Energy Saving

As I was trying to buy a monitor for my computer, I met a salesman who gave me a great deal of information on the power saving features of the modern technological inventions in the LCD technology. However when I enquired about the power savings at the wall I was told, “We have no control over the inefficiencies of power supplied by KPLC”. With all those wonderful power saving parts at the component level, how many of them are completely eaten up by massively inefficient power supplies? The reality of the matter is this: People buying electrical appliances, be it notebook or desktop PCs or kitchen or entertainment equipment aren’t given enough information that would help them make energy smart choices. I believe it's well past time for something more.

For laptops, energy consumption is generally given by the battery life which unfortunately is typically measured by turning all the radios off (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), putting the system into an extreme low power mode, dimming the display to a level below an acceptable point for ambient lighting, and then taking a reading. This typically results in a promised battery life that runs about 2x the actual observed battery life (in fact, it's a good rule of thumb to take the battery life promised by a notebook maker and cut it in half).

According to Verdiem and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, better power management for every 10,000 computers can result in power savings of about 2 million KWH, which equates to the energy equivalent of 274 cars emitting greenhouse gases for one year.

I believe all Kenyans of goodwill wont hesitate to make a contribution to energy savings, particularly because energy is expensive, looking at how they have responded to the call for saving in order to help those in need for food, but right now we can't due to factors beyond our control. For laptops, this is more than just a budget issue. When buying a laptop with a DVD drive, for example, there is the idea that a consumer might actually use it for watching DVDs when it's not plugged-in to the wall socket. But most systems simply don't have enough battery life to watch a full-length DVD movie, let alone do much else.

We all have to live on this planet, and in this day and age that means making smarter energy decisions. It would be nice if somehow we could bring the necessary information to consumers so that the realities of shopping could actually live up to the ideals we aspire to.

Windows Task Manager is Disabled

The most likely cause for disabled windows task manager and registry editing is because the computer has been infected by a virus. Most often, when you try to access the registry editor through the regedit command, you receive a message that “registry editing has been disabled by the computer administrator.”

The most common cause for this is a virus that commonly comes as SCVVHSOT.EXE. If you can access the task manager, you will see this as a process running. This should not be confused with the other genuine process called svchost.exe which is a genuine windows process.

SCVVHSOT.EXE can also use the following file names:

• NEW FOLDER.EXE
• DS4.EXE
• BLASTCLNNN.EXE
• 94691636.EXE
• DD2.EXE
• DOC STAMPS COMPUTATION.EXE
• XSCVVHSOT.EXE
• DCIM.EXE
• BABY_ANNE.EXE
• MGA N LAWS 2 B.EXE
• _PALBTN.EXE
• 08-30-07.EXE

The filename SCVVHSOT.EXE refers to multiple instances of an executable program.

The most common file size is 290,419 bytes. But the following file sizes have also been seen:

• 331,776 bytes
• 300,544 bytes
• 468,448 bytes
• 290,816 bytes

The unsafe files using this name are associated with the malware group WORM.IM.SOHANAD.L.

These files have no vendor, product or version information specified in the file header.

SCVVHSOT.EXE has been seen to perform the following behavior(s):

• The Process is packed and/or encrypted using a software packing process
• Executes a Process
• Can communicate with other computer systems using HTTP protocols
• This Process Deletes Other Processes From Disk
• Adds a Registry Key (RUN) to auto start Programs on system start up
• Disables Access to the Windows Registry Editor
• Modifies Windows Security Policies to restrict/expand User Privileges on the machine
• Disables Access to the Task Manager built into Windows
• Enables the system to use a Communications Proxy Server
• Registers a Dynamic Link Library File
• The process hooks code into all running processes which could allow it to take control of the system or record keyboard input, mouse activity and screen contents
• This Process Creates Other Processes On Disk
• Disables the built in Windows File Protection System
• Makes outbound connections to other computers using NETBIOSOUT protocols

Normally an updated antivirus such as MacAfee or Kaspersky will detect this virus. However, if your system is already infected with this virus, you could try to boot your machine in safe mode and try to delete it manually. This could be almost impossible since the virus duplicated itself in every folder on your hard disk/ removable disk.

You however could first disable it from the startup items so that it does not run when you on startup as you seek to update your antivirus.

