGUgfUlCKI/AAAAAAAAIjs/oDsz7m0rwpAJRyOol2DJutGC7gFXiuL3gCLcBGAs/s640/Solar-Panels-Green-Field-the-Sun-568x272.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So, my favorite illustration for renewables is as follows:</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Above VS Below</span></h3>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><div style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Do you remember when Jesus said the following statement to the Jews who did not believe in Him?</span></div><div style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And He said to them", “</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.</b></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" John 8-23</span></i></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large;"></div></blockquote><div style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">Now, let's take the two types of energy sources used these days, renewable sources (mainly solar and wind) and fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). We can also talk about hydroelectricity which still supports my argument, but I'll leave it out for time.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>BENEATH</b>:<br />One type of energy source comes from deep under the ground. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">4000 to 7000 feet.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We dig into the ground in order to extract <b><i>the dead</i></b>. </span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I meant that <b>literally</b>.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Fossil fuels are actually the <b>remains of dead creatures</b> and plants. Hence<i> "the dead".</i></span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Anyway, it turns out that men have been powering the world using <i>the dead</i> for a long time now. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Men dig up the dead from around 6000 feet beneath the earth, and BURN them to use as energy and transportation.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br />Wait! Did you catch that? </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We <b>burn </b>them. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>The dead</b>. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">And we get them from way <b>beneath </b>the earth. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">But you never thought of it that way, did you? <br />And then how about the evil things that have accompanied oil and gas for all these years?<br />How about the wars? How about the Niger Delta in Nigeria?<br />How about all the suffering and poverty that has come out of conflicts related to oil and gas?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">No?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Not enough?<br /></span>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />Okay, let's move unto the counterparty.<br /></i></span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>ABOVE</b>:<br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">What is physically above all within the realm of this Earth? <br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Good guess. The sun. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">A gigantic ball of blinding light. <i>"Unapproachable light"</i> when you really think about it. <br />A "<b><i>consuming fire"</i></b> if you will allow <a href="https://biblehub.com/hebrews/12-29.htm" target="_blank">(Bible reference: book of Hebrews</a>).</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We are talking of a kind of fire that was <b>not "discovered" by men</b>, because it has ALWAYS been there. Hahaha! </span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Again, it was <b>put there long before there were men</b>. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">...AND science also tells us that it is the sun's heat that is even responsible for the large </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">winds </b><span style="font-size: x-large;">that also produce another kind of renewable power. (see John 3:8).</span><br style="font-size: x-large;" /><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Sun causes the winds to blow. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hmmm! Coincidence?</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So it gives us light to see, keeps us warm, and also causes the winds to blow the clouds that give us <b>rain</b>. Trifecta! <br /><br />And NOW, my brethren, I tell you, it <b>promises us</b> unlimited, sustainable, and somewhat FREE energy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cc4SdaeRo7Q/WeGQWuc3NQI/AAAAAAAAIjY/almOWze5tBQLh3WILk3H40UwqvgBzcqRQCLcBGAs/s1600/blog_angels_to_heaven_1540.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1540" height="354" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cc4SdaeRo7Q/WeGQWuc3NQI/AAAAAAAAIjY/almOWze5tBQLh3WILk3H40UwqvgBzcqRQCLcBGAs/s640/blog_angels_to_heaven_1540.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo of the sun as a mighty and giant angel. Picture credit: https://www.guideposts.org/inspiration/angels/angels-escort-a-loved-one-to-heaven</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So once again, one power source comes from <b><i>beneath </i></b>the Earth, and is made up of <b><i>the dead</i></b> that are <b><i>burned</i></b>.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The other power source comes <b><i>from above</i></b>. (GEN 1:16) It <b>gives light</b> and <b>life </b>freely every day.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I am sure that those of you who are bible-reading Christians understand why I kept emphasizing the words "dead" "below" and "burn") Lol. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Anyway, let us leave bible class, and look at the global understanding of the problem...</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Scenario</span></h3>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Paleontologists teach us that the crude oil, natural gas and coal, that most of the world uses for energy today, are derived from fossils. Fossils are the remains of dead animals and plants that died millions of years ago. Don't shoot the messenger.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--_tuywZ8fgA/WeGRQ6kKD7I/AAAAAAAAIjg/3V4wR0i-rPgQ3Y_Mi66JKzzieskxpcxoQCLcBGAs/s1600/dinosaur400.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="400" height="310" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--_tuywZ8fgA/WeGRQ6kKD7I/AAAAAAAAIjg/3V4wR0i-rPgQ3Y_Mi66JKzzieskxpcxoQCLcBGAs/s640/dinosaur400.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scientists tell us that when animals die, they very slowly decay, and as they are exposed to heat, along with plants around them, they are gradually broken down into large deposits of carbon and hydrogen - called hydrocarbons. The stuff that we get from coal, oil and natural gas.</td></tr>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This is why they are called fossil fuels, because the remains of prehistoric living things are burned in order to generate electricity for our use.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">However, scientists believe that burning them is causing a dangerous problem known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change" target="_blank">climate change</a>.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">And if you haven't heard about this phenomenon before or have never paid attention to it, they warn that it is <b>really bad</b>!</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So here is a big picture<a href="http://bigpicture.unfccc.int/" target="_blank"> intro from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change</a>, along with my own layman's explanation of <b>how</b> climate change is happening:</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Illustrating The Problem:</span></h3>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Adaeze is hungry. She decides to start cooking bitter-leaf soup with a kerosene stove. Kerosene is gotten from refined crude oil (a fossil fuel).</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">As she cooks, Adaeze's room gradually starts to get warmer and warmer.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">She quickly opens her two small windows and the door, and the room quickly cools down as a reasonable amount of the heat escapes from the small room, and some cool breeze enter.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, two minutes later, her sister and her 2 cousins enter the room as well. And they are also hungry. So they start to cook their own food with a larger pot and a larger burner.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Despite the fact that the door and windows are open, there is more heat being generated by </span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">the larger fire (since it is a larger heat source), and also by </span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">4 people breathing in the remaining cool air in the room and breathing out their warm CO2 in that small room that Adaeze lives in.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This is a caricature of what scientists tell us is happening to the earth through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming" target="_blank">Global Warming</a>. The CO2 that we are pumping into our atmosphere is growing rapidly as </span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">more and more people burn more and more fossil fuels to create more and more electricity and to drive more and more cars. There are other generators of CO2 (like belching livestock) but those are not important for this particular article. </span><br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tuwATFY27gQ/WeGVRHVZv5I/AAAAAAAAIj0/ByMms9tsy00CJgHVwRjh0YJXb7SL-aCiACLcBGAs/s1600/170416-kuwait-strike-m.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="354" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tuwATFY27gQ/WeGVRHVZv5I/AAAAAAAAIj0/ByMms9tsy00CJgHVwRjh0YJXb7SL-aCiACLcBGAs/s640/170416-kuwait-strike-m.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Solution</span></h3>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Because mankind has finally realized that we cannot go on destroying the earth with excessive CO2 gases, and because we also know that these fossil fuels will eventually run out, mankind is now moving aggressively towards renewable energy generation.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Massive scale use of clean renewable energy to generate electricity, plus a massive shift to people using electric powered vehicles is the revolution that is desired. And there is strong political will around the globe driving this change.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">And eventhough a lot of people still erroneously think that renewable energy sources like wind are solar are too expensive, those who are paying full attention to the details are marching on fearlessly into the future. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I want you, young Africa (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigAfrica/" target="_blank">Digital Africa</a>), to be a part of that march.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Your Role In The Revolution?</span></h3>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Okay, so now that you are on board, let me tell you what you need to be doing...</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">As a young woman or man (boy or girl) who subscribes to the Digital Africa way of thinking, who is future oriented, and who is always eager to learn, you need to be actively keeping up with what is happening in the renewable energy industry around the world, in modern energy storage, as well as in the world of electric vehicles.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>Whether or not</b> our governments in Africa, or our big businesses are paying adequate attention to these three massive future arenas should not affect your resolve to take this piece of advice.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Because, if you think about it, when has the rest of the world ever asked for Africa's permission or input before it moved on to the future?</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>So I am asking you to prepare yourself.</i></b></span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Now, some of you that are not yet familiar with my writings may ask, "why should we prepare?" or "prepare ourselves for what?" </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Well, it's not that easy to explain....</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Think back to 1990 or thereabouts, when you first heard some people in Lagos going around saying that everybody needed to become computer literate or be left out. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Or, around 1996, when many people started talking about <b>the internet, the global village, </b>and the "<b>information super highway</b>". M</span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">any of those folks never truly understood what they were talking about, because many of them did not actually practice what they were preaching back then. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But imagine if your parents or older siblings had heeded their </span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">call, or if you yourself immediately got up and worked very hard to learn all you could possibly learn about computers and about using the internet. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Imagine if you applied yourself day and night to the idea that what you were learning then was going to help you get some <b>strategic advantage</b> in that time's future.......i.e. TODAY! </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">What if you had already learned HTML and CSS to a competent level by the year 1998? Imagine how good your web design skills would be by now? Most likely, you would have gone way beyond web design to adding other skills like Python, Javascript and SQL to your arsenal by now. And perhaps you would not feel even <b>the least bit intimidated</b> about <b>Machine Learning</b> by now- which is regarded as the highest paid skill in the developed world today.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This would have made you in very high demand all over the world, and a candidate for some of the highest paying jobs on the planet. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Yes, what if?</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So again, I am asking you to prepare yourself. Because what is happening now in the energy and transportation world is similar to what happened with the dawn of the internet.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i>Revolution simply means change!</i></span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">How To Key In To The Revolution</span></h4>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Use the free information on the internet to dive into the facts behind the fiction that fashions the future.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Go beyond the superficial layer. Beyond the hype. Learn about what is <b>really</b> happening. I can't stress this enough.<br />This is one of the reasons why, for those who know me, I am so passionate about Tesla. I have been paying attention! Most other people have not! Especially many of those that you see on TV claiming to be experts.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Don't just be like the majority of people that like to state meaningless cliches like, <i>"Oh, for sure, solar is the future"</i>, without actually knowing what they are talking about. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Be eager and determined to get a clearer picture of what are these things that are supposedly coming. This will, without question, lead you to a massive wealth of entrepreneurial ideas and economic opportunities. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">And even if you are not an engineer (let's say you are a bloody social scientist like myself) you can still discover paths within the coming renewable revolution, that do not require you to have engineering skills. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It is all about using what you have (your </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">enriched </i><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">mind) to get what you want (a good seat at the table in the future).</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I will include this powerful comment that I came across by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wale.godo?fref=gc&dti=219652944793854" target="_blank">a gentleman on Facebook</a>...</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JkqMX6lHRkQ/WfSfh8J4fjI/AAAAAAAAImA/9ZsCJmtG6dAGnle8-UxGVhZwOCg-VTvlQCLcBGAs/s1600/wale%2Bgogo1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="88" data-original-width="566" height="94" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JkqMX6lHRkQ/WfSfh8J4fjI/AAAAAAAAImA/9ZsCJmtG6dAGnle8-UxGVhZwOCg-VTvlQCLcBGAs/s640/wale%2Bgogo1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Okay, you know what? If that didn't make much sense to you.... Or i</span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">f you think there cannot be any possible opportunities for you in a future energy related industry, then tell me in the comments section below, and I </span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">will prove to you that, even if you are an undergraduate in English Department, you can still learn enough about the future of sustainable energy and transportation to give you opportunities when the time comes.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Conclusion</span></h3>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So, going back to my illustration, the next time you see the sun rise in the morning, remember what I told you about energy from above and energy from below.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If you are a Nigerian, consider how much and for how long you have suffered at the hands of NEPA.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Ask yourself, is it so difficult to see a future where the whole world is powered by the sun and the <i>4 winds of heaven</i>?</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">My next article would contain more specifics:</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I would talk about the solar energy business in America, I would talk about battery storage, and I will talk about the world changing Tesla electric cars.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Do check back here in about 2 weeks.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But until then, you can go through my old article about a statement from Bill Gates that has created a dangerous mistake made by some Nigerian billionaires, even though Gates himself no longer holds the position. See that here ► <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2016/04/Bill-Gates-Africa-Energy.html" target="_blank">Article about Bill Gates And Energy.</a></span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Also consider following this blog for monthly updates if you are not already following it. Click here ► <a href="http://bit.ly/DigAfrica_Sun" target="_blank">to follow the Digital Africa blog</a></span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Also connect with me on:</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Google Plus (my office) ► <a href="http://bit.ly/gplus_DigAfri" target="_blank">Google.com/+RotimiOrims</a></span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Twitter ► <a href="http://bit.ly/Twit_DigAfri" target="_blank">RealOrims</a>, </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">on Facebook ► <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SunStored/" target="_blank">Solar Plus Power</a></span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">and on ► <a href="http://bit.ly/Quora_GigAfri" target="_blank">Quora</a></span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Use my hashtag to keep up with my renewable energy and electric car related posts on social media = <a href="https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=%23storedsun" target="_blank">#StoredSun</a></span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-85361426234830901992017-07-08T21:57:00.000-07:002017-11-05T02:10:52.540-08:00Enhancing Economic Growth In Africa Through Technology<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To be more specific, this article is about </span><br />
<i><b><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">enhancing economic growth through people using</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> technology that is mostly derived from, or related to, the internet.</span></span></b></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope this article will help you, i</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">f you are a young African, to become a more pro-active and progressive user of the internet. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In other words, I want you to finish reading this article and decide that </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">you would drastically reduce the amount of time that you spend on Facebook idolizing Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Also that you would curb the amount of time you spend playing games on your phone, or creating and forwarding unconfirmed information on Whatsapp</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead, I need you to think seriously about HOW you can use your devices (your smart phones, your tablets and your laptops) as vehicles that move you faster towards achieving your goals in life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a matter of fact, for those of you who know, in your hearts, that you have not set any real goals yet; <b>using your devices properly</b> could actually help you to discover what your goals should be, and continuously help you to refine those goals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So the natural question that I would expect from you now is for you to ask me, "How?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"How can I use my smartphone or my laptop to reach my goals, or to set goals for myself?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Information Is Power:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Answering questions like this one is exactly why Digital Africa was created. So stay with us (<a href="https://accounts.google.com/signin/v2/identifier?service=blogger&passive=1209600&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Ffollow.g%3Fview%3DFOLLOW%26blogID%3D2516563595600085539&followup=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Ffollow.g%3Fview%3DFOLLOW%26blogID%3D2516563595600085539&ltmpl=start&flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=ServiceLogin" target="_blank">follow this blog</a>) as I attempt the answer:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enhance!</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was actually my friend and <a href="http://anzzysdiary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">favorite blogger</a>, Joy Isa, that asked me to write this article to <i>"c</i></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>hange the perceptions of Nigerian youth about the value of digital networking", a</i>s she wrote, in a Hangouts' message. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She confessed that I had successfully changed her mind about the Web, and that I had convinced her that there was some value in networking</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> online. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had indeed gotten her to join Google+, and she has been trying since then to be more active on that platform. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She started her blog, she joined a few G+ communities for bloggers and writers, and she has even overcome some of her online shyness by joining a few conversations with strangers on the g+ platform. Of which live in many different parts of the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But, clearly, with this question, she is still not sure of the value in all of this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So my post here will try to re-address my claims again. But this time I want everyone of you to pay attention.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Effect Of The Network</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In my opinion, the greatest value that the internet brought to us is the ability to communicate with anybody in the world, anywhere in the world, and at anytime of the day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seriously, think about it for a few minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Your first reaction may be to think that the telephone did this very well before the internet came along, right?<br />Yes indeed it did. However, the internet adds two things to that communication miracle that the telephone never could:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. The ability to instantly discover information from heterogeneous sources. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. The ability to recover information from conversations that happened days or years in the past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oftentimes this info comes with variety to choose from, can be very timely, and it can often give you the ability to give feedback to the publisher/curator of the information. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">You couldn't just pick up your phone and talk to the President of the US before, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">No. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">But now you can mention him in a tweet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Now, I'm not saying that you have a good chance of getting a response from him. But it is possible. If Your tweet</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> strokes his ego well enough, he could respond or retweet your tweet. And who knows what else could happen from there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">You couldn't pick up your phone and call an astronaut for information about some of the more mundane tasks that they carry out while in space. Today, you can follow Samantha Cristofioretti on Google+ and literally keep up with her minute by minute activities on the international space station.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">And get your questions in with a chance to get her reply</span>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">All you need is to think of a problem today, and you can probably instantly find a solution to it offered online. Well not saying that all info online would be correct or truthful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chances are, somebody somewhere else in the world had already thought of solving that problem, and has also shared how they solved it in a blog - or through a social media post that can be discovered through a Google search.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But unfortunately, many of us are seriously underrating the gravity of these things. And that is why we do not really take advantage of them the way we should.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My Networks My Journey</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I began my current journey, I had this strong desire to <i>"get to the future"</i> before most people in the world. The plan was to quickly plant my feet firmly within</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> an industry that had a massive potential globally, but was not yet competitive in Nigeria. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My friend introduced me to digital print marketing, and a chance to sell the first Kodak Nexpress digital colour printing press in Nigeria.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wrapped my soul with zeal and flung myself at this opportunity, because I knew that if things did not work out there, digital printing was not far from digital marketing (which I was already <i>"flirting"</i> with - however, from afar).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So after several years of very sluggish growth in the digital printing world, Kodak sent an Italian Nexpress business developer to give us presentations on how to create a market for the Nexpress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I learnt a ton on that occassion, but most of all, the Italian dude from Kodak (Salvatore Massaro) introduced me to 2 things that would soon become pivotal to my present life:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Search Engine Optimization and Google Plus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I became flat-out ravenous for all the information I could find SEO, while I constantly followed the conversations of the most popular SEOs that were on Google Plus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My zeal was able to push me to throw away all reservations and bashfulness, and work myself into the conversations of these experts of SEO. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was eventually able to get the attention of the most legendary name in SEO: One of the pioneers of the craft! He is <a href="http://www.ammonjohns.com/testimonials.html" target="_blank">the Black Knight</a>: Sir Ammon Johns. Networking with Ammon Johns got me to connect with many other awesome people from the digital marketing world. These connections extended my reach into the Semantic Web </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The value of this was that I always had easy access to the very latest information in my chosen industry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The high level of know-how possessed by these people I was now keeping company (keeping virtual company that is) with, boosted my own ability to learn and understand how things worked on the world wide web.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I cannot stress how much you can potentially gain from merely maintaining conversation with the right people (<b>on the right topics</b>) on Google Plus. And I had never found this type of richness from LinkedIn or Facebook. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Marketing is research, research and more research.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A lot of people know that they can do some very powerful research on Google search these days. The kind of research they could not have gotten even by paying lots of money to research consultancy companies a few years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, many people still do not know how to use free Google search's Advanced Features. Even less know about using search operator functions. </span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-63075997585090014432017-06-02T23:51:00.002-07:002017-08-27T01:32:21.831-07:00Paris Agreement Exit: Who Do You Think Is Smarter?<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hey guys, I am still angry about yesterday's news. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you know me very well, and you follow some of my articles and posts on social media, then you would know what got me angry. *cough* #ParisAgreement Exit. *cough*.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, to cool off, I thought I would do some research.<br />Yes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That is how I relax.<br />By doing research (the life of a Google power user).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Anyway, please let me know what you think about Trump's decision to exit the Paris Agreement? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Kindly read these tweets from these CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the USA, then consider the decision of the King of Reality TV and Twitter, and tell me which camp is wiser....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google:-</span></div>
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Disappointed with today’s decision. Google will keep working hard for a cleaner, more prosperous future for all.</div>
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) <a href="https://twitter.com/sundarpichai/status/870386661321986048">June 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Apple:-</span></div>
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Decision to withdraw from the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParisAgreeement?src=hash">#ParisAgreeement</a> was wrong for our planet. Apple is committed to fight climate change and we will never waver.</div>
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) <a href="https://twitter.com/tim_cook/status/870439008316276736">June 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Disney:-</span></div>
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As a matter of principle, I've resigned from the President's Council over the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParisAgreement?src=hash">#ParisAgreement</a> withdrawal.</div>
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertIger/status/870413002893254656">June 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Undoubtedly one of the smartest men I know:- </span></div>
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Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.</div>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/870369915894546432">June 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Under Paris deal, China committed to produce as much clean electricity by 2030 as the US does from all sources today <a href="https://t.co/F8Ppr2o7Rl">https://t.co/F8Ppr2o7Rl</a></div>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/870380036750168065">June 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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India commits to sell only electric cars by 2030. It is already the largest market for solar power. <a href="https://t.co/EGBNTPzmE5">https://t.co/EGBNTPzmE5</a></div>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/870411649621999617">June 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">General Electric:- </span></div>
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Disappointed with today’s decision on the Paris Agreement. Climate change is real. Industry must now lead and not depend on government.</div>
— Jeff Immelt (@JeffImmelt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffImmelt/status/870368499331457024">June 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There were many others.</span><br />
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<br />ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-27021487248848606512017-05-30T01:42:00.001-07:002017-07-12T00:58:15.762-07:00Car Electronics<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">With this quick article, I hope to challenge and encourage as many young Africans as possible to consider pursuing careers in the field of electronics, and in its sub-field of car electronics in particular. I also hope that this might somehow get to some African leaders who are in the position to affect policies that encourage these youngsters in those pursuits.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My desire is that our beautiful continent begins to produce more and more young engineers that can help us to reduce our over-dependence on the rest of the world (and especially Asia) for electronic equipment and appliances.
