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<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">Used cars? Used computers? Used clothes? Why are they there? Affordability? Need?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">Japanese used cars shine on Kenyan roads though they maybe 7 years old. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">Back to the discussion, when Bill donates his old computer from his office to someone else, the issue is still the same - he is trying to extend the use of the computer as much as possible which is a good thing to do. But it is important to think the subsequent end of life and how the computer will be disposed. e-waste.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">As for Moore's Law, it may be a prediction (not scientific) trying to explain growth of chip density but how can it explain the P1 and P2 still in use in some Kenyan schools?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">Whether used or new we face the one problem: at the end of life of these computers, fridges, TVs, radios, Mobile phones, what happens? There is need to for effective legislation on e-waste to take care of our locally generated e-waste and the one’s we imagine as dumping.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">A good example of e-waste challenge is India where only 28.3%of the total waste generated in 2007 was available for recycling. A recent study by "Indian Waste Management Services Market" (Frost and Sullivan, 2008) estimates the Indian E-waste management market for 2008 to be INR 510 million (about Kenya shillings 710 Million). It is also said in India that a vast majority of recycler are not registered meaning the amount involved could be much higher.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">KICTANET did a survey courtesy Muriithi, Waema et al that indicated we generate roughly 3,000 tonnes of our own e-waste. The question we should be asking is where does this go?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">Kenya needs to be more engaged through legislations and internalize Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Waste. Waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) legislation would ensure that there is no dumping of worthless computers and electrical equipment.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">So my view is that we need to not close the door on used computers but should ensure there is no dumping through legislation and at same time ensure that the minimum specifications of computers we receive are high. To this end Computer Aid has done a good job.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV>Leonard<BR><BR>--- On <B>Sat, 8/29/09, Gakuru Alex <I><alexgakuru.lists@gmail.com></I></B> wrote:<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><BR>From: Gakuru Alex <alexgakuru.lists@gmail.com><BR>Subject: Re: [kictanet] My Take: Affordable computers<BR>To: mleonardo@yahoo.com<BR>Cc: kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke<BR>Date: Saturday, August 29, 2009, 5:51 AM<BR><BR>
<DIV class=plainMail>Bill,<BR><BR>I have a problem with generic 'demonising' of all second-hand/used computers.<BR><BR>My question is? when you sold your last "as-good as new" computer or<BR>device did you then not commit the grave e-dumping crime as defined by<BR>some here?<BR><BR>If all are reading this and *all* their past emails ever from brand<BR>new computing devices they are excused.<BR><BR>Would the "short version" of the problem solution be that *everyone*<BR>supports large, rich, local or foreign computer vendors to grow their<BR>enterprises because they are "environmental friendly" - all else<BR>notwithstanding? Just a question....<BR><BR>Alex<BR><BR><BR>On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 11:26 AM, Bildad Kagai<<A href="http://us.mc551.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=billkagai@gmail.com" ymailto="mailto:billkagai@gmail.com">billkagai@gmail.com</A>> wrote:<BR>><BR>> On Aug 28, 2009, at 8:12 AM, Victor Gathara wrote:<BR>><BR>> I am
thinking here of donations of used computers that can<BR>> make their way into the country through a regulated and monitored<BR>> channel (such as ComputerAid) who will also have responsibility to<BR>> ensure EOL disposal according to WEEE standards to prevent dumping of<BR>> electronic waste.<BR>><BR>> Victor,<BR>> In your position, you know very well that these second had computers are not donations. You can ask Tony Roberts how much he is paid to dispose a computer from Barclays in UK, that eventually finds its way to a school in Mau. And the Mau school pays for shipping and other costs....but besides all these politics......DFID<BR>> might consider to
fund a specific study comparing the final 'landed' cost of<BR>> a dumped computer versus a 'clone' assembled with new parts at Crescent<BR>> Technologies or JKUAT taking into consideration the kazi kwa vijana<BR>> created....if it has not been done already. PS. I am speaking as a<BR>> 'contributor' to this mess here, because I also have problems disposing my<BR>> old computers and printers in the office. Most of the times, its easier to<BR>> take them to a school in shags that cannot afford the electricity bills of<BR>> running them...and... just live with the guilt like everyone else despite<BR>> being labeled as The Hero who brought us computers.<BR>> One reason IBM sold its hardware unit was because Moores Law states over<BR>> time, the cost of hardware approaches zero and the cost of power consumption<BR>> and capacity of the hardware doubles every 18 months. Thus, bringing 5 year<BR>> old computers to Kenya
only drains too much power when we should strive to<BR>> bring consumption per watt down. At least, just based on power consumption<BR>> alone, dumped computer should never see the 'light of day' at the Kenyan<BR>> port if locally assembled computers will consume half of the wattage<BR>> today....especially now when everyone is striving to go green.<BR>> <A href="http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000868.html" target=_blank>http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000868.html</A><BR>> Google, for example, has watched its energy consumption almost double during<BR>> the past three generations of upgrades to its sprawling computing<BR>> infrastructure. It recently unveiled a major new datacenter site in a remote<BR>> part of Oregon, where power costs are a fraction of those at Google's home<BR>> base in Silicon Valley. But cheap power may not be enough. Last year, Google<BR>> engineer Luiz Andr� Barroso
predicted that energy costs would dwarf<BR>> equipment costs -- "possibly by a large margin" -- if power-hungry<BR>> datacenters didn't mend their ways. Barroso went on to warn that<BR>> datacenters' growing appetite for power "could have serious consequences for<BR>> the overall affordability of computing, not to mention the overall health of<BR>> the planet."<BR>><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>kictanet mailing list<BR><A href="http://us.mc551.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" ymailto="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</A><BR><A href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet" target=_blank>http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet</A><BR><BR>This message was sent to: <A href="http://us.mc551.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=mleonardo@yahoo.com" ymailto="mailto:mleonardo@yahoo.com">mleonardo@yahoo.com</A><BR>Unsubscribe or
change your options at <A href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mleonardo%40yahoo.com" target=_blank>http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mleonardo%40yahoo.com</A><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></td></tr></table><br>
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