Comments on: Jua kali dressed in Mitumba

By: Makers and Arduinos « Daniel Eliasson

Makers and Arduinos « Daniel Eliasson — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:19:24 +0000

[...] cars and bicycles at the side of the road, as well as people making computer cases from bamboo, making their own arc welders and making energy-efficient ovens that can bake a dozen loaves of bread with just a couple of [...]

By: Fundstücke: Afrigadget, Webmontag, Basteldisco | untergeek

Fundstücke: Afrigadget, Webmontag, Basteldisco | untergeek — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:58:34 +0000

[...] der Verdunstungskühler für somalische Kamelmilch. Bei lebensgefährlichen Provisorien wie der Lötbogenlampen-Spule aus stoffumwickelten Drahtresten bricht mir offen gesagt der Angstschweiß aus – aber Sicherheit ist auch eine Form von [...]

By: Escuddy

Escuddy — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:10:53 +0000

I used to work in an African metal shop. The guys didn’t wear the masks they had until I got them the auto-darkening type, then they wore it religiously.

By: Char (PSI Tutor:Mentor)

Char (PSI Tutor:Mentor) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:11:17 +0000

Wow~ here in Australia there would be so many laws prohibiting them from making money from this. It’s fantastic how people see a need in their community and then make a way to fill it, whilst providing an income for themselves.

By: paula

paula — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:16:33 +0000

Thanks for your comment Hammet – I agree totally. Bill, if you really want to get him a mask we can locate him – question is,…will he wear it? I’ll inquire and get back to you shortly. Paula

By: bill

bill — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:45:54 +0000

beautiful. how would I get a welding mask to this guy?

By: hammettt

hammettt — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:32:46 +0000

Historically, safety comes at later stages of development. Functionality first, then safety. Once basic production is established, things like efficiency and safety will come. Even in well developed industries this is the case. A basic product is invented; then engineering staffs design safety features to meet legal standards. In Mr. Mutahi’s case, this would mean lost production time that he cannot afford. Hopefully, he will get far enough ahead to have the leisure to install basic safety features before he has an accident.

By: paula

paula — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:09:38 +0000

Minimize costs and maximize profits is my guess…these units are rented out and operated by daily wage labourers – and, heck, why not? Nobody stops them!

By: jke

jke — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:24:29 +0000

It always makes me wonder why these things are just built to the point where they provide functionality – and anything beyond that, like the mentioned safety, a cover or a cleaner design, seems to be completely unimportant/unnesessary/unaffordable.

This also applies to other sectors, but the welding machine is a perfect example for this …philosophy?

By: Paula Kahumbu

Paula Kahumbu — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:08:07 +0000

Thanks Joe, I’d never seen anything like it. Not sure I agree with you on deleting the word stolen – it’s well know that the main reason why welding is such a huge business is due to the insecurity in some parts of Kenya.