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1JnFfdD2zcY/WSz5C3dQ0_I/AAAAAAAAHVA/sbmomJk_O8YIZaxr-nPSqYjAUeV7zV7KACLcB/s1600/pehIRkA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1JnFfdD2zcY/WSz5C3dQ0_I/AAAAAAAAHVA/sbmomJk_O8YIZaxr-nPSqYjAUeV7zV7KACLcB/s640/pehIRkA.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Curious Social Scientist</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I know that I am just a <i>bloody </i></span></span><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>social scientist</i></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, and I hated science subjects back in school. So what could I possibly know about electronics? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, it turns out, I have somehow gotten really interested in many areas of technology and science these days. It really started with my <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/07/Open-Data-Semantic-Web.html" target="_blank">infatuation with the Semantic Web</a>, then solar energy and future battery technology (which I call <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CommandSM/posts/883820928406453" target="_blank">#StoredSun</a>). So when I first learned about electric cars needing advanced batteries, I became hooked on the technology behind those as well.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Electronics For The Lay Man</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So my current understanding is that <b><i>electronics </i></b>is an offspring of both Electrical Engineering, and the science of Physics. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In electronics, engineers are mainly building devices that exploit and manipulate the power of electricity and electric charges. Please if you have an even simpler definition that even the dumbest social scientist or artist can understand, I would love it if you shared that definition in the comments below. Thank you.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, when you look into my definition (hopefully it is correct), you can see that the idea is to competently understand how electricity affects various objects so that we can make those objects work for us in a useful and safe way. The more engineers learn about the nature of electricity and the way it affects physical objects, the better they can build gadgets that make our lives easier.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: normal;">Africa & Electronics</span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But if these things can be learned, then why aren't we learning them? Or why is the enabling environment seemingly non-existent in most of the African continent? What is our private sector waiting for? Why do our governments not care about stimulating such interests?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are so many areas where the study and practice of electronics can be applied to generate wealth for our people. Among these are areas such as manufacture of mobile phones, computers, Ultra HD television sets, digital media players, most hospital equipment, and even home appliances like washing machines and microwave ovens. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am not talking about being proud of watching the news and hearing a report about one solitary African that built one electronic device. Or of hearing of one computer that was completely manufactured in one African country.</span><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those are good news indeed. But what we want is an entire burgeoning industry.</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, I am going to focus on one particular area that I am certain is going to present a huge opportunity for Africans who will eventually go into this field:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am talking about car electronics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Electronics In Cars And </span><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Electronic</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Cars</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/281134/number-of-vehicles-in-use-worldwide/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Statista estimates</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that there are approximately 1.2 billion cars and commercial vehicles in use around the world today. Practically all of these cars have some form of electronic system or another at work within them. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact, as the automobile industry has matured, we have seen that cars are being built with electronic systems increasingly replacing the mechanical systems within them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">these <i>mechanical systems being replaced</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I am referring to most of the cars that we see on our roads, and are typically built with an internal combustion engine.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">In these ICE cars, the engine runs by burning a mixture of air and fuel to produce the thrust of the car.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Engineers achieve this by using techniques from smaller divisions of mechanics like Fluid Mechanics, Dynamics and Kinematics (i.e. the area of mechanics that deals with gears and gear boxes)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But like I said already, a lot of these systems are either being replaced by electronic systems, or being enhanced by mixing in electronics with the mechanical aspects. </span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Car Electronics</span></b></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_electronics" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Car Electronics</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> range from transmission ( gear shifting) electronics to things like car entertainment systems and electronic braking systems. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also take note of the current hype around electronic intelligent parking systems and self-driving systems in cars these days. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And with other technologies coming in from the computer and internet world, like artificial intelligence and machine learning, it is easy to see the direction in which the automobile industry is moving. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Things are getting more and more electronic than ever before.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ct-200h-model-2011-present/656439-loving-the-car-stereo.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCF1GDQU2qA/WS0DmQ9a7lI/AAAAAAAAHVQ/JXFsmFCzgUMM4t5iE_p2y3k5cLnAKVgqACLcB/s640/console%2B1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ct-200h-model-2011-present/656439-loving-the-car-stereo.html" target="_blank">A typical electronic car stereo in a modern car. Image courtesy of https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ct-200h-model-2011-present/656439-loving-the-car-stereo.html</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What used to only have its place in the car's stereo system, now features in other parts like seats, the steering, the transmission, the air bag, the doors, even the glass. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Electronic devices first started to appear in the insides of cars, but eventually started to spread outward to underneath the hood, and who knows where else tomorrow. Every component in the future automobile could potentially be completely electronic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Therefore if you are young engineering and science student in Africa today, I would strongly encourage you to seriously look into this area as a major goal before, during, and after you even get into the university or before you choose your major.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is good to consider the number of cars currently in use around the world, as mentioned above. Then consider that this number is expected to increase tremendously as populations continue to grow in third world countries, and the size of their economies grow likewise. But also because more people around the world get educated, gain global access and exposure through the world wide web, and become more sophisticated in their needs as standards of living continue upwards. </span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Electric Cars</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Therefore as cars and buses and trucks have evolved over the years, a lot of the working parts within them have steadily evolved into electronic parts. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But what is more profound is the fact that the actual engines of the cars themselves are now becoming completely electric.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.tesla.com/models" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1456" height="298" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-42AuGWKjjkw/WS0ED3H4mZI/AAAAAAAAHVU/0to_Dx3tEW8FFibNKtAXQJQBXmr_bwDIwCLcB/s640/models_white_wall_2x.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.tesla.com/models" target="_blank">Tesla Model S. Full Electric Vehicle. Seen here plugged into its charging kit that easily works with any AC outlet in your home, office or anywhere. Photo courtesy of Tesla.com </a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many of these electric powered cars today still use a combination of electric and mechanical drive trains - aptly called Hybrid cars. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet, recent popular participants like the Nissan Leaf and Tesla cars have come out as purely electric.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The success of Nissan's Leaf, and the huge success of the Tesla brand is pushing automobile manufacturers to look in that direction for the future.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the trends that is driving this paradigm shift is the hybrid car phenomenon I already mentioned above.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are indeed already many hybrid cars in Europe and America that use a combination of an internal combustion engine as well as electric power from a large battery to propel the car and economize fuel. These hybrids have steadily evolved, and modern hybrids are getting better and better at minimizing the need for fuel. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">But this evolution is progressive. </span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">From HEV to PHEV to EV</span></span></h3>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once upon a time, HEVs or Hybrid Electric Vehicles simply used a large battery that is charged by the power produced by the ICE (internal combustion Engine) engine, and then gives back that power to the car to help reduce the car’s reliance on fuel, and save lots of money on fuel costs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The next phase saw Plug-In Electric Vehicles or PHEVs, which used larger batteries, and charged these batteries BOTH with power from the ICE engine, and also through charging cables that bring in power from any electric source including the AC outlet of your home. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">PHEVs are usually more energy efficient than HEVs. Depending on how far the car is being driven, most PHEVs </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">will go many miles without needing to take power from their ICE engines or burn any fuel. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a matter of fact, the logic behind a PHEV is that the fuel-based engine should only serve as a backup.
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.hybridcars.com/2017-chevy-volt-will-offer-adaptive-cruise-control/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="668" height="390" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rAVVfMinKrk/WS0G9KJWk-I/AAAAAAAAHVg/02sAjzbAEhIdftyPasSRJhwEwZrVbxYlQCLcB/s640/Volt_tomorrowland-668x409.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hybridcars.com/2017-chevy-volt-will-offer-adaptive-cruise-control/" target="_blank">Chevrolet's Volt. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (or PHEV). Image curtesy of http://www.hybridcars.com/2017-chevy-volt-will-offer-adaptive-cruise-control/ </a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These (PHEVs) in my opinion, are the critical bridge to the future. It is why many are convinced that it is only a matter of time that fuel consuming cars will become completely impractical and unappealing to the consumer.</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can watch an ongoing experiment of this PHEV -> EV shift in the following example:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">General Motors of America, who had first built the successful Chevrolet Volt (a PHEV), are going a step further with a new all-electric car they call the Bolt (a full-EV car).</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The success and popularity of the Volt (</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">which was designed by a Nigerian Jelani Aliyu) is expected to boost the transition of Hybrid electric vehicles (or HEV) into Plug-In Electric Hybrid Vehicles (or PHEV).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So the progression looks like this:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ICE -> HEV -> PHEV -> EV</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As you move from left to right, there is a decreasing reliance on fuel, and a greater reliance on plugging into electricity.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But when you think about the ease and comfort of charging your phones and laptops at home or at work, then it begins to become clearer that this progression is almost certainly going to happen. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The question is, "how soon"? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps the answer is in the fact that there is this new and unprecedented and clearly <b><i>authentic appeal</i></b> for electric cars (thanks mostly to Tesla Motors). Plus the fact that battery technology is developing at a fast pace, and batteries are growing in their ability to pack more and more power into smaller spaces, while working on increasing their life-cycles and charging speeds. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also the fact that self-driving cars are on the horizon (thanks to Tesla, Google, Apple and Uber) and EV technology seems to be the the only suitable match for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These scenarios all collaborate to speed up the eventual extinction of gasoline powered cars. So my answer would be, "sooner than you think".</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So my question would be; at what point should Africa join this revolution?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, for sure!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to encourage our kids to acquire skills in electrical engineering, in electronics as a whole, and in car electronics in particular. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are immediate gains that could come from developing electronic systems and devices within existing ICE cars. But there are even huger rewards that will come from taking part in building the PHEVs and full electric cars (EVs) of the near future.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need African governments to aggressively incentivize engineering and technology studies to make this happen as quickly as possible. To produce Africans like Jelani Aliyu. a new breed of young Africans that will aspire to not only do auto design, but also electric powertrain engineering and battery charging innovations.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I honestly believe that every time a major technological revolution is about to occur, it potentially gives those who were previously disadvantaged a chance to close the gap a little. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The transition to the new paradigm is expected to prove quite painful for incumbent big car manufacturers like Toyota, Mercedes, Ford, etc. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Therefore we, Africa, who had not been serious participants in then old automotive shindigs, should gleefully march into the new one.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Right?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please, let us think hard about this!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Conclusion</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, if you are a frequent reader of my future-oriented articles here on Digital Africa, you may have noticed that I am a huge fan of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla,_Inc." target="_blank">Tesla Motors</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is an article from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk" style="font-weight: 400;" target="_blank">CEO of Tesla</a> that I think may inspire you the way it has inspired an old social scientist like me to become an enthusiastic advocate of science and technology. (>>> <a href="https://www.tesla.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you" target="_blank">see that <b>short</b> article here</a> <<<) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wrote an article on LinkedIn about Elon Musk that reveals some depth of the vertically integrated empire he is building. (>>> <a href="http://bit.ly/MuskinBlog" target="_blank">See that one here</a> <<<)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also if you are a frequent reader of many of my future oriented articles here on Digital Africa, you would quickly understand that I am trying to get you to prepare yourself or your children and grand children for such a time.
</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our student engineers should understand the kind of opportunity that could easily await them in this brave new world of electronic devices and electronic transportation systems, <b>if only they make the right choices today</b>. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But also, if we and our leaders make the right choices for them!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Friends, the internet hasn't just changed the world. It is changing it even more still. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And not so many are paying attention to these current changes. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is much to learn, but there is indeed huge incentive for us to learn it. Please let us push our leaders in this direction because whatever wealth we may have from natural resources (like oil) is only a shadow of the past. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Think about it. </span></span>ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-33737511496464885262016-12-14T12:35:00.000-08:002019-01-02T05:05:53.550-08:00The African Smart City<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana;">“Smart people, places, communities, businesses and governments work together to use the modern technologies that are changing our world to make it fairer and more sustainable in the process, giving everyone a better chance of a longer, healthier, happier and more fulfilling life.”</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana; font-size: x-large;">- Rick Robinson</i></blockquote>
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now Is The Time For Africa To Join The Smart Cities Revolution!</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Which of these future scenarios would you prefer?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A) One future where the<i> super rich</i> politicians in the highest levels of government in Nigeria are chauffeured around in luxury cars that <b><i>drive themselves</i></b> while a robot nanny babysits their children at home?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or B) Would you prefer a future where even the poorest people in Mushin (<i>rugged</i> town within Lagos, Nigeria) enjoy the most comfortable air-conditioned public transport buses that run, not on petrol or diesel, but <b>run mostly on the energy gotten from the refuse </b>that is collected day to day in that very town?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I would go for the second scenario. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />But it is not like I have something against robots or self-driving cars. Nor do I have anything against the super-rich merely <b><i>for being rich </i></b>(I hate the kleptomaniac politicians in Nigeria though). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is because I agree with the Smart Cities ideology that technology should <b><i>improve the quality of life for all people</i></b>.</span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Smart Cities Are About People</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Along with renewable energy and storage, the <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/07/Open-Data-Semantic-Web.html" target="_blank">Semantic Web</a>, and the future of farming (powered by data); the concept of building smarter cities has become one of the topics I am most interested in. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I strongly believe that African political and business leaders should be incentivizing business and entrepreneurship around these and other areas in transformative technology. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And as usual, in the spirit of <a href="https://plus.google.com/collection/AguZX" target="_blank">Africa Rising</a>, I am here to help stimulate the discussion for smart cities in Nigeria and all around Africa. This indeed falls into the mission of those of us who care about a Digital Africa, since the process of planning and implementing smart city projects would certainly cause a tremendous increase in employment, skill acquisition and prosperity for the African youth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">YESSS!!!!!!!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But first, we must understand the reality and the prevalence of <i>the problem</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Defining The Problem: </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Urbanization</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Man can control how he plans a city. But man cannot yet control how people migrate from rural areas into any city they want to migrate to.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When urbanization gets out of control, no matter how well the city was planned, bad things start happening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Slums develop. Then crime. Costs of housing, transportation, and food go up. Collection and management of refuse (or waste) gets increasingly difficult. A lot of strain is put on clean water resources. It's all pretty bad. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It would be wonderful if we could build cities with infrastructure that can be functionally "elastic" enough to stretch to fit the challenges of urbanization, wouldn't it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Defining The Solution: </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Smarter Cities</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">A Smart City is planned primarily to improve the quality of life of the citizens that dwell (and will dwell) in it</span></b>. It is judged to be "smart" because it relies on the use of digital technology to bring about such life's qualities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Each smart city should share this common objective, yet different smart city projects would be planned and implemented differently from one another.<br />However, most smart city projects commonly focus on 5 main areas:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Transport, Waste Management, Energy, Food and Water Supply.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I should also mention that so far, I haven't come across any smart city project that doesn't assume that a smarter city must be a green city (i.e. powered primarily by renewable energy). I would imagine that climate change skeptics may not be quite as big on that particular pre-requisite of smart cities though.</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lS_x7DY400U/WCx_kdT8HsI/AAAAAAAAFao/zXUvPZDX_as40sr-0Kb9XGi4JZkhmPdRQCLcB/s1600/smart%2Bcities%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lS_x7DY400U/WCx_kdT8HsI/AAAAAAAAFao/zXUvPZDX_as40sr-0Kb9XGi4JZkhmPdRQCLcB/s640/smart%2Bcities%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Smart Cities Should Convert Refuse To Energy</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mitchell Joachim, <a href="http://www.terreform.org/people_mj.html" target="_blank">an architect at Terraform One</a>, considers the most crucial technological piece for a smart city to be a central system for converting waste (or refuse) to energy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When you really think about this (especially those of us who live in Lagos, Nigeria), that would be a fantastic solution to have at the heart of our cities. We would be killing two really really <i>ugly </i>birds with one stone. </span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NBzE7pHDx8k/WDD36b9mnhI/AAAAAAAAFbA/Zgiwt5r4pBQAXLmxOMh44ufRDzpQrrn2QCLcB/s1600/cheong%2Bkoon%2Bhean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NBzE7pHDx8k/WDD36b9mnhI/AAAAAAAAFbA/Zgiwt5r4pBQAXLmxOMh44ufRDzpQrrn2QCLcB/s640/cheong%2Bkoon%2Bhean.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, this "spirit" of getting power out of waste, or of bringing good things out of not-so-good things, is what smart cities are ultimately about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheong_Koon_Hean" target="_blank">Cheong koon Hean</a> compares a smart city (or town) to a human body. She likens the buildings where activities take place to muscles, the roads to the veins and arteries which move traffic (like blood) from building to building. She also compares trees and parks to the human lungs which help to cleanse the air and give oxygen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mrs Cheong then compares the sensor layer of a data-driven intelligence system to the five senses of the human body, which works with our central nervous system and brain by providing information about what happens in the environment so the human being can learn how to adapt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then there is Dr Rick Robinson (</span><a href="https://theurbantechnologist.com/about/" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">The Urban Technologist)</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Social Scientist Not Forgotten</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I first got interested in the topic of smart cities through my friend, <a href="https://plus.google.com/+DavidAdiomoses" target="_blank">an architect and a lecturer at the University of Lagos</a>, David Adio-Moses. Yet, it was while reading Dr Robinson's blog that my eyes truly opened to the necessity of the idea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://theurbantechnologist.com/2015/02/15/6-inconvenient-truths-about-smart-cities/" target="_blank">This article from Robinson's blog</a> could open your eyes as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is possible, perhaps, that the main reason why I like Dr Robinson's guide to smart cities so much is because of his regard for social scientists (of which I myself am a natural progeny). <br />Indeed, like the professor and father of artificial intelligence's Deep Learning, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Hinton" target="_blank">Geoffrey Hinton</a>, Robinson favours <b><u>a world where social scientists take more significant roles</u></b> in the advancement of our species. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The fact that the problem of urbanization, slums, crime and the spread of diseases are human problems means it is a <b>social </b>problem. I would say it is certain that no amount of technological magic would truly solve social problems without a strong participation of those who truly understand those problems. The social scientists. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So in conclusion, we are now no longer indifferent; in that we realize that the problems that come with urbanization are real. We also know that there can be solutions that can help our cities adapt and learn how to tame these problems of urbanization. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It all requires lots of planning and smart technology to get on top of these problems. And the best way to begin this planning and to learn to use this technology properly is to join the global smart cities conversations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will be writing more about smart cities in the future. I will also be thinking of ways in which the technologies that I am interested in, like <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2016/11/blockchain.html" target="_blank">the Blockchain</a> and the Semantic Web can help solve some of these problems. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks for reading. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please offer your contributions to this topic below. Also link up with me <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/truth-blockchains-rotimi-orimoloye?trk=prof-post" target="_blank">on LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://twitter.com/RotimiOrims" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You already know where to find me <a href="https://plus.google.com/+RotimiOrimoloye" target="_blank">on GooglePlus</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I leave you <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOOWk5yCMMs" target="_blank">with this video for more</a> on smart cities.</span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-34301206297399197972016-11-01T09:40:00.003-07:002020-10-19T21:01:38.349-07:00What Is A Blockchain? Really!<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If you have read my article that </span><a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2016/09/African-intro-to-bitcoin.html" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">introduces Nigeria to Bitcoin</a><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">, then you have a decent foundation for understanding this article.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So I am continuing in that introductory spirit with this piece on <a href="https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=blockchain&oq=blockchin&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.4671j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=the+blockchain" target="_blank">the blockchain</a>, which is a crucial part of the Bitcoin universe.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I will try to keep this article short and reduce the jargon.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-THigqR8_aYk/WBjFCIzWdbI/AAAAAAAAFZw/hJjkQ-EbdZoQSl1w8SZYQtoiUrECwKSJgCLcB/s1600/blockchain-earth-1000x576.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-THigqR8_aYk/WBjFCIzWdbI/AAAAAAAAFZw/hJjkQ-EbdZoQSl1w8SZYQtoiUrECwKSJgCLcB/s640/blockchain-earth-1000x576.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">What Is The Bitcoin Blockchain?</span></h2>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Blockchain is a publicly accessible ledger. <br />Or you might call it a kind of<b> account book.</b></span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>An account book that is open to anyone anywhere in the world</b>. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">And yet, eventhough it is openly accessible to anyone for scrutiny on the Web, all of the records kept on this particular type of account book (unlike normal account books) do not carry the names or addresses of the account holders displayed within the rows of the ledger. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Blockchain merely organizes the accounts with identifiers known as public keys. And since an individual can own as many public keys as they like, this makes it possible for account holders on the Blockchain to be largely anonymous.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Now even though this may sound somewhat "shady" to some people, there are several reasons why anonymity of account holders can be a good thing. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But I will look into that aspect of the Blockchain in later posts. So if you are more interested in that, then ensure that you let me know in the comments below, or simply <a href="https://www.blogger.com/follow.g?view=FOLLOW&blogID=2516563595600085539" target="_blank">follow this blog</a>.►<b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/follow.g?view=FOLLOW&blogID=2516563595600085539" target="_blank">Click Here</a></b>.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Good Stuff</span></h4>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So now that you have an overview of the <b>original </b>Blockchain, or the Bitcoin Blockchain, let me give you an idea of the why this particular Blockchain is important, and why you must keep this in mind....</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Unlike the other imitation "blockchains"- that I would talk about in a moment, the Bitcoin Blockchain has sparked an unprecedented phase of proliferation of financial literacy and knowledge in online security. A phase that is rapidly becoming an era. A new era of enlightenment that could easily lead to a new age of innovation. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">World famous Bitcoin expert, <a href="https://antonopoulos.com/" target="_blank">Andreas Antonopoulos</a> says it this way: </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i>"We are on the verge of a new transformation of money. The verge of creating the first completely global, completely borderless, completely decentralized and completely open form of money"</i></span></blockquote><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">The innovation is heading in a direction where we will build applications because </span><b style="font-size: x-large;"><i>this money</i></b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> is programmable. The Bitcoin Blockchain is about the "internet of money". </span></p><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Think about this for a minute.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">You don't need to ask anyone's permission to launch an application on the <b><i>internet of money</i></b> anymore than you need permission to launch an application on the internet.<br />And this is happening on a global scale. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Antonopoulos insists that the other blockchains cannot cause this kind of exponential innovation.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I tend to agree with him. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Growing Blockchain Brouhaha</span></h3>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Even though there might be many blockchains today, the first ever Blockchain came from </span><a href="https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin whitepaper</a><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">. </span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The ones that I refer to as fake blockchains are those that were launched by and for the benefit of the existing big banks of the developed world. The good news though, is that of recent, they have stopped using the word, "blockchain" for those contraptions of recent. Yet, during those days of the financial sector's frenzy, they made it very clear what they were trying to do. You often heard them say things like, "Bitcoin is dead, the blockchain is the future" or the most popular one, "the true genius of bitcoin is not bitcoin itself - it is the blockchain".</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Talk about wishful thinking...</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Nakamoto</span></h4>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Bitcoin inventor did not actually use the term, "blockchain" in his paper, but it is easy to see how it caught on when you read through <a href="https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf" target="_blank">the 9-page document</a>. </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Nakamoto actually uses the words "block" and "chain" separately and frequently as he tries to explain his proposed system of using a <i>highly secure, chronological order of transactions on a global public ledger.</i></span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i>He created </i></span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">this publicly accessible, decentralized global account book</i><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> to ensure that no government could issue more of the currency or impose restrictions on it. </i><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I know that may be confusing, but do stay with me, let me simplify it.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It was important to Nakamoto that his new digital cash would not need to go through a financial institution to pass from person to person. He believed it was crucial to develop a system that behaves more or less like physical cash in the sense that it would not require people needing to use a third party (financial institution - who, themselves use another party - Interswitch <a href="https://www.google.com.ng/maps/place/Nigeria/@8.9667189,-0.3674278,5z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x104e0baf7da48d0d:0x99a8fe4168c50bc8!8m2!3d9.081999!4d8.675277" target="_blank">in Nigeria</a>) to confidently carry out a transaction.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">You don't need to trust a complete stranger if he paid you 350,000 Naira for your old and dying Toyota Corolla.</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">All you need is to count the money and see that the notes are not fake naira notes. Right?</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Of course.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But in this case, if the bitcoins come into your public bitcoin address (or account), and then you choose not to deliver his car to him, then that becomes another matter. Just as such a scenario is also possible with real cash. </span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CThLHTKcCCw/WBjFWHMiOzI/AAAAAAAAFZ0/2o8K2v1n7i0lbZAWph60dI7cnudbr05dACLcB/s1600/quote-at-its-core-bitcoin-is-a-smart-currency-designed-by-very-forward-thinking-engineers-peter-diamandis-117-80-02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CThLHTKcCCw/WBjFWHMiOzI/AAAAAAAAFZ0/2o8K2v1n7i0lbZAWph60dI7cnudbr05dACLcB/s640/quote-at-its-core-bitcoin-is-a-smart-currency-designed-by-very-forward-thinking-engineers-peter-diamandis-117-80-02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Blockchain And Timestamps</span></h3>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">"Commerce on the Internet has come to rely almost exclusively on financial institutions serving as
