When meeting someone, anyone, especially for the very first time or for the few first times, I think there are just 2 essential things to consider:...

To be realistic is to find a rational way to achieve a magnificent goal. PS: This is neither a biography, nor a success story. This is just the testimony of an African entrepreneur for those who can be inspired by it, here or elsewhere....

Success has several meanings in the dictionary. It may be about a happy outcome, a job, a sporting event. For a public figure, it may be a favor, a public hearing. It is also about pleasing someone, seducing someone or achieving a desired goal. In all these definitions, one thing is certain anyway, one must work hard to achieve a marked success. But today, success is regarded as the result of practices which are unorthodox, shady or even occult. Anyone who gets successful is systematically accused of having made a deal with the devil. Nowadays, in many people's mind: "Once someone has been dirty, they can never get the right to become clean". Some (mostly public) people have seen their past resurface and be exposed to public scrutiny. We don't have anything better to do than to draw upon people past history and mistakes, hence giving rise to avalanches of accusations that are all equally wacky. I wonder if we are no longer allowed to succeed on this earth; if we are bound to die poor and unhappy; if we should remain in a state of failure instead of trying to improve ourselves. As of today, I, Strella, am neither the daughter nor the protegee of anyone. I have been knocking on every door while hoping for help, but those doors usually remain closed. Nevertheless I persevere and I continue to move forward. I struggle as much as I can. Sometimes, I work without being paid. While I am in the face of adversity, no one shows up, there are no rumors about me, there are no nude pictures or videos of me anywhere....

A user of one of my web applications sent the following question : Hi my name is T. and I am 15, when I am older I want to be a part of the gaming industry and I am just wondering can you guys help with that, can you give me any tips or any experience? Would posting to your website help me out in this? I would love to hear your reply, it would really help me out. Here was my reply:...

Monty Oum was the Bruce Lee of Digital Arts. That was the man who never slowed down, who always wanted his artistic life to be efficient, quick and as productive as possible. He was litterally a personification of motivation and determination, here are some of his best lines:...

There are some people who are willing to sacrifice almost everything, including their time, resources, sometimes even their social life, their sleep and some "normal" pleasures of life. All of that, in order to work hard and focus on their vocation, to improve things or try and make their world a slightly better place. Your grandparents had a word for that: Saints. Today we refer to them as Entreprenerds....

A fresher sent me the following query: Hi Necemon, thank you for accepting my invite. I am new to the IT field and I would appreciate if you could give me some guidance. Based on your work experience, can you tell me what companies look for in a computer guy ? I have heard about you from senior students at Christ University, I am in Bangalore and I like computer science but I do not know what to learn and how to begin. Actually, I think I like programming but I am told that the C language is no longer relevant, and I am also told about Ruby, C #, Python, etc. I'm confused....

This is just a quick update on my ongoing side projects, I have been working on a series of social news web applications where users can submit content and decide, through commenting and votings, what's good (kiffs) and what's junk (zaps). Links that receive community approval raise towards the top, so the first pages are constantly in motion and (hopefully) filled with fresh, interesting links. Nothing impressive, but it gives me a good basis for making a web platform, as in, the common features:...

A couple of years back I shared my reading list and wrote about the books I found most interesting. But then I have been reading some more over the past few months, here are my recent favorites:...

Kpakpatoya is a repository for what's new, popular and relevant on the Internet with a focus on Africa. Users like you can submit content and decide, through voting, what's good (kiffs) and what's junk (zaps). Links that receive community approval raise towards the top, so the front page is constantly in motion and (hopefully) filled with fresh, interesting links. Kpakpatoya is part of the Evasium Network. "Kpakpatoya" is a term from the Ivorian slang which indicates the act of spreading rumors, passing on supposed stories relating to surrounding things, events and people. In our context, it would therefore be appropriate to understand "kpakpatoya" with regard to scoops, gossips and even compelling news....