Repair Windows XP

Having problems with windows XP? Constantly receiving error messages about some start up files that could not be found or hardware? Chances are your operating system has been infected by malwares or ad ware.

If you install a good anti virus that is up to date, chances are the mal wares or ad ware will be removed. However, your system files will remain corrupt and you may continue having difficulty with your operating system. The best thing to do is to try to repair your windows installation.

A Repair Install will replace files altered by ad ware and mal ware, but will not fix an ad ware, malware problem. That is why you need first install and update your anti virus.

Before you start your repair installation, it's always a good idea to backup your important data first. However the following repair instructions will not change any of your data or installed software; if you follow these instructions your data will be perfectly safe.

Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer's CD/DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message appears on the screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.

You however need to configure your computer to boot from CD first. This is done in the BIOS Setup. To do this: from the first screen you see when you turn your computer on, press F2 or F10 or the delete button depending on your computer brand. (F2 for Toshiba F10 for HP or Compaq, Del for other brands) This should bring a blue screen titled BIOS SETUP UTILITY. Change the first boot device to CD-Rom. Alternatively, if you press F12, you should get another screen form where you can select the boot device (CD-rom)

After selecting CD as your boot device, a blue screen will appear and begin loading Windows XP Setup from the CD

When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below,

This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft Windows XP to run on your computer.

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

Press Enter to start the Windows Setup. Do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R". This is because recovery console simply fixes disk errors and does little fixes on Windows XP.

Accept the License Agreement by pressing F8.

Next, Windows Setup will find existing Windows XP installations. You will be asked to repair an existing XP installation, or install a fresh copy of Windows XP. If you install a fresh copy, all data on that partition will be lost! So select the option for repairing the installed Windows XP.
Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will remain intact.

Just follow the prompts, and have your CD-KEY ready if needed. The windows CD key should be at the back of your computer where there is a serial number

Decentralized Energy Systems in Kenya

When the oil prices escalated and electricity bills went up, everyone sought to give a solution to the energy crisis then. Apparently, things are now ok and nobody seems bothered by the possibility of a similar crisis in the near future. If we are to realize the objectives set out in the vision 2030 proposal, our current centralized electricity system that dominates the developed world needs an overhaul. This is mainly because it is the embodiment of technological inertia, performing little better today than it did in the 1970s.

Even when the government discuses issues to do with our future energy demands, there is little or no consideration to an issue that is key to our rising emissions – the huge wastage inherent in the centralized electricity system. Almost two thirds of the electricity generated from centralized large power plants far away from our urban centers is wasted – partly from the wires that transmit the electricity around the country, but mostly in the form of waste heat from the power stations themselves. In the face of climate change that is partly to blame for the food shortage in the country, such wastage is indefensible.

There is an urgent need to reform the current centralized energy system so as to put an end to this environmentally destructive wastage. There could be very significant reduction in electricity wastage and emissions by remodeling our electricity system around a decentralized pathway, where energy is produced close to where it is consumed.

In decentralize energy systems, buildings (both residential, office and industrial units) double up as power stations because they have within them one or more energy generating technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines or cogeneration units. This has a great local impact that can be enormously be enhanced on a cumulative scale.

There could also be local networks that distribute power produced by supplementary community-scale plants that generate close to the point of demand. This improves efficiency and thereby reducing the overall demand and increasing security of supply.

Decentralized energy system has several benefits

Decentralizing the Kenyan electricity system is the best way to avoid future problems of having to deal with huge environmentally harmful emissions as is the case in most developed nations. By establishing a efficient infrastructure and a good regulatory regime which encourages renewable and other low-emission technologies, a decentralized model could ensure minimal contribution of our electricity system to the environmental problems.

In the long run, a decentralized system may also prove cheaper, cutting the need for investment in hugely expensive high voltage transmission networks. This is through encouraging development of local transmission networks and also investment in renewable technologies.

By boosting the market for renewable generation and related technologies, it would also stimulate innovation. Home owners and students in schools and colleges could come up with custom-made solutions suitable to their needs. This is similar to the great innovative developments that have been realized through the integration of ICT knowledge in our education systems and homes.