trusted third parties...<b><i>What is needed is an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust,
allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted
third party</i></b>"</span></blockquote>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">- Satoshi Nakamoto</span></div>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But after Nakamoto had successfully created a way that cash value would pass from person to person (peer to peer), he needed to ensure that the money could not be duplicated, or that the already spent money would not be spent again by the payer.</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">"The problem of course is the payee can't verify that one of the owners did not double-spend
the coin...We need a way for the payee to know that the previous owners did not sign any earlier
transactions"</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">"The solution we (Nakamoto) propose begins with a timestamp server. A timestamp server works by taking a
hash of a block of items to be timestamped and widely publishing the hash, such as in a
newspaper...The timestamp proves that the data must have existed at the
time, obviously, in order to get into the hash. Each timestamp includes the previous timestamp in
its hash, forming a chain, with each additional timestamp reinforcing the ones before it" </span></blockquote>
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Please, if you don't understand what is meant by "hash", you can ignore that for now. Only keep in mind that by using the highest technology in internet security to ascertain the exact time a transaction was done, they are able to create this innovation known as the Blockchain.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So here is the layman's summary of all of these:</span><br />
<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The bitcoins that people will be sending and spending are generated by the Bitcoin software. That software ensures that they had to be timestamped onto the global account book known today as the Blockchain. All of these processes are open to scrutiny by all (auditors, software developers, account holders, and anyone who cares).</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Bitcoin software</b>, with help from the its network of users (or nodes), manages the Blockchain and ensures the integrity of the bitcoins on it. </span> <span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So bitcoins need the Blockchain, and the Blockchain needs bitcoin. This is an important statement to keep in mind going forward, as you come across other blogs and articles that will want to teach you about "blockchains". Of which many of them will try to first dazzle you with eloquent speech and bragging of years of experience in international banks mixed with PhDs in computer science and all that.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The truth is, regardless of their qualifications, these big tlkers cannot build an aircraft using concrete as a primary component and then expect it to compare with one that was well thought through from the start.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Nakamoto was motivated to invent Bitcoin's Blockchain to solve a problem. These other so-called blockchains are coming from those who created that problem to start with.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I took this rant a bit further in my LinkedIn Post. See it here ► <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/truth-blockchains-rotimi-orimoloye?trk=prof-post" target="_blank">My LinkedIn Rant</a></span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-67318841395067851192016-09-10T11:23:00.001-07:002018-12-20T17:50:14.499-08:00A Nigerian Introduction To Bitcoin<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you are reading this article, it means you are probably interested in learning more about Bitcoin or its Blockchain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And if you are a Nigerian, or any English speaking African for that matter, then you have come to the right place.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here, I will be crunching all of the technical jargon and explaining the plain facts about Bitcoin in layman's English.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Much later on, I will <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2016/11/blockchain.html" target="_blank">go slightly deeper in explaining the Blockchain</a>. (That article is now available by the way - <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2016/11/blockchain.html" target="_blank">click here</a>)</span><br />
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Meanwhile, beyond that, I will be exposing how Bitcoin relates to the other transformative digital technologies that I have been following (including the Semantic Web, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, etc).</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But for now, let us talk about Bitcoin....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What Is Bitcoin?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First of all it is not a coin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is a cryptocurrency. It is also a kind of software with its own game changing <b>platform</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is really important you understand that second part if you want to benefit as a young African entrepreneur or computer programmer.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is a funny way to look at it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">STOP WATCHING THE $$$ PRICE OF BITCOIN!</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am sure you all know how incredibly beautiful Hausa girls are, right? Okay, I am not saying that Ibo or Yoruba are ugly - only that I went to secondary school in Zaria, and anyway, you get the picture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So now, imagine you meet a very beautiful Hausa girl. Then imagine that, for whatever reason, you never tried to get to know her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So now you are chatting with your friends about this lovely girl you just saw, and you are only talking about her incredible eyes and the way she looked at you with them.<br />
You mention how you could easily tell what her lovely dark skin would feel like. You also had to mention her great round.......okay this is not that kind of story.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My point is that because you did not take the time to dig deeper, you missed out on the fact that this chick has a Masters Degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics, she owns a 1,000 hectare farm in Kaduna where she employs 500 young farmers, and she feeds hundreds of kids everyday; for free, while providing computers and smart phones for them to get an education. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is what is happening with Bitcoin today. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">VERY FEW PEOPLE ARE DIGGING DEEPER!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that, my brethren, is an OPPORTUNITY for YOU!</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most people constantly debate and postulate about what <b><i>the value of the currency</i></b> is, or should be, or whether or not is has any intrinsic value.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is so foolish! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Very few people actually pay attention to what is happening underneath...... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And what is hapening underneath is what is so huge about Bitcoin!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So stick with me, <a href="http://bit.ly/FollowDigAfrica" target="_blank">by following my blog. </a> Click here to ►<a href="http://bit.ly/FollowDigAfrica" target="_blank"> Follow DigAfrica</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But for now, let me just give you a few ideas: </span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bitcoin : Cash & More, Much More</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Started in 2009, Bitcoin was meant to bring to the world, an anonymous, person to person transfer of money on the internet. It was designed to behave very similar to the way actual cash behaves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is also meant to do this while bearing </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">very low transaction costs for the sender, in comparison to current online banking transactions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They call it the Money Transfer Protocol of the internet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But before I come to explain the meaning of cryptocurrency, let me first of all mention that there are two distinct ways to look at Bitcoin:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is bitcoin <b>the currency</b> (spelled with a small 'b').</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And there is Bitcoin <b>the software and protocol</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So kindly take note of the difference in the usage of either small or capital letter 'B'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Bitcoin Software</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Bitcoin software was originally designed by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Nakamoto" target="_blank">a computer developer</a> known as Satoshi Nakamoto. He designed it to manage a very high security peer to peer network using a technique known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography" target="_blank">public key cryptography</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is this cryptographic technique employed by the Bitcoin software that gives the bitcoin currency a very high level of security from hacking or theft as it is transferred from person to person throughout the internet. This cryptographic technique usage is the reason why it is called a cryptocurrency.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What Is a Cryptocurrency?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is a kind of virtual currency that mostly tries to behave like cash, but with other programmable functions. On the internet, bitcoins can be sent or transferred from person to person like cash moves from hand to hand, without the need of a bank or any other middle-man. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everyone understands how cash works: We see our naira notes, South African rand and US dollars as currency. <br />
They are legal tender each within their respective countries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can confidently hand over the keys and the documents of your old car to someone if they give you raw cash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As long as we can tell that the cash notes are not fake, we readily accept them as payment for anything.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, whenever we have gathered lots of this cash, we no longer trust ourselves enough to keep all of it safe. Therefore we take most of it to the bank (a middle-man). <br />
This is because we trust those banks, and we trust our government's central bank to protect the value of our money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Trusted Third Parties </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nevertheless, some people have argued that all the trust we place in these third parties (like banks) is a little too much, and therefore easily abused. Bitcoin was invented to remove this need to trust any human being or organization with our money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is why bitcoins acceptance is growing around the world at an increasing rate, and its value is increasing along with it. Many bitcoin users around the world no longer trust their government or their banks. Instead they trust the Bitcoin software because of its cutting-edge security and faith that its global value will continue growing in future. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile cryptocurrencies have much more functionality than normal money. For example, bitcoins are designed to be spent anywhere in the world. This is because it is completely decentralized and has no ties to any one country's central bank. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PTqBqNSnVQ/V8OFC3LVOVI/AAAAAAAAFTM/_ybJAF66g0Y-qEc9rLcHAOYxdCJk4OzVgCPcB/s1600/RTX2D5GJ-800x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PTqBqNSnVQ/V8OFC3LVOVI/AAAAAAAAFTM/_ybJAF66g0Y-qEc9rLcHAOYxdCJk4OzVgCPcB/s640/RTX2D5GJ-800x450.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As emails are to letters, so are bitcoins to cash</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We know that emails do exactly what posted letters do, but also that emails can do a lot more than paper letters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Apart from the speed of an email and the fact that you can send the same email to many people at the same time, emails can also have attachments in them, which can be videos or other digital media. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Letters cannot do anything like this. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So also cryptocurrencies have several functionalities that paper cash does not have. And I will look into these in a future post. But for now, some of those include assigning additional values to your money, ensuring the money behaves in a specific way, creating and enforcing legally binding contracts without the high cost of lawyers, etc. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not A Ponzi Scheme</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, for those who are asking whether Bitcoin is a ponzi scheme, some zealous websites out there are selling ponzi schemes while using the word 'bitcoin' to draw attention to themselves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is very important to note that Bitcoin has nothing to do with these ponzi schemes or any other kind of network marketing schemes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ponzi schemes are fraudulent businesses that use multi-level marketing (MLM) strategies that give the early investors a hope of getting rich quickly by inviting other investors (or down-lines). Ultimately, the business isn't selling any product of actual value, and at the end of the day, only the earliest investors earn any profit. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Investing in bitcoins on the other hand, means that you are simply collecting virtual currency that has been increasing in real monetary value (it started as $0 in 2009; now worth $624 as of today), and allows you to spend and receive money from across international borders without needing a bank, or Western Union, and their typically exorbitant transaction fees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This can be very good for Africa.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But also take note that I am not saying that Bitcoin is perfect, or that you should go and invest everything you have in it.<br />
No. Certainly not. Please always be careful with how you digest information. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What I am really saying here is that I think it is quite important to, at least, pay close attention to it, as Bitcoin looks like a world changing technology in the making. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bitcoin And The Blockchain</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, Bitcoin is primarily a software that secures the bitcoin currency. It also sets it immutability.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">By this I mean that once a bitcoin has been spent online or transferred, it cannot be reversed. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The only way you can get a bitcoin back after sending it to someone is if that person agrees to send it back to you in another transaction.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Bitcoin software governs this highly controlled and secure behavior of bitcoins thanks to <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain_(database)" target="_blank">the blockchain</a></b>. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The blockchain is a kind of database or ledger that records and stored all bitcoin transactions and is protected by cryptography, and is publicly and transparently maintained by the entire growing Bitcoin network of users.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Ifrts-Q_-A/V8cIP-OiQ3I/AAAAAAAAFVM/YsPtlaz0l-o7WwozqbfCmGhpW3yYNFefwCLcB/s1600/africa-bitcoin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Ifrts-Q_-A/V8cIP-OiQ3I/AAAAAAAAFVM/YsPtlaz0l-o7WwozqbfCmGhpW3yYNFefwCLcB/s640/africa-bitcoin.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will write more about this blockchain and other blockchains in the future. I will try to explain some of its technical aspects in simple terms and also show examples of where the technology is already being used. This is because I believe that Africa needs an early invitation to come and learn one of the likely leading technologies of the next digital revolution and <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/" target="_blank">fourth industrial revolution</a>. Blockchain technology is in my opinion, perhaps even more important than the Internet of Things, than Smart Cities, or than <a href="http://bit.ly/1Fe4RVZ" target="_blank">the Semantic Web</a>.</span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What's Next With Bitcoin?</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A lot!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As though the future wasn't already promising a lot of major digital technological wonders, Bitcoin has come and added a new dimension.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The recent success of Bitcoin across continents has not only raised the value of the currency and its usage and acceptance, it has also sparked off the development of other cryptocurrencies, each with their own blockchains. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And of course, you can expect that I would be following these trends. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some have argued that the value of one Bitcoin could eventually reach $ 1 million by 2025. But such speculations are not my concern. I focus on understanding and analyzing the technology and especially how it can be useful to Africans and to Nigeria. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, I will encourage you to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/follow.g?view=FOLLOW&blogID=2516563595600085539" target="_blank">follow this blog</a> if you wish to learn more about the future of money. Or you can also find my other articles in newspapers by searching on Google for "Rotimi Orimoloye Bitcoin News" or "Rotimi Orimoloye Digital Africa". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">if you are interested in other digital technologies and how such information and knowledge can improve the quality of life of Africans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what are you waiting for? Go and start getting your bitcoins!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And if you don't have enough money to buy the minimum of $10 worth of coins, the good news is that there are <a href="https://bitcoinker.com/?r=3GGPWJbftQqF5b5jn5JK6zrDFM924eSYRq" target="_blank">a few websites that give out free bitcoins</a>. Not much, but enough to get you started with Bitcoin and to transfer small change among your friends, just to know how Bitcoin works. <a href="https://bitcoinker.com/?r=3GGPWJbftQqF5b5jn5JK6zrDFM924eSYRq" target="_blank">Here is one of such websites</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you have any questions about this topic or anything to add to this article, please feel free to use the comments below. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am always happy to engage in the conversations that can more Africans forward. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you liked this, kindly re-share on social media so that other Africans will get a headsup.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thank you so much.</span><br />
<br />ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0Lagos, Nigeria6.5243793 3.37920570000005686.0168542999999994 2.7310122000000567 7.0319043 4.0273992000000565tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-42622401572523001372016-08-30T11:30:00.001-07:002016-10-20T10:55:52.464-07:00The ZMOT And The Angry Salesman<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many
people have come up with <a href="https://plus.google.com/+RotimiOrimoloye/posts/Zk8ESMMLxhG" target="_blank">various definitions</a> of the zero moment of truth. And
perhaps some of these characterizations <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/zmot-really-leadership-rotimi-orimoloye" target="_blank">are more “equal” than others</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But for
now, let me convey to you the one that I consider to be the most significant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RZg-PHvgRVs/V8XNAAev5TI/AAAAAAAAFUc/9hcoYckfuqQTlqR9UpJUR2UhekWu5dBSQCLcB/s1600/ZMOT-Zero-Moment-of-Truth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RZg-PHvgRVs/V8XNAAev5TI/AAAAAAAAFUc/9hcoYckfuqQTlqR9UpJUR2UhekWu5dBSQCLcB/s640/ZMOT-Zero-Moment-of-Truth.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/+JimLecinski/posts" target="_blank">Google’sJim Lecinski</a> describes the ZMOT as <i>“a new
decision-making moment that takes place a hundred million times a day on mobile
phones, laptops and wired devices of all kinds. It’s a moment where marketing
happens, where information happens, and where consumers make choices that
affect the success and failure of nearly every brand in the world”</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Try
to imagine this scenario: A woman on her iPad at home, going through different web
pages, trying to learn about the features of different models of electric cars
to know which one would be most suitable for her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or
try to guess why a man would type the following words into a search engine; “high quality HD web cams for video conferencing”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now,
if you were the marketer for a company like Tesla Motors (which manufactures
electric cars) or Logitech (who make web cameras), you really should be doing
something about these kind of searches, shouldn’t you? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ever
since I was studying Mass Communication at the University of Lagos (Nigeria) I’ve
been hearing people use the cliché, “Information is power”. (Perhaps even before
I got into college)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But
if you pause to really think about it, I would ask you, “why exactly is information
powerful?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What
can you do with it when you have it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And
is it under every circumstance that being informed is powerful?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In
my opinion, in marketing, it is using the right information with a proper mix
of previous knowledge and skills that gives you true power, and a clear advantage
over the rest of your industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once
upon a time, in the earliest days of color tv, television advertisements were very entertaining to viewers. There were
not so many options of tv shows or channels, and therefore the commercials themselves
were part of the enjoyable variety. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fast forward several decades, and some of these ads became annoying and
interruption to most tv viewers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And yet, these days, people can actually go deliberately looking for a particular advert if it contains some specific information they are looking for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A
marketer has to be able to <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2013/09/zmot-conversations-in-africa.html" target="_blank">THINK in the proper context and in the spirit of the times</a> he is living in. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, permit me to give you an example as to why you can no
longer afford to think like you used to do in the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This
is a true story by the way:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_5_hyu-pQfo/V8XNM9y-rDI/AAAAAAAAFUg/GpZrQku3NMgO0NMs-WT2fKxa2gz8zOUqwCLcB/s1600/zmot%2Bangry.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="554" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_5_hyu-pQfo/V8XNM9y-rDI/AAAAAAAAFUg/GpZrQku3NMgO0NMs-WT2fKxa2gz8zOUqwCLcB/s640/zmot%2Bangry.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">THE ANGRY SALESMAN</span></h3>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometime
at the end of January last year, I was with a client at her office. She had
gotten information about some man who had just returned from the US and who was
looking to sell a Canon Rebel series camera.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/+101BusinessTVShow" target="_blank">My client is in the tv production business</a>, so she wanted to learn more about the
capabilities and the features of the camera, so she called him and she asked him
some questions in order to learn more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then
at a certain point during their conversation, it suddenly occurred to my client to
ask me to help her do a Google search on the particular model of the camera that the man
wanted to sell. So the man read to her the specific model inscription on the device.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now,
while I was doing the search, she was still asking the man if the camera could handle
HD video recording and some other things. She had even sent one of her staff
cameramen to drive all the way to the man’s house, to take a look at the camera
on her behalf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In
anycase, the man couldn’t answer her questions because he didn’t really know
much about cameras or about filming. He was just <i>some guy</i> who bought some camera from the US and wished to sell it at a profit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet,
I was answering her questions for her by reading the online reviews and
specifications of the particular camera. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">All
we really ever needed was to get him to <i>read to her</i> the EXACT model description of the
camera he had with him, which he did, and that was all I needed to get <b><i>all of the information</i></b>
she needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But
as soon as he found out that my client had been checking-up the camera online, he suddenly got really angry, and started to yell at my client, saying that she was wasting
his time. This in-turn made my client upset, and because of how the man was
acting, she lost interest in buying his camera altogether.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, do you think the man was right to act that way?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I
think he was not very mindful of the <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2014/01/zmot-enthusiast.html" target="_blank">Zero Moment Of Truth.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also noticed that he had failed to realize that his product was actually a top of
the range model - it was a <b>Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sadly
for him, he was trying to sell it off as just a mere “Canon Rebel” camera. At least that was what he kept saying until my client dug for more details from him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If
he wasn’t so foolhardy, he could have made a quick sale, as all the things my
client was looking for in the camera (which he couldn’t answer) were right
there in the list of specifications and features online. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He failed to realize that there just aren’t that many people left today, who
would just up and write you a cheque without first doing some of their own home work about what you are selling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Worst of all, he had no way of knowing that I was actually telling his potential customer
(my client) that his camera was in fact a great bargain for her, based on my
online searches at that point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">His
ignorance of the reality of this ZMOT behavior caused him to lose his temper;
