IGIHE

Category: Science &Technology

  • Microsoft to Earn Millions from Kenya laptops Deal

    {{Microsoft is set to earn billions of shillings from supply of software for the free laptop plan after it signed a deal with President Uhuru Kenyatta to support the school-based computer idea.}}

    Microsoft will train all primary school teachers for free to enable them implement the laptop plan and in return will feed the computers with its own software at discounted rate.

    The government intends to offer free laptops to all class one going children totalling about 1.5 million pupils beginning next year with the first phase of the exercise expected to cost Sh17 billion.

    The partnership will see the US software giant in partnership with other operators develop at least five enterprises in each county in Kenya to provide technical support in hardware, connectivity and software to all schools.

    Microsoft is expected earn to annual fees from each computer that will be attached with its software, which is expected to run into hundreds of millions based on analyst’s estimation.

  • New Research Points to Turning Point in Human Diet

    {{Human ancestors in Africa about 3.4 million years ago expanded their diets beyond the leaves and fruits preferred by most primates and began eating grasses and grass-like plants, setting the stage for expanded habitats, according to new research.}}

    The research, by University of Utah geochemist Thure Cerling and an international team of scientists, refutes the previously held belief that those early humans shared the diets of forest-dwelling primates.

    The research was published in four studies published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

    The studies analyzed the tooth enamel of ancestors of humans and great apes to show early man gained a taste for grasses and sedges, grass-like plants with edged stems.

    “It was like the opening of a new restaurant and they didn’t have to eat the same old stuff,” Cerling told media.

    No longer dependent on forests for their supply of food, the change in diet helped pave the way for early man to explore new habitats, Cerling said.

    The question of whether those ancestors were pure herbivores or carnivores remains unanswered.

    “That is a mystery still to be unraveled,” Cerling said.

    Earlier studies indicate that early man did not scavenge for meat until 2.5 million years ago and did not begin hunting for game until about 500,000 years ago.

  • Rwanda Military Hospital Recieves Waste Water Treatment Plant

    {{The Rwanda Military Hospital at Kanombe sector officially received the waste water treatment plant June 3rd.}}

    The waste water treatment plant was installed by the Belgian Development agency BTC through the support program for health facilities. It is one of the initiatives the administration of the city has undertaken to scale up public hygiene and environment protection.

    Ahmad Parsa Program officer of BTC said that the activity cost Frw440 million; “BTC will continue to work together with government of Rwanda,” He said.

    Col. Dr. Ben Karenzi Commandant RMH was thankful BTC for their support and he said that RMH will maintain the waste water treatment plant.

    Waste water treatment system of Rwanda Military Hospital of Kanombe has the capacity to process waste waters used by 700 people per day.

  • China’s Manned Space Mission to Launch June

    {{China will launch its next manned rocket in the middle of this month, carrying three astronauts to an experimental space module, state media said on Monday, the latest stage of an ambitious plan to build a space station.}}

    The Shenzhou 10 space ship and its rocket had already been moved to the launch area at a remote site in the Gobi desert.

    Once in orbit, the Shenzhou 10 will link up with the Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) 1 module, which was moved into the correct orbiting position last month.

    Chinese astronauts carried out a manned docking with the module for the first time last June.

    Rendezvous and docking exercises between the two vessels are an important hurdle in China’s efforts to acquire the technological and logistical skills to run a full space lab that can house astronauts for long periods.

    China is still far from catching up with the established space superpowers, the United States and Russia. The Tiangong 1 is a trial module, not the building block of a space station.

    But this summer’s mission will be the latest show of China’s growing prowess in space and comes while budget restraints and shifting priorities have held back U.S. manned space launches.

    It will be China’s fifth manned space mission since 2003 when astronaut Yang Liwei became the country’s first person in orbit.

    China also plans an unmanned moon landing and deployment of a moon rover. Scientists have raised the possibility of sending a man to the moon, but not before 2020.

    While Beijing insists its space program is for peaceful purposes, a Pentagon report last month highlighted China’s increasing space capabilities and said Beijing was pursuing a variety of activities aimed at preventing its adversaries from using space-based assets during a crisis.