It would deliver an electricity supply far less vulnerable to massive system failure as a result of sabotage or system failure as the one experienced last year. Furthermore, incase of system failure, it becomes easier to troubleshoot and fix the problem on the small scale that in the case of large centralized system.

Decentralizing energy would also democratize energy, providing real opportunities for local political leadership on climate change, and curbing the influence of the centralized industry’s powerful vested interests. By enabling local action and empowering individuals and communities as producers, decentralization has the potential to bring about a massive cultural change in our attitude to and use of energy.

A decentralized energy system could revolutionize the lives of many Kenyans who currently lack access to basic energy services. Decentralized energy is highly flexible, allowing solutions to be tailored to local conditions and be installed much faster than a centralized system.

The centralized system severely limits the way in which electricity is generated and delivered. This is characterized by the monopoly experienced by the Kenya power and lighting company. We do not have any choice but to but electricity from them. Decentralized energy, however, offers a genuine alternative but is largely excluded from the market place due to protectionism, short-sighted and inappropriate regulations and failures in cost and benefit allocation.

This raises questions on the government’s commitment, through the energy regulatory board to meet the targets set out in the vision 2030 objectives. The use of solar solutions in rural areas and in schools in North Eastern province illustrates the government’s fractured approach since these solutions are plastered over a fundamentally faulty system.

The energy Regulation Board together with Rural Electrification authority should take bold steps and be given an explicit obligation to deliver a fully sustainable energy system in line with realization of the vision 2030. This could be through reforms that promote meaningful competition and support and stimulate technological advances.

Investors in the major towns putting up new buildings could be required to incorporate decentralized energy technologies. This would steadily cut emissions from the building stock and enable the retirement of power stations, while also transforming the economics of decentralized energy by creating economies of scale and cutting installation costs.

Local governments could become key players in moving to sustainable energy systems. There should be area-based environmental conservation targets, along with a statutory requirement for all councils to develop an energy strategy.

The Kenya Power and Lighting Company could also be required to purchase surplus electricity from domestic power generators, at rates that will ensure the take-off of domestic generation. This can be adjusted in reference to the purchase price from KENGEN and other Independent Power Producers.

Dealing With the Raila Virus

Here are the steps on how to deal with Raila virus

1. Create a new account with administrative rights (or just login as a

user with administrative rights.)

2. Go to c:/windows/system32/drivers

3. Show hidden files

4. You'll find a file smss 96kb File type is application (at times they

may be 2 or 3 file with a fun looking icon but 96kb.)

5. Delete the file(s)

NOTE: If the sys does not allow you to delete it, Ctrl-Alt-Del, to stop

the process(es) first, then try to del it/them. Make sure you stop the

process(es) that has the same name, as the file.

6. Log back in as original user

7. Delete the file on desktop

A computer free from Raila virus can clean an infected flash disk or

diskette with the following conditions:

1. Do not open the flash disk/ diskette directly, EXPLORER it.

2. Then delete the Raila or those infected files.

Alternative Energy

Electricity plays a very important role in providing the means for wealth creation. Just the same way information technology revolution has changed much of the wealth creation processes, granting greater rewards to those with privileged access to knowledge; it is the availability of reliable electricity that is much important in attaining greater development. It is the ease with which we can access electricity and telecommunication facilities in addition to clean water, education and primary health care that are great indication of our economic worth. This is what distinguishes between the haves and the have-nots in our society.

As much as the government may have interests in nuclear energy in line with meeting the targets of vision 2030, considering initial investment costs of nuclear energy and the politics involved, we realize that even if we are to have sound leadership and equality so that electricity is supplied to the rural poor with the same intensity and in the same way as it is being provided to the rich, we would need to burn excessive hydrocarbons which would probably result in environmentally catastrophic consequences for future generations. This is due to the fact that diesel generators are easier and cheaper to setup and commission as compared to solar or nuclear plants.

Access to electricity has become almost a basic human right as access to clean air, water and health care.
It is this need (for basic services unavailable in the rural villages) that has resulted in massive rural-urban migration. Rather than use the justification for high load densities and concentrated energy economic demand to concentrate on electrification of urban and peri-urban centers, we need to find ways to take electricity to where the poor people are.