which in turn, caused him to lose a sale.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, the moral of the story?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Always expect your potential customers to do their homework about whatever it is you're selling. Stop assuming that you can sell stuff by merely insisting, "Buy it, because it is the best, and I want you to." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Allow them do their homework, but try as much as is in your power to be the there, whispering in their ears, wherever they are doing this homework. Most of the time it will be on the internet at a conceptual place called the zero moment of truth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For more reading on the ZMOT, kindly <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-is-zmot.html" target="_blank">check out my other post</a> with Nigerian examples. </span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0Lagos, Nigeria6.5243793 3.37920570000005686.5243793 3.3792057000000568 6.5243793 3.3792057000000568tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-11710033429780730522016-04-14T02:42:00.000-07:002017-08-25T22:40:48.616-07:00Bill Gates & Africa's Energy Poverty: Good Intentions; Dangerous Interpretations<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is one blog post where I really seek feedback. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Whether contrary points of view (preferably), or corrections, or any kind of contribution on this critical topic affecting our continent. So please feel free to share your thoughts at the end....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Bill Gates To Help The Poor Get Energy</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lusitana" , serif; font-size: large; line-height: 25px;"><i>"These days, I don’t take energy for granted. I know what a difference it can make in the lives of the poorest [people], and I’m committed to helping them get it." </i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lusitana" , serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lusitana" , serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;">- Bill Gates</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The above quote came from <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Energy/Powering-the-Fight-Against-Poverty" target="_blank">Bill Gates' blog post</a> entitled "Powering The Fight Against Poverty" and I couldn't be happier with him for it. ♥</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UPlQ6uB2PiY/VwzC-yL7IfI/AAAAAAAAFKg/ED3YsHAKo3wfEzz97vOOF0JHIeLu5VlTACLcB/s1600/gates%2Band%2Bgoodluck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UPlQ6uB2PiY/VwzC-yL7IfI/AAAAAAAAFKg/ED3YsHAKo3wfEzz97vOOF0JHIeLu5VlTACLcB/s640/gates%2Band%2Bgoodluck.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I find myself sharing opinions with the legendary computer scientist and entrepreneur on many other thoughts from his blog; like <i><span style="color: blue;">Africa being the least to blame for climate change and yet the most likely to suffer the greatest causalities to its effects</span></i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I also loved <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates" target="_blank">Mr Gates'</a> kind advocacy for Africa where he says,</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lusitana" , serif; font-size: large; line-height: 25px;"><i>"Instead of putting constraints on poor countries that will hold back their ability to fight poverty, we should be investing dramatically more money in R&D to make fossil fuels cleaner and make clean energy cheaper than any fossil fuel."</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">That one came from <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Energy/Two-Videos-Illuminate-Energy-Poverty-Bjorn-Lomborg" target="_blank">another 2014 blog post</a> by Mr Gates. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In fact here is a scrumptious video bonus for you here ► <a href="http://www.youtube.ng/watch?v=JaF-fq2Zn7I" target="_blank">Bill Gates speaking at TED</a>.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Bill Gates' "Faulty" Argument?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Nevertheless, I am going to very respectfully disagree with Mr Gates on one particular point. And emphatically as well because of the gravity of what is at stake:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lusitana" , serif; line-height: 25px;"><i>"We should not try to solve the problem on the backs of the poor. For one thing, poor countries represent a small part of the carbon-emissions problem. And they desperately need cheap sources of energy now to fuel the economic growth that lifts families out of poverty. <b>They can’t afford today’s expensive clean energy solutions, and we can’t expect them to wait for the technology to get cheaper</b>." </i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is indeed very nice and thoughtful from the philanthropist, but I warn against <b>very likely misconceptions</b> that such a statement could very easily generate and <b>has very possibly already generated</b>.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Not all of today's clean energy solutions are too expensive for Africa (And I am referring to sub-Saharan Africa). </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Solar energy</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> is MOST certainly NOT too expensive for us! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The rate at which costs of renewable energy solutions is falling is too dramatic to make such dismissive statements at this point in time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am very confident that solar will actually be cheaper for us, not just in the long term (beyond 2030), but even in the mid term (from 2020 to 2030) as well. So why wait? Why not begin building capacity right now? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Feeling The Full Blast Of Africa's Energy Poverty</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But before someone gets irked by that claim, and accuses me of being an insensitive son of an ex-military ruler that spends most of his days living lavishly in the UK, let me quickly add that I fit perfectly into the category of those people who Bill Gates says are in desperate need of electricity right now!</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I do not currently earn enough to power my home any much more than the average Nigerian does. Despite that, I am certain that I have, by far, more need of electricity than any human being I ever met, by reason of the amount of time I spend everyday on the Web - improving my knowledge and skill on <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com.ng/2015/07/Open-Data-Semantic-Web.html" target="_blank">Semantic Web technologies</a>, Big Data, digital marketing and Google Analytics. I also <i>obsessively </i>do research on electric vehicles, battery technologies, micro-grid distribution, and most of all, renewable energy generation - including solar, geothermal, biomass, solar thermal, and emerging sustainable energy trends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Yes, you could argue that all of this boils down to simply powering a laptop, and yet recently when both my laptop battery and my UPS backup system both went bad, I suddenly realized how desperate such a situation was, and how terrible it must feel to live like this all year round.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Add to that the fact that I have to deal with teaching a small (but growing) group of young people to help them acquire digital skills and learn code, yet who live in much harder circumstances than even I ever imagined (and cannot even afford their own laptops).</span><br />
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</span> <span style="background-color: blue;"><span style="background-color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Side note:</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: blue;"><span style="background-color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I didn't start obsessing over renewable energy because I was an environmentalist that wants to save the world (even though I have NOW indeed began to care). <br />
I do it because my commonsense tells me that Africa has to key-into the knowledge economy at some point in our existence, and we can not go back to begin at the stage of the industrial revolution. <br />I realize that we simply have to START FROM THE FUTURE! And renewable energy, for me, is clearly that future. So as strange as it sounds, our present wretched state of electricity supply is an opportunity for us....</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So I can safely say that I am many times more awake to the electricity horror than any other Nigerian right now, <b>and YET, here I am, </b>INSISTING that solar energy should be our NUMBER ONE priority!!! (<i>without necessarily abandoning our natural gas projects of course</i>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So how could Bill Gates' statement generate misconceptions? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lusitana" , serif; line-height: 25px;">"... </span><b style="font-family: lusitana, serif; line-height: 25px;">They can’t afford today’s expensive clean energy solutions, and we can’t expect them wait for the technology to get cheaper</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lusitana" , serif; line-height: 25px;">."</span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">First recognize that I actually found Bill Gates' article during a <b><i>spirited </i></b>debate with a fellow Nigerian who had completely bought Mr Gates' argument. Which at the time, wasn't really Mr Gates' argument. But he (Bill Gates) had actually given some <b>sort of</b> endorsement to a certain Bjorn Lomborg. <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Energy/Two-Videos-Illuminate-Energy-Poverty-Bjorn-Lomborg" target="_blank">Find that here. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">During the course of our argument, I kept referring him to data from energy related sources (like the <a href="http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=renewable_home" target="_blank">US EIA</a>, World Economic Forum and <a href="http://energy.gov/energysaver/about-us" target="_blank">US.DOE</a>). He on the other hand kept referring to statements made by Bill Gates. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You see, the dynamic at work here is that when the richest man in the world <b>appears to say</b> that <i><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d;">Africa should leave clean energy to the developed world</span></i>, the danger is that many Nigerians would probably not bother with any kind of confirmatory or contradictory research on the matter any longer. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Many would just simply </span><i style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">fall in line</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">They could very <b>likely </b>dismiss the idea of renewables altogether; in fact some of the elite already are dismissing it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And knowing my society the way I do, I can guess that even if solar became a hundred times cheaper than fossil fuels, Nigerian policy makers would then still <b>probably </b>need to be struck by lightning first, in order to revisit the argument again. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Here are two tweets from Nigerian billionaire, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Elumelu" target="_blank">Tony Elumelu</a> during the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2016" target="_blank">World Economic Forum at Davos 2016</a>:</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VUPg0-rWk_o/Vw_c3eCbefI/AAAAAAAAFLg/pu13iSoBJaMM8HMXqZ5b9kRQhZrxmDywgCLcB/s1600/elumelu%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VUPg0-rWk_o/Vw_c3eCbefI/AAAAAAAAFLg/pu13iSoBJaMM8HMXqZ5b9kRQhZrxmDywgCLcB/s320/elumelu%2B1.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nt66oze33a8/Vw_c3JA6uUI/AAAAAAAAFLk/iAudkJojUxwk4jNGzMdVIzYPLK7KtfqsACLcB/s1600/elumelu2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nt66oze33a8/Vw_c3JA6uUI/AAAAAAAAFLk/iAudkJojUxwk4jNGzMdVIzYPLK7KtfqsACLcB/s320/elumelu2.jpg" width="218" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Again, this kind of talk will leave many not-so-informed people with the idea that renewable energy is a kind of luxury that will never be able to replace fossil fuel sources. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Similar comments have come from Jim Ovia and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliko_Dangote" target="_blank">Aliko Dangote</a> (Nigeria and Africa's richest man) who appears to have been getting very friendly with Bill Gates since the latter brought his admirable fight against polio to Nigeria in 2011. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now, compare Koffi Annan's comment:</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pnhPthn765k/Vw_dU1W9_oI/AAAAAAAAFLo/kmzXeami5mUkJgCYeMkXQGR82mmymPLDgCLcB/s1600/koffi%2Banan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pnhPthn765k/Vw_dU1W9_oI/AAAAAAAAFLo/kmzXeami5mUkJgCYeMkXQGR82mmymPLDgCLcB/s1600/koffi%2Banan.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I should point out that Alhaji Dangote is among the many billionaires who joined Bill Gates' <a href="http://www.breakthroughenergycoalition.com/en/who.html" target="_blank">Breakthrough Energy Coalition</a> that was announced at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference" target="_blank">the Climate Change Conference (COP21)</a> .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Would it be a surprise me to see Dangote team up with Bill Gates sometime in the near future, trying to sell his TerraPower travelling wave nuclear reactor to Nigeria? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Not likely.</span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Follow The Truth; Follow What Is Abundantly Clear</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The truth is, I have nothing against people who "follow" Bill Gates (I don't mean on Twitter). I just think these issues are much bigger than one man. Regardless of how smart, or how rich, or how generous that man is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Africans need to have their own thinkers.<br />Other parts of the world are fast becoming knowledge economies. Innovation always trumps maintaining the status-quo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So why must we be different?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Figuring out how to convert all of the free knowledge available to us into location-biased technology, and that technology into location-biased solutions is our only challenge. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We can overcome this challenge through the use of clear focused government policy that makes solar power generation and solar technology research very attractive in sub-Saharan Africa, and more importantly, attractive to young Africans. If we do not incentivize it, it will never get a fighting chance against the traditional sources (like oil, gas and coal).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I cannot say that I am 100% certain that Bill Gates is wrong, but I personally prefer <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/elon-musk-masterng-value-chain-thinking-rotimi-orimoloye?published=t" target="_blank">Elon Musk's <i>"sleeves rolled-up", </i>value-chain thinking </a></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/elon-musk-masterng-value-chain-thinking-rotimi-orimoloye?published=t" target="_blank">approach</a> to the CO2 problem. Musk and several other <i>"hands-on"</i> entrepreneurs are tackling the issue from many angles, eventhough they are not all multi-billionaires like Bill Gates and Alhaji Dangote. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In my opinion, their drive to defeat global warming will soon catch up with our hunger for energy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It only makes logical sense that a technology that requires a raw material that is absolutely and abundantly free ( the sun, heat and the winds) will surely become cheaper than the alternatives that need to be extracted and processed before being used to generate power.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So whether it is for Climate Change, or for reducing Energy Poverty, these people's (Elon Musk and co) </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">continuous </span><b style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">ACTION </b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">will keep doing exactly what the world needs: persist in </span><b style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">driving down</b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> the cost of solar panels, other renewables and energy storage. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So Nigerians must quickly realize that we must choose to prioritize on sustainability. And start putting in the necessary action now!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Coal is not sustainable, and I doubt that gas is either. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">America and Europe may have gotten their opportunity with coal during the famous industrial revolution, but things are different now....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Solar is the "new coal". It is also the "new oil". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We must see this as a revolution for us as well, not just a means of generating electricity. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We must not utterly fail this lesson!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sooner, rather than later, we must understand that this is an excellent opportunity for us to aggressively gain a bit of lost ground on that exponentially increasing technological gap between us and the Asians (not to mention Europe and the US). </span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">DO NOT GIVE UP ON GAS</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What I am saying is not meant to take anything away from Africa's traditional power generating projects, like our natural gas projects in Nigeria.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I strongly suggest that we continue to grow our generating capacity with gas, rather than flaring it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But why should this slow down any solar aspirations we might have? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Again, I repeat that the main reason why I am strongly advocating for solar energy is not because I am trying to <b>save the planet </b>but actually because I am convinced that it will not be any more expensive than the traditional sources that Africa is used to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Let us consider the Grand Inga Dam Project which African leaders came up with. Consider that $80 billion is to be spent on this project that should bring 40,000 MW of power between 2020 and 2025. This number (40GW) is no doubt very good news for Africa, and even more so that that price includes the cost of transmission lines as well. But Africa has only one Inga falls. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now, obviously there is no way that any solar project can dream of that 40 GW output number. The largest solar project currently, is in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanpah_Solar_Power_Facility" target="_blank">the Mojave Desert in California</a> and it's output is presently less than 400MW. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now, It cost $2.2 billion, but there are reports of bigger projects coming up around the world that would be proportionately bigger and cheaper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But my real argument is that if we quickly add very large solar projects to this Grand Inga Dam thing, it will start us off on a path that would definitely bring down the cost of future renewable projects in sub-Saharan Africa and in each respective individual country. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z51wDBAmTtk/Vw9gWcm6TQI/AAAAAAAAFLE/WYZaXfOTggoMacwApcuGOHNLjLEmQRXGACKgB/s1600/tower-aerial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Concentrated Solar Thermal Plant in Mojave Desert, California" border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z51wDBAmTtk/Vw9gWcm6TQI/AAAAAAAAFLE/WYZaXfOTggoMacwApcuGOHNLjLEmQRXGACKgB/s640/tower-aerial.jpg" title="Ivanpah CSP Plant - Africa's Energy Poverty" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;">The </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;">Ivanpah Solar</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"> Electric Generating System is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the California Mojave Desert. It has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Let us take a look at the relentless drives being made by developed nations, confederations and agencies (like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Energy_Agency" target="_blank">IEA</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Renewable_Energy_Agency" target="_blank">IRENA</a>), and realize that we must also gear up for the future. The world is certainly not playing around with renewable energy, and neither should we. They are not only worried about global warming, they are ALSO aggressively trying to <a href="http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/21/details-of-obamas-plan-to-reduce-dependence-on-foreign-oil-emerge/" target="_blank">break their shackles from oil exporting nations</a>. (Nigeria, does that mean anything to you?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We must understand the potential implications of the strides achieved by the State of California, and more recent ambitious goals by China, Oman, Morocco and <a href="http://www.greencitytimes.com/Sustainable-Cities/vancouver-greenest-city-2020.html" target="_blank">the City of Vancouver</a>.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bL9syEH6cBw/VwzAYKzpw5I/AAAAAAAAFKU/1nJy4R_4CRkc1OIKZ7RPl3IhUGmLDxMAwCLcB/s1600/prius%2BPHEV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bL9syEH6cBw/VwzAYKzpw5I/AAAAAAAAFKU/1nJy4R_4CRkc1OIKZ7RPl3IhUGmLDxMAwCLcB/s640/prius%2BPHEV.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back in 2012, the Barack Obama of the US made a deal <a href="http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/03/nas-by-2050-its-possible-to-cut-car-petroleum-use-by-80-percent/" target="_blank">with auto manufacturers to reduce fuel consumption to 50 miles per gallo</a>n. This is part of a long term goal to reduce fossil fuel consumption of US vehicles by 80% before 2050.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is sad that at such a time when (reliable) information is free on the Web, many Africans seem to be intellectually lazy. But we must encourage our children to read extensively for their sake, and their children's. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is really upsetting every time I read about possible plans to build more <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-voltage_direct_current" target="_blank">HVDC transmission lines</a> that would potentially <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/04/morocco-to-switch-on-first-phase-of-worlds-largest-solar-plant" target="_blank">carry power generated in African deserts to Europe</a>. It doesn't upset me because I think Europeans are greedy - after all, the existing lines have been bringing power from Europe to North Africa anyways. What upsets me is the fact that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertec" target="_blank">Europeans have seen the huge potential of Africa's sunny deserts for ages</a>, while we refuse to open our eyes.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am not an engineer but I have done a lot of research into this power crisis for a few years now. And I have made my conclusions that decentralized distribution is one of the biggest solutions that sub-Saharan Africa will need to truly overcome our energy poverty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Part 2 of this post will continue with my ideas on decentralized Micro-grids, battery storage, and how sub-Saharan African governments (like our North African counterparts) can attract the best solar energy deals to the continent, and also build local skill and capacity in the process.<a href="http://www.weflive.com/?gclid=CjwKEAiAoIK1BRCRiMqphvnlwlwSJAAOebPM-SDJZBBBsaHc24VDEh21OT4Dz4MxfwhONh3V34FfuBoCARvw_wcB#!/story/c6f616a0fc3911e58f1c4fe61e55a6c2" target="_blank"> It is now ready. Find it here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now it's time to hear from you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Do you have any contrary points of view (preferably), or corrections, or any kind of contribution on this critical topic affecting our continent? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments....</span><br />
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<br />ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-89443611538476020252016-02-08T02:58:00.000-08:002016-02-21T02:55:50.170-08:00Demystifying Yahoo-yahoo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1km9v4SpKLs/VrhuMJQRLhI/AAAAAAAAFBM/JVh1F3_iQ5o/s1600/ted%2Bcruz.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1km9v4SpKLs/VrhuMJQRLhI/AAAAAAAAFBM/JVh1F3_iQ5o/s640/ted%2Bcruz.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So recently Republican Senator Ted Cruz of the USA verbally attacked
Nigerians with a sweeping generalization while he was criticizing some health
care policy by the President of United States (Barrack Obama). Mr Cruz claimed
that Nigerian Email Scammers were somehow responsible for the web-development
problems that the Obamacare website had been facing. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>(Note: <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O5johlEsc4EJ:101business.tv/blog/%3Ftag%3Dyahooyahoo&num=1&hl=en&gl=ng&strip=1&vwsrc=0">My
original post was in March 2014</a> but that website has been taken down) </i></span></div>
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Now this is quite an unfortunate and asinine way for a Senator, or even anyone
who has gone through some form of high school to speak publicly. And we all
know that every nation in this world has its own fair share of miscreants and
law-breakers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet, who cares really? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everyone generalizes! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So that is not what my article is about. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am talking about…..</span></div>
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Demystifying Yahooyahoo!</span></b></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Internet fraud, or Yahooyahoo, as it is fondly called by
many young Nigerians, is an ugly anomaly that has greatly affected the global perception
of our nation for quite a while now. And if you are in my line of business
(digital marketing) then you most certainly would have come across many people
from all over the world, who have had some kind of encounter with a yahooyahoo idiot
from Nigeria at some point. <br />
But thankfully, that doesn’t seem to have affected my online interactions so far
so badly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In this article, I am going to attempt to shatter some of
the myths that surround this infamous yahooyahoo madness, and afterwards try to
present an alternative for young people out there, who either think there is no
other option, or those who are just on the verge of beginning their shameful Yahooyahoo
career.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ignorance may seem to be an excuse for some today, but you
will always be responsible for your choice to learn or not to learn. So, if you
would like to stop being a coward, and start becoming a responsible individual
with a global view, with integrity, with family values, and with genuine
self-esteem; then read on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now yahooyahoo is the name that young Nigerians came up with
to describe the activities of their peers who engage in internet scams for the
purpose of making some money. It entails the use of emails or other internet
resources to execute confidence tricks on unsuspecting victims, usually (but
not exclusively) foreigners. They do this with the goal of making some foreign
currency from them. At times, and I’m not sure if I understood this perfectly
well, they get access to hacked credit card details (from Vietnamese hackers I
am told) and use those to shop online so they can sell off the items they buy
as soon as they are arrive via shipment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, while a <b>minute few</b>
yahooyahoo fraudsters have been known to make insane amounts of money from this
enterprise, clearly, a much greater majority have continued to suffer in their
ever deepening poverty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now if you are one of those hyper-sensitive and overly self-defensive
Nigerians who like to blame this embarrassing trend on the “greed of the
foreign victims”, presuming that that somehow justifies those dickheads among
us who perpetrate this act? <br />
Then I would suggest that you open up your mind at this point, or stop reading
altogether. Cos this is gonna get rough!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5faO0LbfGA/Vrhu5l-sJPI/AAAAAAAAFBY/0_3m4rs0AvE/s1600/iwe25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5faO0LbfGA/Vrhu5l-sJPI/AAAAAAAAFBY/0_3m4rs0AvE/s400/iwe25.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This article should help you change your thinking so that
you would longer be a passive abettor, or vindicator, or devil’s advocate
(whichever way you view it); but become the kind of responsible citizen that is
armed with the right kind of advice to give to his or her neighbor’s son or
anyone else you know that might be misled with this warped sense of
rationalization.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here are a few hard and uncommon truths about the matter:</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Yahooyahoo is
NOT easy money </span></i></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, you might even wonder why I think I know what I am
talking about? If I am being so self-righteous, how come I claim to know so
much about internet fraud if I myself haven’t also been a perpetrator of it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, I haven’t. Sorry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have a friend who owns a number of cyber cafes, and I spent
quite a few nights I the past surfing all night at his cafes. Many of his regular
customers happened to be yahooyahoo boys and as a result, I am fully aware that
these perps work as hard, if not harder than everyone else. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The kind of dedication they put into it: from as early as 9am
till about 6 to 7am the next morning; doing the same thing over and over again
and every day. <br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bro, if that isn’t hard work, then I wonder what on earth is!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then you might also need to inspect the conditions in which
they do this laborious work: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First of all, I must point out that my friend’s cafés are
among the finer cafés in the mainland area of Lagos. And while I spent my nights
in his comfortable office with air-conditioning and an additional three-seater lounge
chair, even I, still found it often very uncomfortable being there for so long.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet these kids have to endure in stuffy rooms with only a
few fans, seating on metallic chairs or even wooden benches. And they have to
manage this hardship while they do their so-called “work”. <br />
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<!--[endif]--></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They spend nights upon nights in front of very old and
sluggish performing computers, in the most uncomfortable positions, often chatting
with people who they often times cannot really understand (because of their typical
poor grasp of the English language).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet I wonder if any of them ever stops to wonder if their age
mates who work in the daytime and in more comfortable offices are actually
going through that much stress for their, by and large, CERTAIN monthly pay
checks? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or if they ever do the arithmetic to figure out what the TRUE monthly
“income” of their yahooyahoo runs come to? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I mean, after they have calculated the difference between the seasons when they
have “hit” and the many more seasons when they..............don't.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This brings me to point number….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. The Nigerian Police
Is Your Friend</span></i></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Apart from the difficulty of the yahooyahoo work itself, and
the cost of keeping the business going, and the risk of uncertainty, as in,
“will they pay?” “will they not pay?”. There is still another major hazard to
this profession….The ever loveable Nigerian Police.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ytAEldiVuRo/VrhzrbS-g8I/AAAAAAAAFBs/s5wsf_lgb_w/s1600/naijapolice.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ytAEldiVuRo/VrhzrbS-g8I/AAAAAAAAFBs/s5wsf_lgb_w/s320/naijapolice.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the funniest things you will ever experience is when
you are at most cyber cafés in Yaba environs (day or night – makes no
difference) and a police van is driving by (and by police van, I mean a danfo
bus that police men usually use to comb the streets for game). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The way many of
the boys and young men browsing in the café would suddenly jump up and run out
of the hall, you would think that they saw a horde of rabid grizzly bears
charging into the café.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The whole scenario reminds you of the biblical saying, “the
wicked flee when no one pursues”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of course, they run because when they are caught, they know
that our dear policemen are not in any way interested in their breaking of the
law. But they harass them for large sums of money as bribes. Many of them have to borrow
money to bribe the cops to “get out of jail”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So despite the shame, and the two deterring factors I raised
above, why do a lot of young boys still go into this….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<b><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. The Fan Club Appeal</span></i></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is regarding the fact that there is a lot of misinformation
going around about this scam life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And just like many Nigerians do with other social plagues
like gangsterism and occultism, they tend to sensationalize and glamorize yahooyahoo
in all of their tale-bearing and gossip.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most of the time, supposedly harmless, careless talk ends up
in the hearing of unsuspecting kids, who in turn are quick to believe whatever
they hear about “the bad guy” life of a yahooyahoo boy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So it’s very easy for them to imagine the yahooyahoo life as
similar to the Nigerian version of a future Bugzy Seagle or Don Corleone
lifestyle. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We know that naturally VICE tends to be attractive to young boys. And when the
added incentive of getting rich quickly is added to it, it becomes a much more
potent drug. Especially in a society like Nigeria’s where things are the WAY
they are! (I won’t say more about that one for now)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So it is very important for young boys (and girls) to get the
more honest picture of this particular way of life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that is why I have gladly taken up this
task. But if everyone else prefers to be sounding-off no differently than fanboys
of the scammers, please be my guest. See where that takes you?! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile, I had promised that I was going to provide an
alternative for young people who are out there and have gotten more and more
frustrated by the poverty that prevails in our society. A poverty that came as
a result of the thickness of corrupt leaders past and present, and perhaps also
because of mistakes in judgment made by their parents….having too many kids, or
not choosing a proper education for their kids.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What I say to this is, there is a way out!<br />
But you can only find that way the right way.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KSFmky_OuTo/Vrhu5YUFfPI/AAAAAAAAFBQ/z7iWxpZ6OLw/s1600/MALG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KSFmky_OuTo/Vrhu5YUFfPI/AAAAAAAAFBQ/z7iWxpZ6OLw/s640/MALG.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SHAME: Nigerian fraudster arrested in a foreign country. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Come & Think
With ME</span></i></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For less effort and fewer hours, I could teach how to make
more money, and feel very assured about your future. And i will never charge you any money for this. You just have to learn to
change your mindset about a few things first.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A) Money is NOT the reason why you are on this earth. You
only need it to purchase the necessities of life and some luxuries if you like.
