Gadgets – Page 14 – AfriGadget

Afrigadget Accessories

These are a few accesories that exemplify Afrocentric craftsmanship, functional, beautiful and albeit quite cool, an intersection of technology and art…
Via Timbuktu Chronicles

USB case mod from Sao Tome e principe

USB case mod

It does not appear to be available for purchase at this time yet, but will be available in future. The portuguese site to check is here, ofcourse if i find out how to get this, i will update this entry.

From Kenya, via M

The Safari Pod.

lion safari pod

A carved Lion ipod stand crafted by Kenyan artisans.
There are 5 types of stands available for purchase, one for each of the ‘big five’ animals, including Giraffe, Hippo, Cheetah and elephant. The ‘big five’ is a popular touristy reference to the main attractions at the renowned Kenyan wildlife parks.

Kenya Ceramic Jiko

The larger part of Africa’s population do not have access to “processed” fuels like natural gas or modern cooking equipment. This means they are primarily dependent on open wood fires, a method of cooking that it extremely inefficient and harzardous to the environment.

The Kenya Ceramic Jiko (“jiko” is the Swahili word for cooker) solves two problems simulataneouly by addressing the issue of high cost of raw material for making the cooking equipment as well as reducing the amount of biomass required to cook by using available energy more efficiently.

This ingenious application of appropriate technology is composed of a fired ceramic heat containing liner fitted inside a metal housing. This housing is typically made from metal sheeting from discarded packaging – such as the ubiquitous 55 gallon steel drum – that would otherwise have ended up as hazardous waste in the environment. The liner essentially acts as an insulator when burning wood or charcoal containing the heat generated to ensure that it goes to cooking rather than escaping into the environment. This means that the ceramic cooker typically uses between 25 to 40% less fuel than a regular jiko.

You can find more information about this ingenious invention at the following links:

– Daniel Kammen’s Cook stoves for the developing world.
– Equator Initiative’s A burning concern.

Hugh Allen has also published a handbook of making Kenya Ceramic Jikos through the Stylus publishing house.

The DATA REPORT 2006

Of importance to all Africans. Click here to read The DATA Report 2006.

Kind regards and Be Well

Robert

UPDATE 8 AUG 2006:

I wanted you all to know that Afrigadget has been mentioned in DATA’s despatches.

“One year later, DATA (Debt AIDS Trade Africa) published its annual report, providing a country-by-country analysis of the G8’s commitment in debt relief, AIDS treatment and prevention, development assistance and trade. Although links can be found at some blogs, like AfriGadget, there is considerably less commentary on the DATA report from the general blogging community. Interested bloggers and readers can find the full report, conclusions and recommendations at the DATA Report site.”

It proves that there is still much to do in terms of bringing Africa’s problems to the attention of the rest of the world, so will you please start mentioning Africa and Afrigadget in your blogs or on the forums whenever you deem it appropriate to do so.

Even better link back to this post here at Afrigadget and to DATA

Some Amazing Global Factoids

Here is a great way to illustrate what a country is doing to help limit further erosion of our precious resources on Earth.

Click here for The New Power Planet

My jaw hit the deck when I saw the number of houses in China that are on solar heating! Amazing!

Glad to see Egypt and Rwanda representing Africa’ efforts on this map.

Enjoy!

Robert

Making Tools from Scratch

Tools for specific needs can be expensive or hard to come by in some places in Africa. It could be something as simple as a certain sized wrench that is needed to remove a particular bolt.

I decided to take a short walk in Nairobi and just see what caught my eye. Bernard runs a small engine repair shop on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. Mostly, he fixes lawn mower engines for the wealthy people living nearby, however he also fixes about any other small engine that you can think of.

The tools shown below are just what he works with. Many times he has to fabricate pieces that would be impossible to buy, or to expensive for him to make a profit on. It is really amazing to see him work, and to watch the problem-solving take place. As Bernard shows us in this video and pictures, your imagination and ingenuity are the only things holding you back.

Below, a piece of rebar is bent, and the end hollowed-out to make a specific sized wrench:

Below, a bolt from a truck tire is welded to a piece of metal to make a specific sized Allen wrench for small engines:

A video explaining how Bernard created the tool.