    Xinhua

  • Egypt Challenges Studies on Ethiopia Monster Dam

    {{Egypt has criticised Ethiopia saying,it has not thought hard enough about the impact of its ambitious dam project along the Nile.}}

    The Egyptian presidency was citing the findings of a report put together by a panel of experts from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the impact of the plan to build a $4.7 billion hydroelectric dam.

    Ethiopia triggered deep concern in Egypt last week when it began work to divert the river as part of the project. Egypt depends on the Nile for nearly all its water.

    Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, who met the Egyptian members of the tripartite committee on Sunday, referred the report to his government for “urgent action” with Sudan and Ethiopia to agree on steps to safeguard the river’s flow.

    Citing the findings of the report, the presidency said Ethiopia’s “studies were not adequate for a project of this scale, and the committee’s report recommended more studies of the economic and social aspects, the security of dams and water resources, not to mention the environmental aspects”.

    Ethiopia has laid out plans to invest more than $12 billion in harnessing the rivers that run through its rugged highlands, to become Africa’s leading power exporter.

    Centerpiece to the plan is the Grand Renaissance Dam being built in the Benishangul-Gumuz region bordering Sudan.

    Now 21% complete, it will eventually have a 6,000 megawatt capacity, the government says, equivalent to six nuclear power plants.

    {reuters}

  • Asian tech giant Asus eyes EAC

    Taiwanese tech giant Asus plans to set up it East African hub in Kenya by the in the first half of year as the firm seeks a larger piece of the regional laptop and tablet market.

    The Nairobi office will act as Asus hub to drive the sales of its flagship PCs, netbooks, ultrabooks and tablets across the EAC bloc.

    “The company has turned focus on Africa and we will use Kenya to gain entry into the Eastern Africa market,” said Shawn Chang, Asus regional director in charge of Turkey, Israel and Africa.

    “Kenya is a strategic market for us. It is the region’s biggest economy and offers a big market.”

    The entry of Asus into East Africa through Kenya follows a well-established pattern where global firms have been pitching tent in Nairobi as an entry point into the larger regional market.

    Global IT multinationals such as Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, LG, Toshiba and Sony have already established their regional liaison offices in Nairobi.

    Asus is currently running its entire African operations from South Africa where it first set foot in 2008. The Nairobi office will be used to chase deals, drive sales and offer after-sales services.

    Mr Chang said the firm currently has two distributors in Kenya who also double up as service centres; and 80 dealers countrywide.

    “Based on our quality, variety and price point, we hope consumers will enjoy new technology without any difference with other markets.”

    In Africa, Asus is present in Kenya, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria and South Africa. It is eying Tanzania, Angola and Libya in the coming year.

    It grossed $15.2 billion in revenues last year, and is eying new markets to grow sales to $19.1 billion by the end of this year.

    The Taipei-based company is targeting the growing tech savvy middle class and corporates with its range of touchscreen Windows 8-powered laptops – Zenbook, N and X series; and detachable tablets dubbed Transformer Book, and VivoTab.

    NMG

  • Rwandan Project is Semifinalist for Global Telecentre Award

    {{Data Innovation Centre is a Rwandan development project that was chosen as semifinalist to the 1st Global Telecentre Award in Spain in the category of Best Telecentre. }}

    Volgograd State Agricultural University from Russia won the Global Award, while the Rwandan Project Data Innovation Centre and an Indian Project ADALUR KNOWLEDGE CENTRE followed out of 261 entries across the world.

    The 1st Global Telecentre Awards aims to recognize the best of the best in the international telecentre stage in six specific categories: Telecentre, Telecentre Manager, Telecentre Network, Telecentre Innovation, Telecentre Initiative, and Information Access Center.

    These categories put premium on the 3 important aspects of the global telecentre movement – People, Innovation and Sustainability.

    The award was launched by the Telecentre.org Foundation and Spark (the 4th Global Forum on Telecentres) in cooperation with the regional telecentre networks.