What would guarantee you happiness and fulfillment is the DISCOVERY and drive
to your true purpose in life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">B) It doesn’t matter who the richest man in Nigeria is. Once
you get to a stage in your life, where poverty no longer has a strangle hold on
you, you would begin to realize the things I have been saying. But it is better
not to wait until you get to that stage.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">C) Knowledge is key for the human experience. Decide you
want to learn first, then accept that there are no species or races of human
beings that are especially made to be more intelligent than others. Learning is
a choice!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">D) A good life is like both a tree and a building. You plant
a tree and water it. But you don’t expect to eat the fruit from that tree the
next day after you plant it. Also a building. It takes hard work to finish its
construction. But it is hard work that looks twenty times harder than it
actually is to the layman on the outside observing the builders doing the work. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is much easier for the builders who know exactly what to do at the right
time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Likewise success in life requires a waiting period and hard
work (that isn’t that hard after all once you’ve gotten into the swing of what
to do) before you can begin to eat the fruits of your labours.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So once you’ve wired your thinking into this paradigm, all
you need next is to realize that there are tons of legitimate things you can do
with the internet to earn a living. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vMhrMgtNvtc/Vrhu5TgPS_I/AAAAAAAAFBk/bIKluIGPwa0/s1600/cbn.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vMhrMgtNvtc/Vrhu5TgPS_I/AAAAAAAAFBk/bIKluIGPwa0/s400/cbn.png" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you wish to know about these things you
can join <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RotimiOrimoloye/posts/Ls5uwDFEUEj" target="_blank">my community on Google+</a> where you can ask questions about digital
marketing. It doesn’t matter what your passions are. I am sure we can figure
out a way you can tap into the abundance of resources you can get on the
internet to maximize those passions, and turn them into business ventures.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks for sticking around.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-1816627128711024482016-01-25T07:17:00.000-08:002019-01-12T01:06:27.792-08:00After Davos 2016<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dhh_xwCPteQ/VqY0eHuYbSI/AAAAAAAAE-E/PcPoGhE1uNg/s1600/biden%2Bat%2Bdavos%2B2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dhh_xwCPteQ/VqY0eHuYbSI/AAAAAAAAE-E/PcPoGhE1uNg/s640/biden%2Bat%2Bdavos%2B2016.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead of posting my own recap of what happened at <a href="http://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2016" target="_blank">DAVOS 2016</a>, I felt it was better for me to give you a sort of prelude to the coming World Economic Forum On Africa 2016 that will be coming up in Rwanda this May. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
However, I could still also link you to <a href="http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2016/01/notes-from-davos-2016/" target="_blank">a document</a> that does perhaps some level of justice to the highlights of DAVOS in a more global sense.<br />
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<!--[endif]--></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">By the way, I must apologize for having not yet posted my thoughts on the 2015 edition of the WEF On Africa that came up in Cape Town South Africa in June 2015. I did however manage to post <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/03/africa-invest-in-africa-.html" target="_blank">my commentary on the 2014 edition</a>. That’s the very least I could have done anyway, considering that that one was held in my own country (Nigeria). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But anyway, I also added some context to it that I gained by also following the narrative from the US-Africa Business Forum which came up a few months after. I encourage you to <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/03/africa-invest-in-africa-.html" target="_blank">check that out</a> after reading this post.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8iCAQtFZp9s/VqY0nhjBAcI/AAAAAAAAE-M/GdvlQjh_Grg/s1600/gatete%2BWEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8iCAQtFZp9s/VqY0nhjBAcI/AAAAAAAAE-M/GdvlQjh_Grg/s640/gatete%2BWEF.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clever Gatete, Finance Minister of Rwanda, where the World Economic Forum On Africa will hold on MAY 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></o:p></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">THE ROAD TO KIGALI</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is no doubt that it is time for Africa. But I am sure that by now you know that is a huge understatement. Yet, let me just say that no matter who you are or what you do, as long as you are reading this words right now, you really need to become interested and connected to what and what is unfolding on the continent. Yes, I mean that! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the developed world advances further and further into becoming Knowledge Economies, we in the developing world are at the risk of becoming even more at a disadvantage when it comes to global trade.<br />
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<!--[endif]--></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First off, when our predominantly agriculture-based economies were predicated almost exclusively on harvesting crops and mining raw materials, we were at a disadvantage because we relied heavily on their production of the technology and equipment we needed, like fertilizers, irrigation systems and oil rigs (they were manufacturing economies then). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then we arrived at this point, where we've become a hybrid of mostly agriculture-based and sparsely manufacture-based economies. Here we are still at the disadvantage that we can’t really manufacture goods that are worthy of export to other continents, even though at least, we've started producing a few of the goods that we use, which are growing our economies at faster rates than the agricultural culture alone did. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet, when we look ahead into the future of these knowledge economies, we begin to see a picture where they will soon be driven mostly by their consulting services sector (thus knowledge) more than manufacturing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They are already using data to drive innovation and to create remarkable solutions to human problems (albeit sometimes creating some new problems in the process). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shifting Towards A Knowledge Economy</span></h2>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t mean to scare you, b</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">ut I must awaken us to the fact that we have to get our acts together. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here in Nigeria, we have been too sluggish in dealing with our woeful electricity supply deficit. It is too shameful to begin to discuss how poor it has been, and how no visible changes have been made despite all that was promised by the previous governments.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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From my observation, it is almost certain that the rulers in Nigeria still DO NOT UNDERSTAND the role that electricity plays in all forms of development, especially the manufacturing sector. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The wretched state of electricity in Africa (along with corruption) has probably been the most crucial factor in our sluggish crawl to industrialization. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, I know that CNBC Africa’s Chief Correspondent and South African journalist, Bronwyn Nielsen has been very active at bringing this issue to the front burner, but I am appealing to every African (especially Nigerians) to press this point even more than ever before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is a lot more to be said about how to take our positions as manufacturing economies, but for now I am focusing on the most rudimentary ingredient. Of course, those of you that are part of <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100051757425658077659" target="_blank">our Digital Africa community</a> know that my first advocacy is always for broadband internet access for every African. And also future-oriented education, and relentless skill acquisition using the Web. Yet, I realize that power (electricity) is critical; especially for those things to even work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My advice would be to find out what the topics of discussion are at the WEForum On Africa, and how your current knowledge/education, skill set, or interests may relate to those topics, and the consequences that could possibly come out of the discussions on such topics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Was that sentence a bit confusing? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will illustrate:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1) Future Energy was a big topic among African leaders at Davos 2016 (a few days ago). <br />
I personally have no education in engineering or material science or whatever relates to energy, yet I was trained as a journalist, and I personally became interested and obsessed with solar energy when I realized how much more the sun has been <b>blasting us</b> in the city of Lagos since the last decade. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a result, I will be joining this particular conversations about future energy to do whatever I can to spread information and ideas on transitioning Africa smoothly into solar and energy storage technologies. This is also sure to make me read more on the topics surrounding energy in general, not just renewable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2) Inclusive Growth has been an ongoing topic on the WEF on Africa platform. </span><br />
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If you are an economist, or you work in the financial sector, or even if you have developer skills in designing mobile apps, you might want to consider keeping up with this topic in order to learn of what the major policy makers and industry players are actively doing to enable/sponsor solutions that foster inclusive growth or information dissemination on it among the masses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In so doing you are likely to discover opportunities to develop applications that can be useful for such endeavors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These are just a few tips on where to start thinking, in terms of being a responsible citizen on our beautiful continent. I am sure you can come up with much better thought paths that can help key our people (especially the younger generation) into the debates and discussions that have a greater impact on our future than we often consider. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are always other important global issues to discuss, like gender issues, health care, and of course the future of technology, robots and artificial intelligence. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jGknW3lXwEk/VqY5wrqEKrI/AAAAAAAAE-c/7zWTX2lhz50/s1600/ariana%2Bhuff%2Bdavos%2B2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jGknW3lXwEk/VqY5wrqEKrI/AAAAAAAAE-c/7zWTX2lhz50/s640/ariana%2Bhuff%2Bdavos%2B2016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ariana Huffington was perhaps the most engaging speaker at Davos as she touched on a wide range of issues. </td></tr>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
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Insects: the secret weapon to saving food waste? <a href="https://twitter.com/KeesAarts">@KeesAarts</a> <a href="https://t.co/O6wLlbghvW">https://t.co/O6wLlbghvW</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wef16?src=hash">#wef16</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/davos?src=hash">#davos</a></div>
— Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff) <a href="https://twitter.com/ariannahuff/status/690218879084294144">January 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So don’t forget, like I said before, see this as an OPPORTUNITY. Consider the great economist, Adam Smith’s words, and think also of your own selfish interests. Plug in and be connected!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks and Happy New Year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">From, <br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/RotimiOrims" target="_blank">Rotimi Orims</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Please stay with Digital Africa as we look forward to World Economic Forum Rwanda in May 2016. We will definitely be giving our own opinions and hoping to hear yours during or immediately after that event. Please join us. You can click on the “Keep Up With This Blog” icon below the Blog Archives in the top right column of this page, and also join our Digital Africa community on GooglePlus <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100051757425658077659" target="_blank">here </a></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100051757425658077659" target="_blank">►</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0lagos, Nigeria5.9657536710655235 7.734375-24.772671828934477 -33.574219 36.704179171065526 49.042969tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-2341116672486496362015-12-20T13:31:00.001-08:002016-10-20T10:58:53.358-07:00The ZMOT & The Moments That Matter<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After reading <a href="https://twitter.com/JimLecinski" target="_blank">Jim Lecinski</a>'s book. "<b><i>Winning The Zero Moment Of Truth</i></b>" several times over, I have come to realize that true and long lasting success in digital marketing will not likely come from carrying out arbitrary activities using digital tools.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oRReaDEgJ4g/Vl4PeYOzpoI/AAAAAAAAEvI/5G62wHmr1Z4/s1600/Google-Zmot-Study.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oRReaDEgJ4g/Vl4PeYOzpoI/AAAAAAAAEvI/5G62wHmr1Z4/s640/Google-Zmot-Study.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This post should guide you </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">away from following the crowd in wasting their time dumping links on </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">social media, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and basically constituting a nuisance to those who actual use social media for "<b>social</b>" reasons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It should also guide you away from overestimating what you can achieve with SEO; and also wasting money buying pay per click ads that send you a whole bunch of curious window shoppers and no actual buyers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This post should actually guide you into understanding how <b><i>real life people</i></b> truly use the Web, and how you can truly begin to know these people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Zero Moment Of Truth </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And All Those Micro Moments</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now please don't get me wrong; I think SEO is great, Pay Per Click Advertising is awesome, and Social media marketing truly builds brands. In fact I employ all of these activities and more, and I suggest you do so as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, what I am saying here is that all these activities need to be done in a such a way that it is must be about meeting your customers at the very point of <b>their</b> need. Not yours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And there is more and more technology springing up to help you do this with scary levels of accuracy these days. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Think about it seriously...Would it not matter to you if you could distinguish between a young lady who Googled your product, "<a href="http://bit.ly/Shea-Radiance" target="_blank">Shea Radiance Brightening Cream</a>" while standing in the isle of a store, from someone else who Googled it from a desktop at the office?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Understanding shoppers' Intent is a big deal in modern marketing. And you should be getting comfortable in that kind of business process before your competitors catch wind of it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And lucky for you, most of them (your competitors - at least those in Nigeria) are still asleep. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The "rules" are changing dramatically: Shoppers are like military authorities dictating these new rules for you and your competitors. Google search, YouTube, Facebook, Reviews on Google plus and reviews on blogs, even Whatsapp are some of the tools they are using to dictate these new rules of engagement. And Learn how to engage, you must!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shoppers are looking for your products. Their technological sophistication does not stop them from having needs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It only makes them more tactical and confident at finding exactly what they want.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many of these clever shoppers are seeking answers before they step into the store. They are asking questions; seeking a special experience. An experience, they <b>are convinced</b> that <b>THEY </b>have total control of. And this control they feel is psychologically empowering! </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v32Il_G2c30/Vndeo5l0yJI/AAAAAAAAE0w/hKz1hmKknUY/s1600/moments%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v32Il_G2c30/Vndeo5l0yJI/AAAAAAAAE0w/hKz1hmKknUY/s640/moments%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We Must Now THINK In Moments</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Believe me; This is all about <b>thinking</b>. Theirs and yours!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let me let you in on a <i>"secret"</i>......that moment when shoppers want an answer to one of those questions of theirs' has been very well understood by Google.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They call it the Zero Moment Of Truth.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am not going to go into definitions here.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The likes of Jim Lecinski and Brian Solis have written plenty on this topic, so serious business leaders need to seek these out. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have also written so much about it already. And I think you can find perhaps my easiest definitions <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RotimiOrimoloye/posts/Zk8ESMMLxhG" target="_blank">►here</a> or maybe <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com.ng/2015/04/what-is-zmot.html" target="_blank">► here</a>. My article about the FMOT (First Moment Of Truth) should also help you get a clearer psychology of what I am trying to do here. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But if you are one of the few wise ones, who need a more detailed, step by step guide on how to implement ZMOT campaigns, then ensure to add Jim Lecinski's free e-book to that reading list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So anyway, what I want to talk about here today is the fact that Google have again recognized that this concept of the Zero Moment Of Truth can now be </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">further </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">broken up into billions of micro moments. Yes! Everyday they see billions of searches from people around the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And these are the moments that really matter to any smart marketer. And trust me, it is all about <b>thinking</b>.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rs1jAYlxHXs/VncdwmpbUkI/AAAAAAAAE0I/U7iNqeBNQsc/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rs1jAYlxHXs/VncdwmpbUkI/AAAAAAAAE0I/U7iNqeBNQsc/s640/01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Magic is in Mobile.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The increasing use of smartphones is what is causing the explosion of these countless micro moments. The ease at which an internet connected phone can fit into our pockets has changed everything: phones can be everywhere we are. Even the bathroom. So we are virtually taking the world with us everywhere we go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Never have we known such.....<i>"ridiculousness". </i>Yet most of today's marketers <b>think </b>about this <b>thoroughly </b>when we are planning, doing research, or writing our ad copy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Computers and the Web brought consumers online, mostly because of the ease of shopping without having to drive down to the store and join thse long checkout queues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But</span> today's clear and present reality is that consumers now just simply <b>live online</b>? Thanks to their mobile phones, they don't come and go any longer. They are always online....as long as their is WiFi or data from their network provider. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So for the thinking marketer, these billions of moments can be arranged into the following four categories; plus an additional one I added: </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Want To Do Moments</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Want To Know Moments</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Want To Buy Moments</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Want To Go Moments </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Want To Express Moments</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, I do not want to simply regurgitate stuff I read from Google. And I also believe that you will learn better by doing your own research. So I will very briefly just guide you through these groups of moments, and we can both go and do something else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Want To Know Moments</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The most prominent of the moments on Google. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">People are always trying to find out stuff. We are always seeking information. And most especially because we now realize that we can get informed any moment of the day. Whether it is stuff they want to buy, or just stuff that they are curious about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Helping people know more about stuff can put you in very good standing with them whenever they want to buy that stuff in the future. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So think.....is there an opportunity there?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">e.g. There is a sudden hike in Nigerian women's searches for information about baby food (<b>even though most will still buy their baby's food from the shop next door</b>). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Your company sells baby food.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What to do? </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6O_GnIrft48/VndWCFmYX6I/AAAAAAAAE0Y/I5w0Hs1HWWU/s1600/i%2Bwant%2Bto%2Bgo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6O_GnIrft48/VndWCFmYX6I/AAAAAAAAE0Y/I5w0Hs1HWWU/s640/i%2Bwant%2Bto%2Bgo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Want To Do Moments </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Very similar to want to know moments because it is also about learning. But these are "Show Me How" searches that people are making to learn how to do things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These searches are much more frequently done on YouTube, which is a video (long and short) streaming website that bears some of the qualities of a search engine as well as some qualities of a social network. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I personally learned how to navigate the user interface of the Google Analytics tool by watching a YouTube video. Today I am a practicing Certified Google Analytics professional. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Other people are using YouTube videos to learn <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xHz_5FXSLo" target="_blank">how to prepare Gbegiri Soup</a>, or how to snap a screenshot with a Samsung Galaxy S4, and so on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, imagine a company that sells instant Amala powder or Poundo Yam should be taking advantage of promoting videos such as this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. Want To Buy Moments</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I would say this type are the only moments that the few digital marketers in Nigeria are paying attention to right now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Funny thing is that these are among the fewest comparatively among the shoppers moments of intent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shoppers searchers here are usually more specific.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Cheap men's loafers". "3.5 KvA generator with delivery". "Pizza in Wuye area Abuja".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It would be funny if you sold men's loafers, generators or Pizza, and were not <b>thinking </b>of how to make yourself visible for such queries. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Are simple. They want to go somewhere. Sometimes they are already driving, or already walking. And they ask Google questions like "Suya Spot near me" or "Good restaurants in Lekki". <i>This usually works best when the searcher uses geo-locating services on their mobile devices by the way.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember a friend of mine once searching for "Drycleaners and Laundromats close to 1004", but none of these dudes offering this service was smart enough. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ia73y5h_W8/Vndd1WE99zI/AAAAAAAAE0o/ix9Hv7fTMQc/s1600/selfie%2Bman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ia73y5h_W8/Vndd1WE99zI/AAAAAAAAE0o/ix9Hv7fTMQc/s400/selfie%2Bman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Extra. Want To Express Moments</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is mostly observable on social media. You may call it the <b><i>new selfie craze</i></b>. <br />Like it or not, people all over the world are crazy about their selfies. It seems to be instinctive human behavior. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And here in Africa, it seems to me that we are even more selfie crazy. But it is not just about selfies; it appears that people want to be showing off their food, their trophies, their medals, their badges, etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There could be opportunities here as well. But I prefer you <b>think </b>(<i>that magic word again</i>) of a clever way to spot and respond to this opportunities and tell me in the comments. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or better still, come and ask me in private via any of my social channels using this unique hashtag = #OrimsThinkExpress</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hahaa!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So there you have it! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These are the moments that matter!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But each industry has its own unique moments, and you should be learning how to master those moments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Unless, of course, you want the future to rob your business of its position in that industry. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks for reading.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If my writing has any positive impact on your marketing, or if you have more questions, please connect with me and let me know. I would love to discuss more with you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can find me on Google Plus, Twitter and LinkedIn. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also come and ask broader questions about the Web as it related to Africa in <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100051757425658077659" target="_blank">the Digital Community</a> where I am one of the moderators. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">See you there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You may get further reading on the ZMOT in <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-is-zmot.html" target="_blank">my other post which has Nigerian examples</a>.</span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0Lagos, Nigeria6.5243793 3.37920570000005686.0195827999999993 2.7337587000000569 7.0291758 4.0246527000000567tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-47954104563112213082015-08-11T01:31:00.000-07:002015-08-13T14:26:37.715-07:00The First Moment Of Truth<h3>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">What Is The FMOT?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_of_Truth_(marketing)" target="_blank">First Moment Of Truth</a> is the 3 to 7 seconds that it takes for a shopper browsing a store shelf to make up her/his mind on whether they are going to <i>go home with</i> your product or one of the competitors' versions that are close to it on the shelf. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It was coined by Procter & Gamble in 2003, when they understood that a shopper's eyes typically <i>swept through</i> a store shelf full of products - theirs and their competitions'.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The brevity of the period of attention for each item meant that gaining the advantage for their own products was critical. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6hzie33vNE/Vc0LOfBWkzI/AAAAAAAAEY4/qgePV-kpL8E/s1600/FMOT%2Bg%252B.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6hzie33vNE/Vc0LOfBWkzI/AAAAAAAAEY4/qgePV-kpL8E/s640/FMOT%2Bg%252B.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Activities usually related with FMOT are in-store advertising, branded shelves, product packaging, interactive kiosks, digital store signage and even coupons.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">And yet </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">FMOT marketing </i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">is not so much about those examples as it is about the thinking behind them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />Which is why I should add that point-of-sale promotions had been in existence before the FMOT was coined (eventhough the traditional advertising world hadn't paid quite as much attention to it). </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">So I am not actually giving </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">absolute </b><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">provenance</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> to P&G here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What they accomplished was to fashion <b>a concept</b> and <b>mental model</b> out of it. They separated it from the stimulus stage of advertising (i.e. TV, cable, radio, magazines, billboards, etc), trimmed their spending on those while allocating the freed-up funds to it; and even set up a department for it - run by a <i>Director of FMOT.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/cb_Perception.html" target="_blank">Stimulus</a></b> – <i>(where psychology meets advertising)</i> stimulus is exposure
to advertising messages however insignificant such exposure might be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;">For an advert to be consciously processed by a would-be customer, their
attention is essential. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;">Hence, P&G felt a lot still needed to be done