The solution to this is in the change of tactic by considering small and medium-sized decentralized power generation and consumption instead of the large-scale centralized generation that requires transmission and distribution networks that are expensive to build. Distributed generation could result in great savings in transmission and distribution costs. What makes grid extension even more costlier is considering the cost of electricity theft, average individual losses and low-capacity utilization levels.

Talking of distributed generation brings in the idea of renewable energy sources. We need to learn from the efforts made in countries like Denmark, Holland, Britain and Germany in their policies for encouraging investment in renewable energy but at the same time do it in a way that accommodates conditions prevailing in our country rather than imitating approaches tailored for circumstances in Europe and USA.

Of course there is still need for large grid-connected wind farms or large solar arrays or other conventional generating plants and the need for expanding transmission and distribution grids if we are to meet the needs of expanding urban agglomerates and of large industrial and commercial users.

In seeking renewable energy solutions/resources for distributed generation, we need to be cautious to avoid false choices between stand alone power systems based on a single renewable resource like only solar or wind or biomass as opposed to hybrid systems which attempt to capture as much energy as may be available on a given site.

The advocacy for single renewable energy source is largely driven by public and private groups with vested interests which have colluded with some investors to create monopolies or duopolies such as in the production of solar panels and bilateral and multilateral development assistance agencies that have become captive to such interests.

This is a warped truth that is strongly propagated by manufacturers of solar panels through NGOs and aid agencies in pushing for solar home systems for individual households.
With the current scandals in the oil markets especially when the dealers are unwilling to lower prices locally after international prices fell, I believe it is time we thought of better solutions including electric cars.

Faith

A little boy was crossing the ocean with his father, who was captain of the ship, when they ran into a storm. The waves tossed the ship about like cork and everyone was stricken with fear. But the boy sat still, with his directed toward a certain spot. He sat there quite unperturbed as the ship was being dashed about by the waves. Someone asked him if he were not afraid, and he answered, “I have my eye on that little window, and through that window I can see the bridge, and on that bridge is my father. My father is the captain of the ship, and he has taken it through many storms.”

Waiting Patiently by Faith

Has he taken too long to respond?

It is because He is preparing a special sauce for you. At times we may feel that our miracle is taking long. Just like Hanna and many other barren women of the bible, we need to realize that that which is conceived from a moment of barrenness is special. What is so common between Samson, Samuel and Isaac? They were all conceived by women who dared wait on the Lord in their barren state.

When we ask God for something, God knows exactly what we need. You may ask for a husband who will love you and take good care you when God knows you need to be married to a president. He will therefore take time to prepare that person for you because you need someone special.

At those moments when we seem to be ridiculed by the people of the world who seem to get the best, we need to wait on the Lord. When everyone else seems to be getting answers to their prayers and yours seem to be taking long, then know that God is preparing something special for you. Just the same way you have to wait a little longer than everyone else in a restaurant whenever you make a special order, you need to realize that you have made a special order and it will be ready at God’s appointed time (the right time).

The eyes of the Lord are over the whole earth. His eyes are full of grace. He is compassionate and is concerned about our welfare. When the bible says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, it simply means that Noah sought God and found grace. Hebrews says he was saved by faith. Noah believed in the saving power of God’s grace.

God values each individual and wishes that we may all come to experience His saving grace. He loves each one of us and will meet our needs. He is processing our order and all we need to do is believe in His saving grace. When we fail to find this grace that Noah found, then we will go through life feeling “oh so and so is better than me”. If Noah an ordinary man believed in God’s saving grace and was saved, what should hinder us from finding this grace in God?

LIFE IN KENYA BY THE YEAR 2027

Beaten fair and square, I trudged up the hill
This was the end of the road
Below lay a pitiful sight
The chiselling man powerfully sweating
Clutching his stomach, a den of roaring lions
Emancipated with hunger and pain

This was where they smiled with the teeth
Their ice-cold eyes searching behind each other’s shadow
Shaking hands without their hearts
Their left hands searching each others empty pockets
Then the overloaded plane landed
With their dirty hands, with nails clogged with dirt
They searched through its contents
Whose prices were, more fascinating than the values
The labels more valued that the labelled
Then they sat back and wined and dined.

As the sun whirled on the azure sky at sunset
Clattering into the horizon and clicking in the slot
It’s when I paused and pondered and stopped and wondered
Perhaps the sight held within it some gleaming pearl
Some future majesty
So I gained wisdom and waited.