    Data Innovation Centre is a project that was founded by Dominique Ntirushwa a young Rwandan of age 23, and seeks to provide local communities in Rwanda with ICT solutions by setting up telecentres that provide a variety of services mainly access to a high speed Internet connection and free computer training.

    About 1000 people have now been trained by this project, and they currently have 4 centres across the country in Rusizi, Rubavu, Musanze and Rwamagana.

    Data Innovation Centre were also winners of the Rwanda Innovation Endowment Fund competition that will fund the setup of another 5 centres across the country. Their Goal is to have a centre in every district of the country.

  • New Transport is like ‘Space Travel on Earth’

    {{A U.S. company called ET3 has plans in the works for the Evacuated Tube Transport, a high-speed transportation tube that uses magnetic levitation.}}

    Daryl Oster, the founder and CEO of ET3, says that he got the idea for the tube transport system when he visited China back in the 1980s.

    The ETT can travel at speeds of up to 4,000 miles per hour, and each tube seats a maximum of six people and comes with a baggage compartment.

    {{How does it go so fast?}}

    It’s airless and frictionless and could have you from New York to Los Angeles in 45 minutes, as opposed to the nearly five hours a direct flight would take.

    It could even have you depart from New York and be in Beijing in two hours. It would take about an hour from Washington to Kigali city.

    The tubes would be set up like freeways to prevent crowding and traffic congestion problems. Plus, ET3 claims that passengers need not worry about feeling discomfort while traveling at such high speeds.

    The high velocity at which the tubes move is equal to 1G of force at top speed, which is similar to the force felt by someone traveling in a car on the freeway.

    {According to the company website}

    Why ET3?

    Transportation should be clean, green, fast, comfortable and affordable for all; It must also be financially sustainable on a global level. The time for a new mode of transport is now!

    What is ET3 and How Does it Work?

    ET3 is literally “Space Travel on Earth”. ET3 is silent, low cost, safe, faster than jets, and is electric.

    Car sized passenger capsules travel in 1.5m (5′) diameter tubes on frictionless maglev. Air is permanently removed from the two-way tubes that are built along a travel route.

    Airlocks at stations allow transfer of capsules without admitting air. Linear electric motors accelerate the capsules, which then coast through the vacuum for the remainder of the trip using no additional power.

    Most of the energy is regenerated as the capsules slow down. ET3 can provide 50 times more transportation per kWh than electric cars or trains.

    Speed in initial ET3 systems is 600km/h (370 mph) for in state trips, and will be developed to 6,500 km/h (4,000 mph) for international travel that will allow passenger or cargo travel from New York to Beijing in 2 hours.

    ET3 is networked like freeways, except the capsules are automatically routed from origin to destination.

    ET3 capsules weigh only 183 kg (400 lbs), yet like an automobile, can carry up to six people or 367 kg (800 lbs) of cargo. Compared to high speed rail, ET3 needs only 1/20th the material to build because the vehicles are so light.

    With automated passive switching, a pair of ET3 tubes can exceed the capacity of a 32 lane freeway. ET3 can be built for 1/10th the cost of High Speed Rail, or 1/4th the cost of a freeway.

    ET3 stands for Evacuated Tube Transport Technologies. The company et3.com Inc. is an open consortium of licensees dedicated to global implementation of Evacuated Tube Transport (ETT).

    compiled by IGIHE

  • Nyagatare Residents Urged to Embrace ICT

    {{The Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana has urged residents in Eastern Province to embrace and effectively use ICT in everything they’re doing to boost their production.}}

    Nsengimana made the remarks on May 30, during the 4th Edition of ICT Literacy and Awareness Campaign in Eastern Province in Nyagatare District, where thousands of Nyagatare residents gathered together to see how they can use ICT in a productive and efficient manner.

    The Governor of Eastern Province, Odette Uwamariya told local residents to embrace technologies, in homes and work places to realize and maximize on their full potential.
    Eric Munyawera resides in Rwimiyaga Sector in Nyagatare District stressed that he’s now benefiting the use of ICT because he’s uses the internet to communicate to his brother living abroad.