after this stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So I submit to you that it is less about the activities and more about the cultivated <b><i>mindset </i></b>- i.e. the <i>discipline </i>you put into research, planning and implementation of your FMOT campaigns.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--rXWT6iUzW0/Vcmvl4Op9AI/AAAAAAAAEWU/ZACwkRuP7QU/s1600/fmot6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--rXWT6iUzW0/Vcmvl4Op9AI/AAAAAAAAEWU/ZACwkRuP7QU/s640/fmot6.png" width="616" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Let me illustrate:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Imagine that you recently got </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-size: large;">₦2</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> million loan from your uncle to start that wonderful t-shirt printing business you've always wanted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">After striking a deal with the likes of Mega Plaza and Spar, you realized you had to be careful how you promoted your wares since you had spent a reasonable amount of your cash on store space.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Hence you opted for a <i>FMOT strategy</i> instead of the <b><i>unnecessarily </i></b>expensive form of mainstream advertising. (i.e. those earlier mentioned above - tv, magazines, etc). You had learned <i>from me </i>that it was a disciplined, <i>customer-oriented</i> way of thinking about the store - as a type of battle ground. Therefore you came up with ideas that you could afford:</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--TQGjg09Tv0/VcmwNf3Ko0I/AAAAAAAAEWc/0bqaNpvCmII/s1600/signholders_lf228_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--TQGjg09Tv0/VcmwNf3Ko0I/AAAAAAAAEWc/0bqaNpvCmII/s320/signholders_lf228_k.jpg" width="138" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">You hired 3 store agents. You had some simple standing signs made, and printed some cool flyers, because let's face it, you are indeed a very creative person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The whole idea here was that, just like P&G, you had now understood that shoppers did not come to the store with their minds already made up about what they came to buy. They may come for one item but leave with four more. Or they could come in for one product and leave with another entirely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The thinking here is that if you can invest time, energy and resources into increasing the likelihood of shoppers choosing your product, then you are likely going to win at the First Moment Of Truth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">So anyway mid-way into the first day you call your 3 sales agents and they all report tremendous sales. You then start to wonder, "Are my t-shirts that pretty? Or is my FMOT strategy working much better than I expected?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">You decided to try something else; you switched your best performing sales agent with the least performing one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">And since you couldn't afford to print in-store coupons, you decided to do something similar: You gave every customer the privilege to come back wearing their t-shirts and get a 20% discount for their next purchase </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">This has the added benefit of using your customers as live models to advertise your t-shirts right there in the store - the first moment of truth - for other customers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">And the best part of this is that you did not get this idea from me. You came up with it yourself.....now that you are developing the mindset. You can keep observing (or gathering information) the process as you implement and reiterate. As your profits increase and your business grows you will also consider adding <a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20790723" target="_blank">the ZMOT</a> strategy and even traditional advertising or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_marketing" target="_blank">guerilla marketing </a>techniques if need be. Read more about ZMOT <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RotimiOrimoloye/posts/Zk8ESMMLxhG" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vhezJWganjM/VcmwhgAx5bI/AAAAAAAAEWo/x3Yq9C6IYU8/s1600/fmot4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vhezJWganjM/VcmwhgAx5bI/AAAAAAAAEWo/x3Yq9C6IYU8/s640/fmot4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Now the funny thing is that since P&G came up with this many marketers in Africa (or in Nigeria at least) have still not caught on as much as they have abroad. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Yes, a few businesses are giving out coupons to help make sales, they even create large indoor signs and have them strategically located in your line of sight as you approach their product's isle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">But to be honest, they only do some of these things only because they see others do them. Hopefully, after reading this, a marketer in the retail sector would be better equipped to do battle at the FMOT.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I will not likely be writing about the Second Moment Of Truth (SMOT) because that is the experience stage of the product. It occurs with the consumer's use of the product, and it mainly boils down to the <b>actual quality </b>of that product. <i>Marketing </i>does play a role there as well, but one that is out of the scope of this article.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I am expecting your comments or questions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Let me know what your experience is at the popular stores around Africa. What are marketers doing to grab your attention on the isles?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Do you know that FMOT principles could be applied to online stores as well? Even airports, cinema halls, hospitals. In fact, almost anywhere you can find a cashier. ☺</span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-39944399997870088572015-07-18T16:03:00.001-07:002016-10-19T09:55:06.787-07:00Hello Africa! Meet The Semantic Web <h2>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Or you may call it Smart or Open Data!</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Hello <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa" target="_blank">Africa</a>! How are you doing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My dear sisters and brothers, please allow me to
introduce you to the Semantic Web and to Linked Open Data. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_Web" target="_blank">Semantic Web</a> was developed primarily out of Linked Open Data and other
similar technologies, but it has now evolved and impacts many different fields,
including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Predictive Analysis, Big Data, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These are things that I strongly believe you should embrace with all seriousness and diligence in order to achieve that desperately needed change for yourself, your family, your community, your
country, and our entire continent. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am talking about the type of change that starts within
the mind, and then spreads to affect most aspects of one’s life; <b><i>and yes, even your financial welfare</i></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
Irony In Saying All You Need Is Money</span></span></b></h3>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">When I tell most people
how exciting the Semantic Web and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linked_open_data" target="_blank">linked Open Data</a> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">can</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> be, and that we would be
more or less teaching computers and other machines to understand us, they are typically unimpressed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Most times people ask me, "How does that put money in my pocket right now?" </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Or, “What </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Machines are learning is not my priority. I just need to make money!”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And while it is indeed a pressing reality that we have serious welfare issues in most parts of Africa, I
find it quite sad that many of us seem to be under the impression, that by <b>merely talking
</b>about how important money is, this would somehow grab it and <b>fling it</b> into our pockets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, let me share
with you what I usually say to some of my young <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria"><span id="goog_655916848"></span>Nigerian</a> friends that engage me in this
frequently recurring discussion:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Here is my own argument: </i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Try to remember 5 years ago: Were you not as aware
then, as you are now, of how <b>important </b>money was?" </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Y</span></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ou
probably dismissed discussions of this kind back then as well, am I right?</span></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i>
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">OK.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"So how rich have you gotten </span></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">now? I mean </span></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">from keeping your <b>realization </b>about money <b>undefiled </b>by such "unprofitable thoughts" of future technologies or of even simpler things like
<a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/02/googleplus-african-style.html" target="_blank">blogging - about your own interests and passions</a>?</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the more important question is, “will this <b>exclusive
regard </b>for money and your exclusion of matters of the Web ensure that you have
lots of money <b>5 years from now</b>???<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i>
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Think about it......"</span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At this point I usually just get blank stares.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>But here's my suggested alternative:<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(and I am now talking to YOU, the reader, and anyone you care to share this information with)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">If you start to
pay active attention to the Semantic Web, or Linked <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_data" target="_blank">Open Data</a> or Machine Learning and so forth, from right now; in 5 years time, you
would have most likely mastered at least one of these Semantic Web or Smart
Data related skills.</span></b></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">And while, I cannot
promise that you'll be as rich as those few Africans that are </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">mentioned</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> in Fortune
Magazine by then, I can assure you that you would be much better off than you
are today; Regardless of whether African rulers remain corrupt and </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">vision-less</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> kleptomaniacs or not.</span></span></span></b></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">But most of all,
you would possess skills that will get increasingly significant as time goes
on, and as Africa continues to develop at these current </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">amazing</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> rates of growth.</span></span></b></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This is irreversible wealth, in my humble opinion; more reliable than hoping for
some </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">miraculous</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> contract from some government official that happens to know your cousin's mother-in-law. </span></span></b></i></span></blockquote>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KL_kg0dOaw0/VapAkoyl3-I/AAAAAAAAEIY/cxJeW44v4WQ/s1600/big-data-spur-development-semantic-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KL_kg0dOaw0/VapAkoyl3-I/AAAAAAAAEIY/cxJeW44v4WQ/s640/big-data-spur-development-semantic-web.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Is The Semantic Web?</span></span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mind you, these days, the Semantic Web and its surrounding
technologies are often referred to as <a href="http://smartdata2015.dataversity.net/" target="_blank">Smart Data</a> – perhaps mainly because it has
transcended The Web. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But since <i><b>they say</b></i> life started from the sea, I might as
well help you to begin your journey from there......where it all started:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(the Web is the sea in this context, just in case)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Semantic Web</b> was the vision of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee" target="_blank">Tim Berners-Lee</a>, the
man who invented <b>the World Wide Web</b>. It grew out of Berners-Lee’s inspired Linked Open Data community (<a href="http://www.w3.org/" target="_blank">World Wide Web Consortium</a> or the W3C) which developed and maintains the standards behind most of the
technologies of the Semantic Web. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Before this movement, there was a lot of data
published on the web (both quantitative and qualitative data)</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">. But most of it
was only understandable to people. The open data community was motivated to encourage people to publish
their data in a way that machines can understand and consume them. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The idea is that machines can do much more with data than humans.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">So the W3C also encouraged linking data to data with clearly defined relationships. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">When these links are <b>authoritative </b>and <b>trustworthy </b>(as <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/115620878851836664537" target="_blank">David Amerland</a> loves to say - more on him later) then</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> this is where
the magic of the Semantic Web truly begins. Because there is no point with machines doing wonderful stuff with data that are </span><b style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">lies </b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">now is there? That only means that the lies would be more </span><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 19.2600002288818px;">believable</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> and more widely accepted. And we don't want that!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, these data are essentially
linked to other data to produce a gigantic graph of facts and relationships, so
that software applications can follow these links, consume the data, “grow
smarter” and serve us humans <b>much more effectively</b> as a result. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">This is expected to lead to unprecedented levels of
knowledge and power for the human race in general.</span><br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DavidAmerland/posts/hV5mA2LyjfA" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ftJ5R1GZbYE/VaqZsxpDKkI/AAAAAAAAEKA/2azBmZCAP3w/s400/Knowledge-Based-Trust.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 24.2666683197022px;"><b>Trust is the final by-product of all this.</b></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 24.2666683197022px;"><b>Here's the thing, all of this which we can calculate in microseconds in most given situations, are also machine-calculable in an algorithmic trust score that can determine the trustworthiness of a source of data and, by inference, the veracity of the data itself.</b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 24.2666683197022px;"><b>- </b></span><b style="color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24.2666683197022px;">David Amerland</b></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not A Replacement</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One common misconception that could kill an average
person’s interest in the Semantic Web is the notion that it is <i>going to be</i> an advanced <b>replacement</b> for the present World Wide
Web. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">problem</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> is, many of you are confused enough about the present World Wide
Web as it is. You </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">don't</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> need a more “<b>advanced</b>” replacement! <br />I would imagine that you even secretly wish that this current Web you are used to would become more simple.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><br /><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">
And that is exactly what the Semantic Web or Smart Data will do for the average
user: Make things SIMPLE.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the reality is that the Semantic Web is NOT “<b>going to be”</b> anything. It is already <b>here</b> <b>now</b>, and it <b>already is </b>this amazing
technology that does not replace the current Web; it rather integrates with it and improves your experience of it remarkably.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: center;">Think of it as the same Web, only </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: center;">grown up;</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: center;"> and is now influencing other
areas of life beyond The Web (i.e. The Internet of Things, cognitive computing,
image/object recognition, etc). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">You see, the billions of documents, apps and media that are currently
linked to each other on the Web in its traditional form would still all be here, only that they can</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> now be understood by computers and (potentially) other machines, as they are understood by
humans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">This means greatly improved collaboration between humans and machines in the </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">future</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FgF0MLojvWk/Vao46AJamUI/AAAAAAAAEIE/-I7FkS1XKaI/s1600/Idehen%2BQuote%2Benhanced.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Kingsley Idehen speaks on RDF as the Linked Open Data essential" border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FgF0MLojvWk/Vao46AJamUI/AAAAAAAAEIE/-I7FkS1XKaI/s640/Idehen%2BQuote%2Benhanced.png" title="Africa, Open Data and Semantic Web" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">But You Don't Want To Be Like A Machine!!!</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">I understand!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">And the truth is that the adjective “Semantic” has to do with the divergences
between the <b>meanings of words</b> or symbols. <br />This is </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">not</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> about you or anyone else being compelled to understand the technical nuances of the World Wide Web; Nor are you expected to know code. <i>(even though this will not hurt you one bit!)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">It is about the Semantic networks</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> and the machines that are designed to work within this framework effectively learning what is published on the Web, through the meanings of the facts and data published. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">This is why you have been coming across the term “machine learning” so frequently of recent. You see, it is the MACHINES that are doing most of the learning here, NOT necessarily YOU. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">So even if you are never going </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">to</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> go into the technical aspects of these things, learning as much as you can as it relates to the industry you are in, will give you an edge in future. Trust me.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How
Can Africa Benefit From The Semantic Web</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am personally of the opinion that the 6 most
significant problems that plague the Continent are in the areas of:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Good Governance (i.e. we have many corrupt and visionless
rulers) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">2. Knowledge/Skill Acquisition (terribly and widely underrated)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Food Production & Distribution (much hunger
persists) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Basic Health Care (is lacking)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. Clean Water (I’ve written about this before –<a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/04/Clean-Water--African-Development.html"> see here</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. Electricity (as the mother of all basic
infrastructure)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 of these problems have immediate solutions from the
Semantic Web, numbers 1 and 2.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Good governance thrives in an atmosphere of
accountability and transparency. Not that it can solve corruption, or stop kleptomaniacs from stealing. I mean that Open Data projects have brought in a greater sense of </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">accountability</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> in many parts of the world, and can surely do it here as well.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;" target="_blank">Kenya</a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> even has some interesting </span><a href="http://www.icta.go.ke/kenya-open-data-initiative-kodi/" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;" target="_blank">stories on this</a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">As for skill acquisition, think of Google’s Semantic technologies (i.e.
the Knowledge Graph and Semantic Search) and how they are enhancing people’s ability to find the most relevant learning material to them. And Google are not the only ones that are improving at this: Think of LinkedIn published posts, Medium, Quora, and the millions of instructional videos posted all over the web. To say that my rate of learning has increased </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">phenomenally along the Web</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> would be an understatement. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">And yet, this is just the tip of
the iceberg. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Africa must take advantage of the openness and “freeness”
of these things. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We would go out of our ways to invest lots of our parents money on many years of traditional education, but we are too lazy to learn online for free.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.ng/watch?v=OE63BYWdqC4" target="_blank">Here is a video</a> I love to share, that gives a glimpse of
what The traditional Web could do. Then consider what the <b>evolved Web</b> would be able to do as it gets smarter!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">Meanwhile</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">, there is enough evidence to believe that the
solutions to the other 4 problems will come from the first 2, and that the
growth of the Semantic Web and related technologies like Artificial Intelligence
and the <a href="http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Internet-of-Things" target="_blank">Internet Of Things</a> will speed up this process.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://smartdata2015.dataversity.net/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H__GlQBTIu0/VapoF08uajI/AAAAAAAAEJI/334vqs18A1k/s400/2015smartdata_topics_revised.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://smartdata2015.dataversity.net/" target="_blank">Topics On The Agenda for the Smart Data Conference 2015 </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://smartdata2015.dataversity.net/" target="_blank">show how diverse Semantic Web Technologies </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <a href="http://smartdata2015.dataversity.net/" target="_blank">have grown since inception.</a></span></span><b style="color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24.2666683197022px;"> </b><b style="color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24.2666683197022px;"> </b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fear
Not And Share This</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_733869728"></span><span id="goog_733869729"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>Another thing I feel I must mention is that I have
met many people who are afraid of The Web as a whole. American movies like The Terminator series and The Matrix sometimes get people worked up and they feel
that these things are dangerous.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, i can't tell you that machine learning and all that stuff isn't dangerous. But look at it this way, if we decide not to get involved in the Open Data future,
would that stop it from going on? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And by the way, let me just say now that if you are
an African reading this post, and you have gotten this far in the text, then
chances are you are already in the frame of mind that I am trying to project here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This document is actually then intended for your
younger sister, who just finished from University; and insists that she will not
touch another book or read another piece of text again. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is for your 22 year old cousin, who does
nothing but sits around with his friends all day long, arguing about European football
players’ salaries. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You need to tailor or repackage this message for them. You need to
convince them to read this post. You need to make them develop a 5 year plan for
their future. Even if it is not Open Data, they must acquire skills that would be relevant to these!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, I am going to ask you to turn to <b><a href="http://almondng.com/2015/07/open-data-semantic-web-africa/?utm_source=DigAfricaBlog&utm_medium=Blogger&utm_campaign=Semantic%20Actic" target="_blank">the twin article</a></b> I have written together with this one. It contains a few technical terms and a
few explanations just to get you to wrap your head around the basics, to get you started on this amazing journey.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In it, you'll find the 3 pillars of the Semantic Web, which are…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">RDF<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">OWL<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SPARQL<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I tried <a href="http://almondng.com/2015/07/open-data-semantic-web-africa" target="_blank">my best to simplify them for a non-tech</a> audience
in that post, because I remember how tedious it felt the first time I heard terms like <a href="http://semanticweb.org/wiki/Ontology" target="_blank">Ontologies </a>and Taxonomies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>And now </b>I wish to introduce you to a few of the people
that I count to be very important if you decided to follow along on this
journey. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They are:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sir, <a href="http://www.ammonjohns.com/testimonials.html">Ammon Johns</a> – was the first Google search result for
the search phrase, “Internet Marketing Consultant”. That should say a lot about
many things. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He does not purposefully teach about the Semantic Web, but I
included him because his deep knowledge of the web in general is incredible. That's why I always include him. :-) (<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/113426828273677356184/about" target="_blank">Sir Johns is on Google Plus</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you read his posts and hear his comments about The
Web and about marketing, you would understand. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.seoskeptic.com/aaron-bradley/" target="_blank">Aaron Bradley </a>– like Sir Johns above, is more of an
internet marketing consultant with SEO specialization. He is also a Semantic
Web developer who has been of muich help to me on my journey so far. <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/106943062990152739506/about" target="_blank">On Google Plus</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://davidamerland.com/about/bio.html" target="_blank">David Amerland</a> – Fantastic communicator, thought
leader and a fountain of knowledge in this area and others. He focuses more on Semantic
Search (don’t forget the machines are the ones doing the understanding); usually
from a Google Search approach. Think about it this way, Google is perhaps 95% search
share holder in Africa, so obviously this is important. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/106515636986325493284" target="_blank">Bill Slawski</a> – has a law degree which he uses
together with his scientific mind to break down Google patents and extract extremely
valuable knowledge that never ceases to amaze. Keeping up with Mr Slawski will take
you ahead of the game, because many of Google’s recent patents are related to
these Semantic Web technologies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/107219258490020304975" target="_blank">Barbara Starr</a> – Another top notch expert in the Semantic
Web space. She is beauty and brains, and she even knows the brains of computers
(i.e. she knows artificial intelligence). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Barbara Star is from<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa" target="_blank"> South Africa</a> by
the way. :-)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Brian Sletten – <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104941059392765677737/about" target="_blank">A multi-talented scientist </a>with an
incredibly easy-to-follow style of explaining this Semantic Web stuff. (<i>Well perhaps that could depend on what you already know about the Semantic Web</i>).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Follow him</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">today </span><a href="https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/wa-data-integration-at-scale_rdf/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;" target="_blank">to keep up with his 5-part series</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> on some rich linked data instruction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.teodorapetkova.com/bio/" target="_blank">Teodora Petkova</a> – Content writer (freelance) and
thing finder, and Semantic Web super enthusiast like myself. Her blog was were
my Semantic Web journey started. Her posts on Google+ are also true to her
title of “thing finder”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unlike the experienced experts on this list, one <b>valuable</b> thing you can learn from Teodora
and me is how to remain interested and not get weary of keeping up with all of
the technical jargon that could discourage the average person. I suggest you
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+TeodoraPetkova/posts" target="_blank">follow her on Google+ as well</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://kidehen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kingsley Uyi Idehen</a> (those of you from Edo State in
Nigeria are familiar with this name.) who, along with Teodora, has played the
biggest role in my journey so far. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Let me just say that you need to </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KingsleyIdehen/about" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;" target="_blank">circle him on Google+ as well. Right now!</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I leave you with his quote on
Linked Data and its technologies</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(the one that really got me to sit up):<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>“It
is ultimately about bringing literacy to the Web”</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.enterrasolutions.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DLHCKMWwAxE/VaqTAEvv75I/AAAAAAAAEJw/2O1wBlp6OSY/s640/Machine-Learning-01.png" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.enterrasolutions.com/" target="_blank">The Semantic Web accelerates machine learning thanks to Tim Berners-Lee's ingenious RDF/URI vision. </a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">VERY IMPORTANT: If this article interested you, even just a
little bit, then please do not waste anymore time. Knowledge is extremely
valuable. Get in touch with me right now. God knows that we Africans need to
take advantage of this opportunity as quickly as possible, while it is not yet
so widespread even in most of the Developed world. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, if you are an artist or social scientist like myself, and you are wondering why you should be taking this journey, then please take my advice:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">......the computer jargon and the code noise will quickly wear-off, and you will soon begin to see how much more of </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">our world </b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">is in here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">When I first joined Google Plus, and started following math and computer science experts, I felt like </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">an</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> <i>"English-man in New York".</i> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">But these days, I honestly feel as if these computer science guys are mere intruders in my home. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Hahaha! :-D </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ORkFq_iPrS0/VaqSr7rEaVI/AAAAAAAAEJo/TVQaKhGtguA/s1600/machine-learning-robots-human-dilbert.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ORkFq_iPrS0/VaqSr7rEaVI/AAAAAAAAEJo/TVQaKhGtguA/s640/machine-learning-robots-human-dilbert.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would be glad to help you make this journey much
easier and even enjoyable for you. I am sincerely here to help. I am <a href="http://google.com/+rotimiorimoloye" target="_blank">mostly active on GooglePlus</a>, and then
Facebook, then LinkedIn and Twitter. But you can still find me on Pinterest as
well. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a great
