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Thursday 27 March 2014

Facebook’s Drones Will Battle Google's Balloons to Spread Internet Access

Earth-bound challenges will determine the success of Facebook and Google’s plans to use balloons, drones and satellites to spread Internet access. 
High flyer: A rendering of an uncrewed solar-powered aircraft that Facebook wants to operate at an altitude of 20 km to distribute Internet access to areas below.

According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Larry Page, the future of the Internet lies in the upper stratosphere.
Facebook announced today that it has set up a team to work on solar powered aircraft that would circle at a height of 20 kilometers to provide Internet access to suburban areas of the world where connectivity is scarce.
The only trouble is, that’s territory already staked out by Google for the fleet of high altitude balloons at the heart of its own plan to improve access to the Internet in poor regions of the world. Google has carried out test flights of the balloons already, and says they will operate at between 18 and 27 kilometers above the Earth.
Both companies have chosen those heights because they put their craft far above weather and commercial air traffic. Neither has said anything about how their balloons or drones might detect and avoid one another.
Google and Facebook have also settled on different modes of transporting data back down to Earth. Google’s trials have used radio to link the balloons to volleyball-sized antennas mounted onto homes or businesses. Facebook has plans to equip its drones with infrared lasers, which can be used for data connections approaching the speed of fiber optic cables. The company is also interested in using satellites the same way.
Both companies will have to fight most of their battles on the ground if they are serious about expanding Internet access significantly, though. When MIT Technology Review’s David Talbot looked into Facebook’s plans late last year he found a thicket of local political and economic issues impeding the spread of Internet connectivity in the developing world today. Those problems, along with the stratosphere, will need to be conquered if the drones or balloons are to succeed (see “Facebook’s Two Faces”).

Saturday 22 March 2014

The Departed Warriors

Few years back, I came home from school, played, ate, watched TV and slept off for the night. The next day was school as usual but that morning I noticed that as household was running slower than usual. I went to where my mom was at the varendah and I saw a great crowd gathered at the building opposite ours. I asked her "Mom, what is happening" She just looked at me, stretched out her hands towards me and held me in a huglike manner. As inqisitive as I was, I continued asking her what was happening in the opposite building. After about 15 minutes, she finally told me: "Nwa Ebony nwuru n'abali" meaning Ebony's son died last night(Ebony is the name of the man living at the 2nd floor of opposite building). I felt chill at that instance but I got over it immediately. I asked her again to be sure of what I heard and she gave me the same answer. I then asked her what may have caused that and she responded "fever". That was the first time I heard that a child died. Before then It never occured to me that a child can die and secondly that 'fever' can kill.
On December 24th 2013, I was putting some items together which will be used for the celebration of Christmas when I got a call from a secondary school mate of mine(I still call him my classmate even till this day) His voice was grave-like and barely audible. All I could make out was "Jasper is dead". I was shocked and a wave of chill passed over me. Jasper was the best chorister in my class then in secondary school. His real name Obimma Francis was rarely called. I personally call him Obamma(meaning machete sheath) I later got the info that he died in a motorcycle accident while returning from a visit to the classmate of mine who called me to inform me. This was the second time somebody I have come in close contact with and an age mate of mine died.
7 days ago, Saturday 15th March, A friend of mine whom I stay in the same lodge with knocked on my door in the morning. He practically woke me from sleep that morning. I was surprised because that was his first time of doing that. He just sat down on the opposite bed to mine gazing at me. I was still feeling drained from sleep. I just managed to ask him "Is there any problem?" He slowly and quietly responded "A lodge mate just died". The sleepy feeling disappeared immediately from my eyes. I asked him "Who died?" just to be sure I got what he said properly. He said that it was the boy by name Emmanuel living diagonally from my room. I was dumbfounded. Noticing my silence and maybe perceiving my upcoming questions, he went further to explain that rumor was that the boy traveled to his home town to see his parents and for some other unmentioned issues. That night he slept and didn't wake up. The funny thing was that before his death nothing peculiar or out of normal was observed from him. Although I didn't know the boy personally but I have been seeing him on few occasions therefore I knew him as a fellow inmate of the lodge. It shocked me till now that such a young warrior who has not tasted life is now departed from us.

LIVE YOUR LIFE BUT KNOW THAT YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER DEATH. IT CAN COME ANYTIME. RIP to all the departed souls especially to Emmanuel. I knew him not that much but many of my lodge mates testify to his goodness.

Saturday 1 March 2014

"You should be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect"(Matthew 5:48)

In the passage, Christ calls us to perfection. He cites our father in heaven as the epitome of perfection. From many pastors and interpreters of the 'Word' what I've come to understand about this passage is that we should fight our human weaknesses like lying, lust, greed, and a lot more other vices. Thinking deep about Christ's statement, a question arises from within the recesses of our minds "Does Christ imply that 'We are not Perfect?'. In the book of Genesis in the Bible, after the creation, God looked up and saw that All he created was 'Good'. Secondly, he created them in his own 'Image'. 'Good' and 'Image' here represents Perfection.
Another noteworthy point is the rising craze in fashion. Today, any craze idea counts as fashion. People are increasingly going to the plastic surgeons' for various reasons like getting implants, transplants, skin bleaching, and the most recent and on the increase: Sex change. The question here becomes 'Are our craze for fashion(which includes the surgery craze, use of beauty products, wearing of clothes we feel makes us beautiful) in line with Christ's commandfor perfection?' In 1 Corinthians 6:19, St. Paul reminds us that "Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit" and therefore we are to take special care of our bodies. 
Question: Does that mean that when we take 'Special care' of our bodies that we are obeying the words in the Bible? (Special care applies to surgery craze, use of beauty products,implants etc)