    He added that they started applying for some documents via an online platform. “Now we’re able to file cases electronically from anywhere as long as we are connected and this saves our time and transport,” says Munyawera.

    Addressing Nyagatare residents, The Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana said that “In the last years people used to say that the profession is to cultivate and others come by chance, now the profession is the use of ICT…, our future is the use of ICT, if you want to invest, invest in the ICT.”

    He added that “Our wealth is based on agriculture; ICT is one of the key pillars to achieve the country’s Vision 2020, our wealth will be based on ICT. If you used to drink two banana wine bottles, take one and save to get the ICT facility. ICT must be in whatever you do; in medicine we use ICT, now the bank cannot work without ICT…”

    The purpose of the campaign is to increase the awareness of using ICT and raise the ICT literacy by enabling the local community to have access to the existing technological devices and services. This will drive change and make more Rwandans utilize their investment in ICT in a productive and efficient manner.

    To use and exploit existing ICT solutions to improve the life of rural community in a way shaped by the realities of the existing environment and needs by empowering them with access, information, choices and opportunities.

    As part of the ongoing ICT literacy and awareness campaign, a two-day ICT exhibition was also opened in Rwimiyaga sector. The exhibition attracted telecommunication companies, banks and other financial institutions, public institutions and dealers in electronics, among others.

    Rwanda has been on several occasions ranked among the most dynamic performers when it comes to ICT development globally.

    Last year, the International Telecommunication Union report named Rwanda, Bahrain, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia as developing nations with strong dynamic ICT markets because of catching up fast in efforts to bridge the ‘digital divide’.

  • International Crew Takes Short Cut to Space Station

    {{A Russian spaceship took a shortcut to the international space station on Wednesday, delivering a veteran cosmonaut, a rookie Italian astronaut and an American mother on her second flight to the outpost in less than six hours.}}

    The capsule slipped into its berthing port early Wednesday about 400 kilometers above the south Pacific Ocean.

    “Everything went very well,” NASA mission commentator Kelly Humphries said during a televised broadcast of the docking.

    Typically, the journey takes two days, but Russian engineers have developed new flight procedures that tweak the steering maneuvers and expedite the trip.

    One other crew capsule and several cargo ships previously have taken the fast route to the station.

    The express ride to the station began when a Soyuz rocket soared off its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and deposited the crew’s capsule into orbit. The spaceship circled around the planet less than four times before catching up to the station, a $100 billion project of 15 nations.

    Overseeing operations from aboard the capsule was veteran cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, 54, who will be living aboard the station for the third time. The former commander also flew on NASA’s now-retired space shuttle.

    He was joined on the Soyuz by first-time astronaut Luca Parmitano, 36, a major in the Italian air force. Parmitano, who initially studied political science and international law at the University of Naples, is the first Italian to be assigned to a long-duration mission aboard the station, which is a laboratory for biomedical, materials science and other research.

    “This is very momentous,” Parmitano said in a preflight NASA interview.

    NASA gave the crew slot to the Italian Space Agency as part of a barter agreement for Italian-made cargo haulers used during the shuttle program.

    Rounding out the crew is U.S. astronaut Karen Nyberg, a 43-year-old mechanical engineer who has one previous spaceflight on her resume, a two-week shuttle mission. Back on Earth, her astronaut husband, Doug Hurley, is looking after their 3-year-old son, Jack.

    Nyberg, an avid quilter, said she was bringing along sewing supplies, a sketch book and pencils.
    “I’m really hoping to spend some of my free time drawing,” Nyberg said in a preflight interview. “I used to mostly draw portraits, and gave them to friends, but I haven’t done it in a long time.”

    Awaiting their arrival were Russian station commander Pavel Vinogradov and flight engineers Alexander Misurkin, also a Russian, and Chris Cassidy, an American. The men are two months into a planned six-month mission.

    The combined crews will oversee more than 100 research experiments and technology tests under way aboard the station. They also plan to conduct five spacewalks over the next three months, most of which are needed to prepare the station for a new Russian laboratory module due to arrive in December.

    {The Moscow Times }