week, and hope to hear from you soon!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-70754164565439907852015-07-07T08:16:00.000-07:002015-07-22T20:07:37.011-07:00What Should Africa Learn from Google?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-25-2_AwjLSg/VZtS_dnQyZI/AAAAAAAAEBw/wqRIf5_QvTw/s1600/icxv4_i-tiuq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-25-2_AwjLSg/VZtS_dnQyZI/AAAAAAAAEBw/wqRIf5_QvTw/s640/icxv4_i-tiuq.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>preamble</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I sometimes feel sorry for this gentleman because of all the stress he must be going through everyday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Okay fine! He is extremely well compensated for that stress, from what I hear, but still......all that stress!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104413069545565696542/about" target="_blank">David Drummond</a> is, among other roles, the Chief Legal Officer for Google Inc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So you can just imagine what that means: All of those lawsuits his office has to deal with, apart from all of their primary duties, like mergers and acquisitions, filing patents, etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add the fact that France, Germany, and so many other NATIONS and institutions are constantly fighting the company he has been with since 2002. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On top of all that, millions of internet users constantly rain accusations on Google everyday, for everything from privacy violations to copyright infringements. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Men! it can't be easy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everyone wants to talks about Google's money and their power over millions of websites on the internet. yet here, I want to try to focus a little bit more on another side of that story...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's Not Just A Financial Success Story</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I believe it is an entire life-course in this age of data.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is not about me trying to defend Google, it is just me making my candid observation as I watch things unfold. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I doubt that Larry Page and Sergey Brin ever imagined that the company they started in 1998 would ever become this gigantic and this rich (I'm told they have over $60 billion in <i>liquidity alone</i>). But it did. Now they are dealing with the implications of that.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AM0oHzF4Mio/VZtWAZ24dOI/AAAAAAAAECA/Uat4grs1Lqw/s1600/larry-page-sergey-brin-1024x569.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="353" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AM0oHzF4Mio/VZtWAZ24dOI/AAAAAAAAECA/Uat4grs1Lqw/s640/larry-page-sergey-brin-1024x569.png" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Google co-founders Larry Page (current CEO) and Sergey Brin. <br />They started Google as a search engine in 1998 and it is now the most powerful conglomerate going beyond the web, <br />with hundreds of divisions building cars, phones, fiber-optic cables, etc. To put this into perspective, <br />Kanu Nwankwo led Nigeria to win Africa's first Olympic Gold Medal in Football in 1996. <br />How long ago does that feel to you?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<i><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So why is all of this relevant to you, African internet users?</span></b></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Because Google is by far the most widely used search engine in Africa.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. I am of the candid opinion that Africa's economic ascension is going to be largely based upon information and skill acquisition that we gain through <i>searching </i>the internet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. I foresee a future where many successful internet-based businesses here in Africa would likewise be involved in similar battles between our African governments and all kinds of institutions that do not respect our freedoms.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google's story is one of both phenomenal triumph and of brutal persecution.<br />And while I cannot bet that an African online business would ever reach its heights of financial or pervasive success, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have no doubt that many truly great <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/03/africa-invest-in-africa-.html" target="_blank">young African web entrepreneurs would soon emerge</a> (much more than you expect) as the continent advances on in this brave new data driven world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet I am also sure that along with these mini-Googles in Africa, would come brutal persecutions and trials that could probably be worse than Google's by proportion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Faces For Human Interest</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am not being pessimistic or bleak about the future. Only preparing you for interesting times ahead. By introducing many of you to David Drummond, and to Page and Brin (who I think are up until now, the least known of the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial giants by Africans) I hope to <b>attach faces</b> to this Google conundrum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Perhaps this way <i>(by <b>humanizing</b> that brand that is now synonymous with so many things in our daily lives)</i> you would pay more attention to the web, not only as a source for great economic </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">transformation</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">, but also a source of training in discipline, ideological focus, and deep social responsibility. We really need these things for the times ahead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tell your neighbor, "The future is Digital".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Newsflash! Those who cannot smell what's coming today are sure to be thorns in your sides in the days to come. Governments would try to censor and control the same web that they failed to prepare for. I won't say too much about this right now, but know, and be armed and ready with the proper knowledge to defend the web. It is a global responsibility. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A human one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those of you who are already attentive know about the ongoing battles between the European Union and Google. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Learn from this. Prepare your minds. Start early!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everyone points fingers at Google, what about the others?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, while I am trying NOT to be a fan-boy, I sometimes feel we all deserve to know the whole story. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google does indeed FIGHT for the rights of the internet user. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I say emphatically: </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Honestly, I am not getting any kind of compensation for saying this. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is just my opinion, and I'm not saying they are perfect in anyway, but I have not noticed too many people challenging the <b>other big guns</b>: Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook. Okay, Facebook gets a lot of attack as well, but </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">not anywhere as much as Google does. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i1J1ndSreOY/VZtS2usNdCI/AAAAAAAAEBk/2011uhkeJmk/s1600/David_Drummond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i1J1ndSreOY/VZtS2usNdCI/AAAAAAAAEBk/2011uhkeJmk/s1600/David_Drummond.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Along with his roles as SVP Corporate Dev & Chief Legal Officer, David Drummond also oversees</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 22.2444458007813px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>public policy</b>, communications, mergers and acquisitions, and product quality operations. He also serves as chairman of Google's investment arms, Google Ventures and Google Capital.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google's Public Policy</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Kindly read this SHORT article from <a href="http://goo.gl/bUP0Ia" target="_blank">the Google Public Policy Blog.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This post represents just is one of the many many publicly fought battles I have observed (others come with open letters from the CEO Larry Page, & Drummond) between Google and institutions that often try to CONTROL the web and thereby frustrate the masses!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Again, I face the risk of looking like a hired hand or a fan-boy.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Some of you would not understand what I mean here, but It would sound really bad to many foreigners, especially many Americans who come across this post. It often seems like sport to them sometimes when they castigate Google.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>But I feel strongly about posting this to you right now. And I don't think I have to keep apologizing for it.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So back to the public policy battles, and I'm saying that t</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">hese wars aren't always so clear cut. Sometimes Google's policies tend to <b><i>somewhat </i></b>contradict theirs and other pro-web policies.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For example, keep in mind what you just read in that previous article; they were fighting against a form of censorship, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now <a href="http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2015_06_01_archive.html" target="_blank">read this other article</a> about the new net phenomenon, "revenge porn".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is an excerpt:</span><br />
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</span> <i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">We’ve heard many troubling stories of “revenge porn”: an ex-partner seeking to publicly humiliate a person by posting private images of them, or hackers stealing and distributing images from victims’ accounts. Some images even end up on “sextortion” sites that force people to pay to have their images removed.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /></i><i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Our philosophy has always been that <span style="background-color: yellow;">Search should reflect the whole web</span>. But revenge porn images are intensely personal and emotionally damaging, and serve only to degrade the victims—predominantly women. So going forward, </span></span><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">we'll honor requests from people to remove nude or sexually explicit images shared without their consent from Google Search results</span></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">. This is a narrow and limited policy, similar to how we treat removal requests for other highly sensitive personal information, such as bank account numbers and signatures, that may surface in our search results.</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i> - Amit Singhal<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please try to follow (at least) SOME of these issues, my dear people........because they are really important to our future with the web and in the terrestrial world as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Believe me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They may not seem so important to you right now, because let's face it, Africa has more seemingly pressing issues to deal with for now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But think again, because as long as you are there GETTING more and more USED TO the web, or to your smartphones and tablets today, these issues will certainly be important to you in the nearest future! </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wouldn't you prefer to be <b>better </b>prepared for those challenges when the time comes?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You must not be only driven by profit. You must also prepare for the social and political battles that will surely come with it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As usual, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">if you have anything to add to this topic, or if you have anything you disagree with, or if you have a question about anything,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.533332824707px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Please feel free</i></b> to do so below, </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">otherwise you can ask your question on the </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100051757425658077659" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Digital Africa Community On Google+.</span></a></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.533332824707px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.533332824707px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.533332824707px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So I leave you with this very interesting </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">discussion from a Google+ post by David Amerland</span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-38470233543775177222015-04-27T15:39:00.000-07:002015-04-27T16:21:42.901-07:00How To Search For Old Posts On Google+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gshfQDi-EEU/VT6i12hjvcI/AAAAAAAADzc/33T7u2PK_rk/s1600/google-plus-logo-red-620-350.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gshfQDi-EEU/VT6i12hjvcI/AAAAAAAADzc/33T7u2PK_rk/s1600/google-plus-logo-red-620-350.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am writing this short post because I have noticed a growing number of people who constantly complain about Google+'s search feature. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, some folks actually do complain about the Google+ search feature!!! Here's a recent one, in a discussion on <a href="http://goo.gl/XT8kOe" target="_blank">Mike Allton's post</a> on G+ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yeah, wow! I know!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I find it pretty amazing as well!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So anyway, I decided to share <b>this simple tutorial</b> on how to make use of the Google+ search feature to find posts that are 3 days old or those that are 3 years old. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But let me quickly point out to those who actually compare with Facebook, that first of all, even though I have really come to like G+, I am not one of those people who get combative in favour of G+ against Facebook or any other network. To be honest, I couldn't care less what side ends up winning the Fan Wars; Just like I couldn't care less who "eventually won" the iOS vs. Android Fan Wars, and all of those shenanigans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By the way, if you are African, and you are new to Google+, please <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/02/googleplus-african-style.html" target="_blank">take a look at this post</a>. You might also want to look at <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-is-zmot.html" target="_blank">my ZMOT article</a> if you are a social media marketer or other digital marketer of sorts. </span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">STOP COMPARING APPLES TO LOLLIPOPS!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So having said all that let me now clarify the unnecessary Facebook/G+ comparison:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know without a doubt that the Facebook search feature is by far the most wretched of all social network search features. i.e. their desktop search on Facebook (I don't use Facebook on smartphones, but I guess if it sucks on desktop, then surely it must also..........). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am willing to bet that what those folks mean by <i>"easily finding previous posts on Facebook"</i>, is that they merely go through their notifications to find old posts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And yes indeed, Google+ purges notifications after you have treated them (i.e. visited the post you are being notified about). </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-67vA5VRtUA0/VT6xFFgnqSI/AAAAAAAADzs/r4Vx08U2Wjc/s1600/FACEBOOK%2BNOTIFY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-67vA5VRtUA0/VT6xFFgnqSI/AAAAAAAADzs/r4Vx08U2Wjc/s1600/FACEBOOK%2BNOTIFY.jpg" height="640" width="457" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So this poses a problem to a user who probably has a reason to return to a post he/she had been engaging with, but is not currently getting any attention (and therefore not triggering any new notifications).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To solve this problem from the <i>perspective a Facebook user</i> is pretty simple:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply click on your Notifications icon on your Google+ and scroll down to select "Previously read" at the bottom, and voila!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You are just <b>as you were</b> on Facebook! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yeepee!!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">:(</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google+ Ninjas Be Finding Sh*t All Day.....</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So now I want to talk to you about becoming much more of a "finder" than you could have ever dreamed of being on Facebook or any other social network:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Say you want to find some very interesting and very heated argument you had about Tesla Motors and Solar City on some guy's post that you don't even know or follow, and it happened sometime in 2013. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please! Attempt to tell me you have a prayer of finding such on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now let me show you how to do it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Searching is about strings or keywords (for now). So in the G+ search bar, you would need to remember certain keywords (the more unique they are the better).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You could pick [Tesla]; you could pick [SolarCity]; you could pick [name of poster] (if you remember their name - especially if he had some unique name like Wolfgang Bohemian or something. lol ). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It could also help if some term like [Lithium-Ion] or [fossil-fuel] was repeated by you are some others within the comments. Then finally you would need to add [your name], but only if you participated in the comments of the post. So 3 to 5 keywords should take you to that post with ease. Try it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here's an example from how I found the post I mentioned earlier:</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tAwSqvNtfTM/VT6x1yEnTsI/AAAAAAAADz0/-8SpZx7zQAg/s1600/google%2B%2Bsearch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tAwSqvNtfTM/VT6x1yEnTsI/AAAAAAAADz0/-8SpZx7zQAg/s1600/google%2B%2Bsearch.jpg" height="640" width="504" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This next example is one where I hadn't engaged on the post. It only flashed by on my stream, and I came back the next day to look for it. And voila!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-548n1L2k5Ps/VIrtMgzIKpI/AAAAAAAAC94/W6Wqu20Ac0M/w735-h476-no/ronaldo%2Bdives%2Bin%2Bpool.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-548n1L2k5Ps/VIrtMgzIKpI/AAAAAAAAC94/W6Wqu20Ac0M/w735-h476-no/ronaldo%2Bdives%2Bin%2Bpool.png" height="410" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, let me say you can try it with this very post (i.e. the one attached to this article <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RotimiOrimoloye/posts/a4RS2tHqrMZ" target="_blank">> Here < </a> )</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you want to find this post 4 years from now, simply go to G+ search and type [Rotimi Orims] + [Google+ Facebook Search] + [Your name].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you are not following me, and you did not comment on it, then try it this way:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">[Rotimi Orims] + [Google+ Facebook Search] + [the name of the person who surfaced it into your stream] (they either liked it or commented on it).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or you may add the term [Search Africa] in it as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The idea is that, if the post was memorable enough to make you want to take another look at it, then surely if you tried a bit harder, you would remember some keywords and terms that were used in it or in its comments!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And you would find it easily......on Google+</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By the way, if you want to become a Ninja-Shogun-Samurai Google+ searcher (Translated: If you want to learn more useful tips) then you can turn to <a href="http://www.websighthangouts.com/google-plus-search-tips/" target="_blank">this resource here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks for reading.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you have anything to add to this (and I am sure there is much to add) please feel free to do so. Also feel free to ask any questions about anything you like. You would also find I am quite open to harsh criticism and interrogation, if that's what you prefer. ;)</span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-67237234860746389582015-04-21T04:30:00.001-07:002017-02-13T03:45:46.545-08:00What Is ZMOT To A Nigerian?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kn2UHpt8NKE/VTTPpH5DrKI/AAAAAAAADwk/TNd7rHk8Exw/s1600/Google-Zero-Moment-of-Truth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kn2UHpt8NKE/VTTPpH5DrKI/AAAAAAAADwk/TNd7rHk8Exw/s1600/Google-Zero-Moment-of-Truth.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">ZMOT is a four letter acronym for a marketing concept developed at Google by <a href="https://twitter.com/jimlecinski" target="_blank">Jim Lecinski</a>. It stands for the <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/collections/zero-moment-truth.html" target="_blank">Zero Moment Of Truth</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In digital marketing, a ZMOT is the most crucial stage in a shopper's decision making life cycle, and it presents tremendous opportunities for marketers who are serious about taking the lead in their industries in this new digital age.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, to the average Nigerian business person, this may not mean much right now. But I am willing to bet that it would mean a great deal to many of you in the next 3 to 5 years. Especially if the country continues to grow and develop at this rate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">DEFINITION</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In a marketer's hypothesis of a customer's path to a purchase, the <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/110752374181602617783/+RotimiOrimoloye/posts/Zk8ESMMLxhG" target="_blank">ZMOT is</a> the stage that comes immediately after the potential shopper receives a <b>stimulus</b> (advertisement, or other form of initial proposition) and before a decision is made at the store. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before the dawn of the digital age, stimulus was believed to play a decent role in the customer's mind <b><i>to get him to</i></b> a store. Advertisements are expected to grab your attention and sell you an idea. This is called the stimulus stage, and it</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> usually comes long before a decision is taken </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">at the store shelf. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-first-moment-of-truth.html" target="_blank">This decision stage</a> is called the <b>First Moment Of Truth (or FMOT).</b> A stage where wise marketers who realize they cannot rely completely on the message in the initial stimulus to get you to make the purchase. So by doing some additional promotion in this <b>Shelf stage</b> (the packaging of the product, in-store advertising, etc) marketers want to influence your decision at the point of purchase (like a store). <br />If this is done right, marketers could even<b> "steal" </b>the customer that was brought in by a competitor's stimulus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After check out at the counter the customer takes the product or service (after a deal or contract has been made), and uses it. This is the Experience Stage and the amount of satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) that the customer gets with the product is aptly called the <b>Second Moment Of Truth</b>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ku9Jn7pOvM8/VTTPzeuNpUI/AAAAAAAADws/xi3viheiHmE/s1600/zmot_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ku9Jn7pOvM8/VTTPzeuNpUI/AAAAAAAADws/xi3viheiHmE/s1600/zmot_1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>BEFORE</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFXG2Un2ktE/VTTP20CnUDI/AAAAAAAADw0/F4FDV1JlQeI/s1600/ZMOT-from-Google-760x478.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFXG2Un2ktE/VTTP20CnUDI/AAAAAAAADw0/F4FDV1JlQeI/s1600/ZMOT-from-Google-760x478.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>AFTER</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile, the <b>Zero Moment Of Truth</b> comes after the Stimulus stage, but before the First Moment Of Truth. It became a recognizable phenomenon as the world got more and more transformed by the internet and mobile phones. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And there is more than enough evidence to show that it is playing an increasing role on how modern day shoppers make their final decision at the counter. The most crucial role in many cases.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Consider someone who enters a shop to ask for Product XYZ, with serial number 123, with accessories ABC. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Such a case is that of someone who did his homework well before going to the store, right? That is how to understand the ZMOT.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To make it simple:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ZMOT phenomenon is a new way we behave; like when you argue with a friend about who the top goal scorer in LaLiga is. A long time ago, such arguments often ended with guys making bets. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These days, few young men are confident enough to take these bets, because they know that the other guy would get the answer within a second of bringing out their smartphone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And many of us have extended this "swift answer mentality" to our shopping behavior as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So <a href="http://101business.tv/blog/?p=189" target="_blank">the ZMOT</a> is not only a concept, or a moment in time; it is a whole new mentality. A new and increasingly frequent destination we go to before we make a purchase.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the new digital age, people no longer easily buy the B.S. of advertisements as they used to (pardon my expression). They want to investigate and learn more about the service or product. And this is simply because it is getting easier and easier for them to do so these days. Technology is changing the way the market behaves and you have no choice but to adjust to it. That is if you wish to remain in business for a long time.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-duUxFH_sxZ0/VTTP5ZXz-XI/AAAAAAAADw8/GYbnMH7SfHY/s1600/zmot%2Bmatters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-duUxFH_sxZ0/VTTP5ZXz-XI/AAAAAAAADw8/GYbnMH7SfHY/s1600/zmot%2Bmatters.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">HOW CAN ZMOT STRATEGY HELP MY BUSINESS?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now I know some of you have heard about SEO (or Search Engine Optimization). While many more of you know a little bit about Online Advertising and how it is more target & intent oriented than the kind of advertising that you have in the real world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some of you might also be lucky to have learned a few things about Web Analytics, so you know that it is profitable for you to analyze how people interact with your website. And you all probably know more about Social Media Marketing and the fact that people are getting more and more advanced at using social networks (<a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/02/googleplus-african-style.html" target="_blank">like Google+</a> and Facebook) as marketing and sales platforms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But now, try to think of the ZMOT as an angle or an approach through which you pilot your business to greater success. It's a method that often ties those other digital activities together in one powerful strategy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Imagine that you are managing a store in Ikeja that sells a particularly rare beauty product (XYZ). <br />Then imagine a woman who lives in Surulere and who wants that product XYZ really badly. <br />But now imagine that some creepy sales-rep from another beauty company is at her house trying to sell her an alternative product ABF. <br /><br />So while she reluctantly thinks about buying this crappy product ABF, she thought to share on her Twitter, Facebook and Google+ profiles, a post asking her friends, "Does anyone know anywhere in Lagos where I can get rare cream XYZ?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What kind of strategy would you adopt in engaging this kind of ready customer at the Zero Moment Of Truth?<br />You have to start thinking along those lines from now. <br />Not just launching digital campaigns for the sake of "needing to go digital with your marketing". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some more examples are:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A cocoa farmer searching on Google for the most appropriate fertilizers. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">An Abuja-based couple browsing for affordable hotels in Calabar for their honeymoon, and suddenly discovering that one of their friends has left a 5-star rating and an online review for an <b>affordable </b>guest house there.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or....Surprisingly making up your mind to buy an iPhone4 instead of the Blackberry Z10 you had previously planned to buy, after searching the term "Best Smartphone for business in Nigeria" and finding a very compelling blog article where someone was comparing a number of smartphones. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In these examples, the suppliers or providers of fertilizer, or hotels and guest houses in Calabar, and of Androids and Blackberry phones can do something to give their own businesses the advantage. They don't have to rely on luck.<br /><br />It requires a ZMOT strategy…Or it requires that you actually know how the digital realm works and how it shapes user behaviour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So it is more about <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2014/01/zmot-enthusiast.html" target="_blank">having a certain mentality</a> than it is about being a super computer genius, wizard or guru. Or any of those other meaningless tags that people throw around these days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I would also say that it is more about <b>adapting </b>traditional marketing principles than it is about IT proficiency. I mean, you can always get computer geeks working for you, while you coordinate them. But not everyone <b>really </b>understands what Ogilvy meant when he said "To be interesting, be <b>interested</b>".</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IingJ4E-P-Q/VTTP7q7dj4I/AAAAAAAADxE/B4HBh1tIDAo/s1600/ZMOTuitgelicht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IingJ4E-P-Q/VTTP7q7dj4I/AAAAAAAADxE/B4HBh1tIDAo/s1600/ZMOTuitgelicht.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A ZMOT TESTIMONIAL</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is something that I discovered while eavesdropping on a conversation between two ZMOT-minded professionals:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In answering a question about understanding where their customers were in their shopping life cycle, and what were the right messages to meet them at each point, Laurie Tucker (the Marketing Executive of Fedex) captured the essence of a ZMOT-minded strategy here; and I am slightly paraphrasing what she said:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"We've put up about 150 videos on our YouTube Channel to say, 'how do you use Fedex?'….But at another level we start to understand <b>how </b>our customers respond to our content, and we begin to grade them based on their <b>engagement </b>with us. We look for look-alikes; Test; Repeat; Repeat again; and then (we) begin to get sophisticated….So I start to <b>think </b>about this and realize that marketing is the new sales!"</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, if you didn't get that, it is only because you are perhaps really new to digital marketing concepts in general. But please note that all I really need you to take away from what she said here is really just one word…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">…THINK!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The marketer here (Laurie Tucker) gained a level of awareness by constantly engaging her customers at their ZMOTs. She is clearly rewired for the new digital age, and quite frankly the company she works for would reap the rewards of this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">ZMOT mindedness would do this for you as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a Nigerian, you can surely testify to the increasing usage of mobile phones by all and sundry to browse the internet, and you know how often you hear people say, <b><i>"google It!"</i></b> nowadays.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is our present reality. And the future will surely see it increase in this direction. If you are in business, you should be thinking of how to take advantage of this by now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thank you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Did my article do anything for you? <br />Please let me know what you think? <br />Do you disagree or agree with anything? I look forward to hearing from you….<br /><br />Find <a href="http://linkedin.com/in/Orims" target="_blank">me on LinkedIn</a> as well.</span><br />
