Adieu Papi, Grand Papi

I have always known that one day I would end up fatherless but just never thought about it until it happened today. September 28, 2009 will be a day I will never forget, just like other important dates.

My father died.

Mustapha Adedapo Olowe was a dreamer. He could crank up ideas faster than you could digest them (I got that from him). He was hardworking and friendly (I got the hardworking part from him too). He was hardly ever sick. But then, like the way some economist said, on the long run we would all be dead.

So today was his own day. He’s left behind kids who will never forget him. And also grand kids, who would probably never stop hearing stories about him.

May his soul rest him peace.

Agini Malaika

Why can't I swap the OS in my phone for another one?

That has been the question running on my mind for so long. I use a HP desktop at work, currently running Windows XP SP2. But I know that, if I want, Linux could be made to run on it with minimal efforts (which involve scouting for drivers).  At home, I run around with a Pavilion DV2000 that came with a Vista but I kicked that out and ran XP SP3 for about 5 months before laying my hands on Windows 7 Ultimate evaluation version(which is as sexy as it gets).

If I so desire, I can run some geeky UNIX variants on the same laptop (unfortunately, I’m not a geek so that wouldn’t happen!). Even Apple, the holy grail of closed system, can dual-boot Windows using BootCamp.

The same can’t be said for any of the smart phones in town today. The laziest smart phone today is probably faster and better than the first PC I ever used (Compaq Pressario. Windows 95, 16MB Ram, 800MB Hard disk) but I I still don’t get that degree of flexibility.

I am waiting for that day when I can swap my Symbian for Windows Mobile. Or WebOS for Android.

Windpower to the rescue

Energy crisis has never been worse in Nigeria than now. power stations are comatose, the government is reversing itself in all possible directions and no one knows what is going to happen the next minute.

Earlier in the administration of Bola Tinubu of Lagos State, he pioneered the concept of independent power stations but because these depended on gas from NNPC, it was easy for the laudable project to get sabotaged by the Obasanjo lead government. Also, other power stations built by the Federal Government have met tragic fates from gas supplies.

However, hope is around the corner. Recent technological advances in wind powered turbines have made the cost of construction of such wind farms comparable to what it cost to build a similar gas powered station. A recent survey by Business Week magazines puts the cost of a 150MW at roughly $225 million.  So it means if the Lagos State Government could raise $675 million, say from the capital market, it would be able to build a 450MW power station to run the state, free from the shackles of NNPC.