"Don't Worry Honey...", or When is the "Best Time"?

You may by now have sensed that I develop crushes like a chameleon in heat. This is why I often have crushes on and off my friends, work colleagues,etc. My latest was in August when I opined how much of a serious crush I had on a work colleague.

I have to say that for the past few days, she has been looking SO personable (read: hot!) in the sense that she exudes that confidence of a woman who is determined, focused, beautiful, and so-so gorgeous. When she smiles at you, the sun cannot hold. Her husband is a very lucky man.

I don't want to remind anyone that I have a significant other, and I'm posting a picture of her here to remind myself of how happy we are together:



But...I want to get more serious, as in inform my parents that she's the one I want to be with. Whilst marriage is not on the cards at the moment, my colleague (mentioned above) in an informal chat with me two weeks ago talked about how there's never the right time to get married, or have kids.

I suspect some of my regular visitors/lurkers might have some key insights to impart on this ever-perennial of questions anda considerations. Suffice-to-say, marriage being "the greatest redemption of one's loneliness", as some Rabbi [Dr.Jonathon Sachs] on BBC Radio Four's Thought for the Day programme on 29 February, 2000 [I remember 'cos it was a leap year] is something some of us yearn for. I am no exception. However, before I get there, I need to let my parents know about my gf.

Surely the first step, no?;-)

tags
marriage;getting hitched;relationships;getting married

Remember Tunis and WSIS? The World Has Moved On...

Last year this time, I was preparing to come home to Ghana after almost twelve days in the North African country of Tunis. You can follow my trials and tribulations of those days at this blog here: http://twelvedaysintunis.blogspot.com, where I would attend, on behalf of my organisation, a UN-sponsored event called the World Summit on Information Society.

My Tunis blog, 12 Days in Tunis is less about the time spent being frivolous, and drooling about women there, than being privy to what I would call the prognostication, or foretelling, of a future, where the Internet continues to play a pivotal role in the lives of citizens, enriching and deepening, and facilitating all at the same time.

The so-called Information Society, understandably, may represent yet another nebulous concept coined by the perceived behemoth of the UN. What it is, in effect, in my view, is a global society, where ICT tools, not just computers, but mobile phones; radios and whatnot, serve as critical roles in ouor "development"--irrespective of where you may be. This means, for example, that it is a society where mobile internet is a reality; where there is an always-on internet; where it is not just accessible, but relatively affordable for ALL; where Internet cafes are within the environs of major cities, hang-outs, and even the country-side, where life is that much quieter; and where blogging facilitates an oppenness unparalleled in the facilitation of the work of the fourth estate.




An attempt at a rules-based information society is one of the reasons why the first-ever Internet Governance Forum took place in the country of regular visitor(s) Sissoula and Steph, which happens to be Greece. It took place from 30 October to 2 November inclusive. It might have gone unreported in mainstream media, but it certainly was an impactful event I would have loved to be part of--if only to take the opportunity to meet up, and have a drink with the latter:-))

Maybe next time!

Either way, if I were to be asked whether I would want to belong to a world where it was partially always-connected, or comprehensively connected, I know which one I'd join straight away! Being part of the latter has its proverbial drawbacks, but let's face it, when it gets too much, you can always blog about it!:-)

tags
internet governance forum;igf;greece internet;wsis;blogging;information society;internet governance;

Belgian Police Behaving Badly (You've Gotta Love That Technology)!

Remember my post about that notorious paedophile Marc Dutroux, which I blogged about in June? Well, you might also re-call that the Dutroux affair revealed one other thing: that the police could not be trusted to do their job properely.

Today's article in Brussel's free "Metro" newspaper, which you can read here is a bit of a nudge and wink to that sentiment by Belgians about how they feel about their police.

The article entitled "Policiers pris en flagrant délit", or Police officers caught in the act goes to show what technology, by way of mobile phones in the hands of citizens, can do to help or hinder progress.

Simply put, the article maintains that : "Les téléphones portables servent de plus en plus à prendre en photo les infractions des policiers.", or that mobile phones are increasingly being used to snap pictures of offending policemen, which, in turn, are sent to different police stations round the country!

Well, good to know those officers unable to justify their reasons for their "infractions" have been sanctioned.

I suspect that snapping pictures of policemen behaving badly will be replaced very soon by videos of them, lending more credence to any infractions, as compared to a photo that can be altered to anyone's whim. I understand from sources closely studying blogging revolution that VIDEO blogging will also soon become the way.

The future doesn't have to be Orange before being bright, does it?;-))

tags
belgium; belgian police;mobile phones;technology;