<br />ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-72889152084325664322015-04-20T02:17:00.000-07:002015-04-23T16:42:24.988-07:00Clean Water Can Boost Africa's Economies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yUAbqIpsxGc/VSMnFjs8qYI/AAAAAAAADsw/vYUo7GWP-YU/s1600/clean%2Bwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yUAbqIpsxGc/VSMnFjs8qYI/AAAAAAAADsw/vYUo7GWP-YU/s1600/clean%2Bwater.jpg" height="280" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"There is a causal relationship between access to water supply and higher income levels"</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This quote came from <a href="http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/waterandmacroeconomics/en/" target="_blank">a</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/waterandmacroeconomics/en/" target="_blank"> W.H.O. report</a> by M. Sanctuary, H. Tropp and A. Berntell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They found that, "Poor countries with improved access to clean water and sanitation services enjoyed annual average growth of 3.7%." While those without improved access averaged per capita GDP growth of only 0.1%".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am glad that you are reading this article to learn more (I guess) about the new wave of events and happenings in the economic future of Africa. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hopefully, you got here from a link from <a href="http://rotimiorims.blogspot.com/2015/03/africa-invest-in-africa-.html" target="_blank">my previous post</a> about why Africans, most of all (and not just foreigners) need to invest more effort and resources in Africa. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In that article, I talked about the benefits of staying up to date with discussions at the World Economic Forum on Africa as well as the US-Africa Business Forum hosted by Barack Obama and moderated by Bill Clinton.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In this one, I will address an issue that was raised by <a href="http://www.chrislangwrites.com/about/" target="_blank">author & futurist Chris Lang</a>, who felt it was an important issue to consider where ever there is development. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The issue of access to clean water.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bL8-7i9Qckg/VTS3rmTNaiI/AAAAAAAADwU/Ft9EYo3yIMQ/s1600/clean%2Bwater2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bL8-7i9Qckg/VTS3rmTNaiI/AAAAAAAADwU/Ft9EYo3yIMQ/s1600/clean%2Bwater2.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It Is About Access And Cleanliness!</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I live in a private estate (in Lagos, Nigeria) where there are still a few undeveloped pieces of property. And like most people in my country, I actually supply my own water and provide most of the electricity that I use. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have a borehole and a pumping machine to pump water into a large tank that is suspended above my roof (Most people who live in suburbs and urban areas in Lagos have the same kind of arrangement).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I personally choose not drink the water from my borehole (I buy my drinking water) even though some of my neighbors say it is safe and do not even bother filtering it. Anyway,</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> every now and then when there are constructions going on close by, the workers come to me to ask to fetch water for their work, and they sometimes drink directly from the tap in my backyard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I always warn them that the water has not been tested or verified to be good for drinking but they don't care. They often say that they've drank water that is visibly scary looking, and not clear like mine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now on the other hand, you could probably use any kind of dirty water to mix your cement for construction, but it still helps a great deal to have<b> immediate access</b> to that water wherever you're working. Also, being able to easily get the water you want when you want it, and not having to get medical treatment for consuming it is indeed an economic advantage to the society at large.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Think about it! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There would be less burden on our already overburdened hospital systems in Africa because of easy access to clean water. Medical attention and resources can then be focused on other challenges like malaria. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HUcEAzKYTw4/VSU252CyQDI/AAAAAAAADtQ/E0FGWcHRfJM/s1600/diseases%2Bin%2Bwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HUcEAzKYTw4/VSU252CyQDI/AAAAAAAADtQ/E0FGWcHRfJM/s1600/diseases%2Bin%2Bwater.jpg" height="530" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common diseases that are transmitted through dirty water</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Humanitarian & Philanthropic Efforts</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The image above is very scary isn't it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of course it is!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Former UN Sec Gen, Kofi Annan, said: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"We shall not defeat the diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking water, sanitation, and basic health care."</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hollywood actor, Matt Damon and Gary White founded <a href="http://water.org/">Water.org</a> in 2009, and this is a non-profit that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water.org" target="_blank">provides access to drinking water and sanitation</a> in developing countries all over the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I mention them here because of their method:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Forge partnerships with local change agents.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Involve the local community at every stage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. Select appropriate technology for particular environment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Integrate with health & hygiene education.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes some people criticize celebrities for humanitarian work in Africa and other underdeveloped regions, arguing that they seek some kind of "vain" glory. My response to that would be to ask those who benefit from these efforts if they share such a shallow sentiment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another person I really must mention is the young Canadian, Ryan Hreljac who began his <a href="http://www.ryanswell.ca/about-us.aspx" target="_blank">Ryan's Well</a> cause when he was only 7 years old. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The story is so moving because not only was young Ryan able to raise enough money (by doing extra chores) to start a trend that eventually grew into a life changing foundation, he also made a friend in Uganda at the same time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZVXXpkRCSE/VSVAzN9qAwI/AAAAAAAADt0/m8hF4bR6Vok/s1600/g10484_u7873_drillingrig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZVXXpkRCSE/VSVAzN9qAwI/AAAAAAAADt0/m8hF4bR6Vok/s1600/g10484_u7873_drillingrig.jpg" height="214" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7 year old Ryan Hreljac looking on as a<br />
borehole is being constructed in Uganda, <br />
thanks to funds he helped to raise</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ryanswell.ca/about-us/jimmys-story.aspx" target="_blank">Jimmy Akana</a> walked miles to fetch dirty water that his family used for drinking, cooking and bathing. The efforts of Ryan's Well Foundation helped his village tremendously. And even when Jimmy lost his parents (under very horrible circumstances) at a very tender age, Ryan's family stepped in and offered him their home in Canada. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2SPYn7qJWgY/VSVAzuZKkMI/AAAAAAAADtk/-JCd-63GXbw/s1600/Ryan-Friend.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2SPYn7qJWgY/VSVAzuZKkMI/AAAAAAAADtk/-JCd-63GXbw/s1600/Ryan-Friend.png" height="209" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jimmy Akana and Canadian Ryan Hreljac became friends <br />
when Ryan visited Uganda to inspect his first well.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A remarkable story if you ask me.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But now I want you to ask yourself, what can <b>we </b>do MORE, in Africa, to improve on <b>the improvements </b></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">in the accessibility of our people to clean water?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Pardon me for a moment, but I feel like posting a number of photos here right now. :-) )</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Prr2nNkrfvg/VSVDYoZnetI/AAAAAAAADuE/WR8THFmTqIA/s1600/graduation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Prr2nNkrfvg/VSVDYoZnetI/AAAAAAAADuE/WR8THFmTqIA/s1600/graduation.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">Jimmy attended high school with Ryan in Canada. <br />And in 2012, he graduated from <br />St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.</em></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FO2dT_LZSKc/VSVDZOn3liI/AAAAAAAADuI/yJvnBEt_wnI/s1600/ryanswell_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FO2dT_LZSKc/VSVDZOn3liI/AAAAAAAADuI/yJvnBEt_wnI/s1600/ryanswell_2.jpg" height="400" width="375" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X7p5AxAqf_Y/VSVAzFw3a5I/AAAAAAAADtg/NOGVILuvX78/s1600/Jimmy-Akana-Hreljac-Ryan-Hreljac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X7p5AxAqf_Y/VSVAzFw3a5I/AAAAAAAADtg/NOGVILuvX78/s1600/Jimmy-Akana-Hreljac-Ryan-Hreljac.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today, Jimmy Akana Hreljac is also helping with the foundation <br />
by speaking publicly to create awareness of the foundation. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Africa Has To Fix Africa</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ryan and many foreigners have done their best, and we are indeed grateful. But now it is time to challenge</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> our governments: It is time to fix things!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Now I know that there is clearly a lot of misconception about Africa in the perceptions of the global community at large, thanks to the foreign press. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While a few foreigners still assume that we live in a wide open safari with hyena packs running around, and our babies are perpetually starving to death; others are taken by the shallow depictions by f</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">oreign media which have a tendency to regurgitate only images like this one: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ML1j30-lvDo/VSMULJEJBrI/AAAAAAAADsY/9zSIVoxvqVE/s1600/makoko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ML1j30-lvDo/VSMULJEJBrI/AAAAAAAADsY/9zSIVoxvqVE/s1600/makoko.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By the way, <b>our own </b>governments prefer to focus on images like this one :</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ib3RwG1LkO8/VSMUcCiLanI/AAAAAAAADsg/LEEDX6FowqY/s1600/lagos1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ib3RwG1LkO8/VSMUcCiLanI/AAAAAAAADsg/LEEDX6FowqY/s1600/lagos1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But that is not what is important here now. What is important is that for development to be beneficial to any society, it must be inclusive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is no point having some scattered portions of Africa developing into futuristic utopia's, while most other parts are neglected by the government, to suffer a perpetual lack of electricity and access to clean water. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I want you to take a look at </span><a href="http://www.wssinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/resources/JMP-report-2012-en.pdf" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">the data gathered by the WHO and UNICEF</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> back in 2012, when they announced that the world had already met its Millennium Development Goal on </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>access</i></b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> to clean drinking water which targeted 2015.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">However a large part of Africa hasn't quite gotten there yet. But the good news is that a lot of effort has been made all round Africa, and there is reason to be confident that these goals could be met a little later than 2015.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here are a few numbers:</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F5qKu47Afw8/VSMpgh7a1pI/AAAAAAAADs8/iy5LOHLHLc8/s1600/not%2Bon%2Btrack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F5qKu47Afw8/VSMpgh7a1pI/AAAAAAAADs8/iy5LOHLHLc8/s1600/not%2Bon%2Btrack.png" height="432" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Egyptian Web', 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.25rem; line-height: 24px; margin: 1.6875rem 0px 0.0625rem;">
Data summary for a select few African countries...</h2>
<xml:group style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px;"></xml:group><br />
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><caption style="border-top-color: rgb(179, 179, 180); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0.0625rem; font-family: 'Guardian Egyptian Web', 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.25rem; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5rem; padding: 0.5rem 0px; text-align: left;">The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) water supply improvements - <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/mar/22/who-water-sanitation-goals" target="_blank">summarized</a> by The Guardian (UK)</caption><thead>
<tr><th class="bold left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem; text-align: left;">Country</th><th class="bold left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem; text-align: left;">2010 National Water Total Improved (x1000)</th><th class="bold left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem; text-align: left;">2010 National Water Total Improved (%)</th><th class="bold left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem; text-align: left;">1990 National Water Total Improved (x1000)</th><th class="bold left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem; text-align: left;">1990 National Water Total Improved (%)</th></tr>
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;">Nigeria 92,581 58 46,131 47</td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;">Zambia 7,937 61 3,852<span style="font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem;"> </span>49</td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;">S/Leone 3,225 55 1,520 38</td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;">Togo 3,694 61 1,794 49</td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;">Uganda 23,929 72 7,667 43</td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;">Kenya 23,762 59 10,259 44</td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;">S/Africa 45,792 91 30,411 83</td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left" style="font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;">DRCongo 29,891 45 16,211 45</td></tr>
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; width: 620px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;">Ghana 20,894 86 7,913 53</td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td><td class="left" style="background-color: #ececec; font-family: 'Guardian Text Sans Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.125rem; padding: 0.5rem;"><br /></td></tr>
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In truth, all of the African countries listed did somewhat well, when you compare the levels of access from 20 years before. Countries like Nigeria did reasonably well over the past 20 years, but Ghana and Uganda did way better....relative to their population!</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, these figures represent the increase in improved access to clean drinking water which has been found to be both correlative and causative of economic growth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The point I am trying to bring out in this particular case is that the data shows that there is indeed progress. It can also drive more progress as the knowledge of the successes of some African nations would inspire/challenge others to work harder, in my opinion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By the way, I believe I must also point out a thing or two about the Grand Inga Dam Project (which I will be writing a whole article on at a later date) that seeks to provide much electric power to Africa, and (by extension) enhance economic growth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I believe there is a need to consider some possible negative effects on the water in the DRC (Democratic Republic Of Congo) where the dam is to be built. Dealing with this now can save us a lot of wasted lives and resources later.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You may stick with this blog to read about that and more. Just scroll down the right side bar (below my photograph) to join the blog list (I don't usually post more than twice a month, so I won't drown you in my posts). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the final analysis, I would say Africa is largely on the right path in terms of democracy, trade, and recent economic policies. What we need now is to keep our children alive, healthy, and enlightened, so they can help build our continent into it's true wealthy self, and not the shadow of it that it is today.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2516563595600085539.post-22792974366337482242015-03-28T03:04:00.002-07:002017-05-10T10:13:55.921-07:00Obama & WEF Urge Investment In Africa<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">The World Economic Forum And You</span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Lt5emOJBwg/VRUVRaWaDvI/AAAAAAAADh0/dEfRwJV-iLw/s1600/World-Economic-Forum-620x330.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Lt5emOJBwg/VRUVRaWaDvI/AAAAAAAADh0/dEfRwJV-iLw/s1600/World-Economic-Forum-620x330.gif" width="640" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">First, I must refer you to a short update that I posted on my Google+ social profile a few days ago, titled "</span></span></span><span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/qkruqz" target="_blank">Revisiting The <b>W</b>orld <b>E</b>conomic <b>F</b>orum on Africa</a>". </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">The <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Economic_Forum" target="_blank">WEF</a> on Africa</b> was a true game changing event that took place in Abuja, Nigeria in May 2014.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">In my update, I argued that you should <b><i>lessen the amount</i></b> of attention you pay to those who constantly bicker about <i><b> "</b></i></span></span><i><b><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">drooling foreigners who want a piece of Africa....to steal our natural resources with the help of our corrupt and greedy politicians</span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">."</span></b></i></div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">I asked that you change this overly simplistic and suspicious viewpoint because, when you really think about it, it doesn't make much sense to keep going on and on about something that we all know is more-or-less part of human nature!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">All business transactions are driven by selfish interests. And this will not exclude the selfish interests of a foreign investor, the selfish interests of our governments, or YOUR OWN selfish interests.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">If one of the parties <b>claimed </b>not to have any selfish interests whatsoever, that is when I would almost certainly become suspicious! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">So it's time to grow up and learn how to negotiate the terms of these deals in a way that favours our people. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">This is what I believe the WEF event did for some of us....It made us give our attention to the technicalities of the economic realities of our future.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">I, for one, am now less interested in which political party Akinwunmi Adesina belongs to, or in </span></span></span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">the colour of</span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> the skin of the US President. I am more concerned about who will talk the talk and walk the walk that will lead Africa into greater economic diversification.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">So right now I need you to become "selfish" as well. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Or have you not heard? </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Some of the great social scientists of old (including Adam Smith) found that <b>selfishness </b>was indeed a social virtue that leads to social progress. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">So to rekindle this </span><i style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">virtue</i><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">, I would strongly recommend that you start paying close attention to, and following the WEF events. Try to stop seeing such things as boring. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #404040; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">We can no longer just sit down and complain to deaf ears. <b>We </b>(as many of us that do care about the future of our kids on the continent</span></span><span style="color: #404040; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">) need to find a way to be part of the developing story. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #404040; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">We must try our best to be co-scripters of it! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #404040; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">We must embrace competition, evoke innovation, enshrine capacity building, and also, engender the rapid return of our brothers and sisters who migrated, schooled and acquired diversified skills abroad (i.e. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_capital_flight" target="_blank">the brain drain</a>). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpwCBXvBxBM/VRUQB_tNWLI/AAAAAAAADhQ/D9MMyt7i4qc/s1600/Obama%2BUS%2BAfrica%2Bbuz%2Bforum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpwCBXvBxBM/VRUQB_tNWLI/AAAAAAAADhQ/D9MMyt7i4qc/s1600/Obama%2BUS%2BAfrica%2Bbuz%2Bforum.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Barack Obama & The US-Africa Business Forum</span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">But the WEF on Africa is not the only big conference that I would need you to pay attention to. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">About three months after it, Barack Obama hosted 45 leaders from Africa (Presidents and leading business men) in the <a href="http://usafricabusinessforum.bloomberg.org/#/" target="_blank">US-Africa Business Forum</a>, moderated by former US President, Bill Clinton.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Referencing </span><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">the story of</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashish_Thakkar" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;" target="_blank">Indian born African billionaire, Ashish Thakkar </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">as a glowing example, Mr Clinton spoke of the US mission as being driven to help develop the African home as a place of opportunity for Africans and for those who want to work with us.</span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">So right now, I need you to <b>NOT be pessimistic</b>, but really pay attention: </span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Most of the panelists agreed that they are committing to green field investments in Africa. This means that they intend to build or construct facilities from the ground up, as opposed to merely purchasing already existing operations in Africa.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">President Obama feels that this is the right way to go to ensure that both the US and Africa gets the best out of this tightening relationship. <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/greenfield.asp" target="_blank">Green field investing</a> inclines towards hiring and developing a younger local workforce, and this means a great deal to me and to <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100051757425658077659" target="_blank">Digital Africa</a>. And it should mean a lot to you as well.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: #404040; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">So why does President Obama care so much about Africa and our dreams to arise? </span></span></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, it is easy to assume that because his father was an African, it boils down to him trying to give back to his roots. I know that is the story many Africans would want to tell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Errrr.........Not so fast!!!</b></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am a <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RotimiOrimoloye/posts/Zk8ESMMLxhG" target="_blank"><b>digital </b>marketing consultant</a>, therefore I tend to look at things algorithmically and strategically. I have no <i>sentimental bone</i> in my body. Hahaa!</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So let me briefly recap some things that preceded the US-Business Forum. Hopefully that would give us a hint about what is really happening here....</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">First of all, Obama was absent at the </span><span style="font-size: large;">WEF on Africa held </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">in Nigeria; that </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">we all know.....And it did not surprize me, by the way.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But then, the whole world was shocked to see the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, stop by to show China's support for the event. (This definitely sends a clear message to the West, as China already has huge investments in Africa, and plans to increase it's stakes in our continent)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Search Africa Follows The WEF on Africa" border="0" height="440" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ0pkAiW8eM/VRUVUxrb7AI/AAAAAAAADiA/tAgK0fYcAfE/s1600/chinese%2Bpremier%2Bat%2BWEF.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang (center) with President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria (right), at the WEF on Africa in Abuja, Nigeria 2014" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, President Obama tells African rulers that he believes (in terms of foreign direct investment in Africa) <i>"the more the merrier"</i>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">However, he was also quoted as telling them to ensure that the roads don't </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"just lead from the mine, to the port, to Shanghai."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Note that US <a href="http://rt.com/op-edge/176664-africa-china-us-rivalry/" target="_blank">trade with Africa</a> is $85 billion, while China does a staggering $200 Billion. So you can guess what is really going on here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thinking here is that neither of these countries is short on selfish interests. But please try remember not to take that as a negative thing because it is really not. We can <b>gain </b>from "their competition". In case you haven't been paying attention, the US is endowed with really "developed" businesses that will (apart from the obvious - create jobs and invest cash) bring lots of <b>innovation</b>, and impart <b>diversified skills</b> into our <b>young people</b>. I really cannot emphasize this point enough.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To illustrate, I will use the growing solar industry.<br />Africa can gain a lot by making itself very attractive to US and European solar energy companies that would find it much easier to sell solar energy to a continent that has very poor electricity distributing infrastructure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We would give them a very lucrative market, while we get from them the training and skillsets that our people would need to develop our own solar systems in the future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is win-win, because the maturity of energy distribution in these countries (especially the US) makes solar relatively difficult to sell over there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Conlusion</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bill Clinton says, </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">"Intelligence, dreams, and the will to work are evenly distributed throughout the world! </i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Investments, opportunities, and systems that reward smart behavior are not"</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The writing is on the wall. The data speaks for itself:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most African countries are enjoying their longest spells of democratic civilian rule in our history. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Africa has 50% of it's population aged under 20. Which means that Africa will have 25% of the global workforce by 2050 and the lowest pensions burdens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It has 60% of the world's agricultural land.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">With less than 20% power supply (electricity) Africa still manages to grow it's economy at 5.5% annually.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What will happen when we have steady electricity? And when other basic infrastructure become things we can take for granted?</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I would love to discuss much more. And about the <a href="http://www.nepad.org/about" target="_blank">NEPAD</a> (<a href="https://www.freebase.com/m/0gktg" target="_blank">The New Partnership for Africa's Development</a></span><span style="font-size: large;">) driven <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Inga_Dam" target="_blank">Grand Inga Dam project</a> in The DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) just to show you examples of what is possible and what we can do now to take our future firmly into our own hands. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that would come in another article, soon. </span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For now, let me leave you by insisting again, that you pay close attention to the things that are gradually unfolding.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is to empower yourself and your future generations in this new spirit of <b><i>"Inclusive Growth"</i></b>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You and I must forge ahead through our personal <i>"selfish interests"</i>, through informing ourselves properly in these matters, through the acquisition of skills that we clearly do not have an abundance of, in Africa, and through greater participation in intra-Africa trade partnerships.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is time to Arise Africa!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So if you have anything to add to this discussion, or if you have anything you disagree with, or if you have a question about anything,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Please feel free</i></b> to do so here, otherwise you can ask your question on the Digital Africa <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100051757425658077659" target="_blank">Community On Google+</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I leave you with this very interesting and even slightly entertaining <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvYr_cNQ47k" target="_blank">discussion panel</a></b> hosted by CNBC-Africa </span><a href="https://twitter.com/bronwynnielsen" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">editor in chief, Bronwyn Nielsen</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span><br />
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ROT3Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00150335297189266743noreply@blogger.com0Nigeria6.227933930268672 3.55957031252.1873029302686717 -1.6040036874999997 10.268564930268672 8.7231443125