That night passed with passions high and wild
The streets stained with new potraits being framed
The wheel changed hands and new plans were filed
The morning saw the light anew
Men started laughing with their hearts and eyes
Mechanical handshakes long gone, they shook hands with their hearts
Their hands were immaculately clean
No dirt clogged in their nails
The trees exchanged greetings in gentle whispers of dawn
Plane and contents flew back, who needed them?
The morning glory climbed above my head
Down in the withered grasses something stirred
As I went down the hill with a radiant smile
For a new dawn had come

Move to The Next Level

You have dwelt on this mountain for too long. Now get up and take possession of the land that I am going to give you.

This can never be put in a better way. There are so many thing that we have dwelt on for so long. The children of Israel had dwelt on Mt. Sinai for forty years. God wanted them to move on and posses the land. Receiving Christ is the first step of the Christian faith. By believing in His death on the cross and His resurrection, we receive our salvation. Thereafter, God requires of us that we may move on to the next level by faith.

The children of Israel had seen God’s deliverance and provision for all those years yet they never got the faith to move into the Promised Land. We may have been saved for decades or months or just a few days, but the question is, what are you doing to posses that which God has in store for you? This may not only be in material possession, but they may include increasing your sphere of influence - drawing people to God’s kingdom.

When some of us were born again, we were zealous and willing to share our faith with so many around us. We hoped to save the whole world and wished our friends and family members knew this truth we had found. After some time of preaching to them and never seeing a difference, we resigned to fate and complied with the status quo. We felt incompetent. All along, we have been unwilling to take part in God’s work since we feel that God isn’t willing to use us. For such a long time we have dwelt on these feelings of incompetence and unworthiness that we have done nothing to expand God’s kingdom. It is time to move on to the next level. For how long will you dwell on your inabilities?

The spies that went out to Canaan came with some incredible truths about the land. They even carried the grapes to prove that the land was indeed good. But the people chose to believe the lies. It is true that they looked like grasshoppers but isn’t it an exaggeration when they say “and indeed we were”? It could be true that you and I are incompetent when compared to some professor somewhere, but does that make us useless or rather incompetent in all spheres of life. Looking like a grasshopper doesn’t make one a grasshopper, does it?

You and I need to have faith and confidence in God if we are to move to the next level. Faith in the idea he had when He created us. Faith in His choice for our families, nationalities and friends. Believing that His plan is the best. It is only faith that will enable us see the possibilities amidst all the impossibilities, helping us see our greatness when we look like grasshoppers.

It also requires that w fully obey His word. It is only when we live in total obedience to God’s word that we are able to achieve His purposes and accomplish much. Samuel told Saul that disobedience is worse than the sin of witchcraft. My understanding of witchcraft is that it is a form of idolatry. When we disobey God, we are simply not worshiping Him but pledging our allegiance to someone else. Obedience to God gives us confidence in that we are not afraid of the consequences of our actions for we know who our commander is. The consequences of our actions are bearable once we know that we are obeying God’s voice.

The other significant requirement is determination. We have to be determined to fallow through our actions in faith and obedience to God. Having put our confidence in God, we need to be determined in our hearts that nothing will stop us. Indeed there will be discouragements, but with a determined heart, we need to put off all those voices that speak lies. Determination silences every wind of false doctrine. We need to be determined to know God’s will and act upon His instruction. I believe that whoever earnest searches for truth without prejudice will find it. God promises to fill those who hunger and thirst for His righteousness. If we are ever to yearn for anything, let it be for God’s righteousness. Let us be determined to know Him better and move on to the next level.

And so I ask, what is this mountain in your life that you have dwelt on for this long? Is it financial security, career development or family? You may have all along said, “When I start earning a better salary, I will be able to give more”. Yet if we can’t learn to take care of the little we have then we can’t be trusted with much either. You need to move on now in your giving for you may have dwelt on this scarcity mentality for too long. You may say “when I get married or finish school, then I will be in a better position to serve God”. Well within the school setting or in your single hood, there are so many people who need to hear the good news of God’s salvation. They can only best be reached by those in their category. We all need to start creating influence within our spheres of operation. Let us all purpose to move on to the next level.