October 2011 - KICTANet

Fwd:Defamatory Blog Publication by Moses Kuria & Demand For Apology
by Grace Mutung'u (Bomu) 20 Apr '17

20 Apr '17

Dear all, the suit between Muite & Others versus Moses Kuria, which I understand is proceeding to court, should be a very interesting one to watch. Hopefully it shall give some insights on content control vs freedom of expression. See below. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ngunjiri <ngunjiri(a)kikuyusforchange.com> Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:05:07 +0300 Subject: {K4c} Defamatory Blog Publication by Moses Kuria & Demand For Apology To: KC4 <kikuyusforchange(a)googlegroups.com> This will most probably interest some of us, and help all of us be careful about what we write on our blogs. --- Ngunjiri [image: Issa & Co Advocates] Our Ref: M/058/001/L**** **** Tuesday, October 4, 2011**** **** Moses Kuria**** P. O. Box 1838-00200 ‘*Advance copy by email*’**** *NAIROBI***** **** Dear Sir,**** **** *RE: DEFAMATORY PUBLICATION ***** ------------------------------ We have been instructed by our clients, Wambugu Ngunjiri, Paul Muite, Ndung’u Wainaina, Maina Kiai and Hassan Omar.**** **** Our instructions are that you published in your widely read blog the following words of and concerning our clients.**** **** *‘I have said Ocampo has no case. All he has are fake witnesses coached by Hassan Omar, Wambugu Ngunjiri, Paul Muite, Ndungu Wainaina, Njonjo Mue and Maina Kiai.’***** **** Your insinuations are unfounded and baseless and our clients’ professional respective standings, characters and reputations have been severely tarnished by your publication.**** **** Our instructions are to demand a retraction, an apology and an admission of liability on your part for the publication of the defamatory words. This we hereby do. We shall address the issue of the damages payable to our clients upon receipt of your apology and admission.**** **** *NOTE* that if you do not publish an apology and retraction on your blog within the next *Seven (7) Days* of the receipt of this letter we shall proceed to the law for redress at your risk as to costs. **** **** Yours faithfully,**** *ISSA & COMPANY ADVOCATES***** **** **** *MANSUR M. ISSA***** **** cc. Clients**** **** *Issa & Co Advocates* <info(a)issadvocates.co.ke>**** ------------------------------ 5th Floor, City House, Wabera Street P.O. Box *24210 - 00100*, Nairobi, Kenya *ph*: *+ 254 20 340 150 · * *fx*: *+ 254 20 340 151* *em*: *info(a)issadvocates.co.ke · ***** ------------------------------ *CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:* This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged and protected by law. Access by the intended recipient is authorized. Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party acting, or refraining from acting, or any information contained in this email is hereby excluded. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediatelyand do not disclose the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose or store or copy the information in any medium.**** -- --- Fear makes men act even against their own interests- changing them from men of reason to blubbering fools. -- Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu) Kenya Skype: gracebomu Twitter: GraceMutung'u (Bomu)

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Digital to Analog Conversion
by robert yawe 19 Jun '15

19 Jun '15

Hi, When the migration from analog to digital was initially raised fear was put into the public on how there would be no option but to throw away our analog TV sets and replace them with Digital. Now that digital transmission is finally here we need to look at how to make the migration as painless as possible while at the same time we do not disenfranchise any citizens. It has been mentioned that there are over 1 million TV sets in Kenya today, that means 1 million digital to analog converters will be required over the next 2-3 years. I believe this is a great opportunity for us to go into the electronic assembly business, I would like to propose that we 1st increase duty on converters from the current 35% to 250% so as to discourage the importation of the converters. Then exempt from duty and vat all assembly stations, test equipment and components for anyone who sets up a converter assembly plant, with a 3 year tax holiday. If you setup the plant more than 200 kilometers from Nairobi or Mombasa you receive an addition 2 years tax holiday. I believe this will sort out the issue of substandard converters and will also provide an opportunity for us to develop our electronic devices assembly skills. If you make a net profit of 1,000/- there is a clean 875,000,000/- to be made, close to what the government is spending on purchase of the Malili farm. This is assuming a standard device, there is still a market for those who want high end devices with recording, tuners, USB ports, etc which would mean that the returns could be much higher than projected above. So will we move away from juts being importers and retailers or do we have what it takes to do some value add? Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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GSMA: Calls will remain high between African countries
by Grace Githaiga 02 May '14

02 May '14

GSMA: Calls will remain high between African countries By Rebecca Wanjiku, Computerworld Kenya 29 Sep, 2011 The cost of telephone calls between African countries is likely to remain high and international call volumes will drop with the introduction of taxes, according to a report from the GSM Association. Senegal, Ghana, Congo Brazaville and Gabon have introduced taxes on incoming international calls, leading to higher costs for users and reduced revenue and call volumes for mobile operators. The taxes are also likely to reduce foreign direct investments because the costs of operating businesses such as call centers will probably go up. "The tax takes the form of an imposed fixed price that operators must charge for international inbound termination, of which the government takes a set amount," said the report, issued on the sidelines of the U.N. Internet Governance Forum in Nairobi. A private party measures international inbound minutes terminated by operators and bills them accordingly, it said. While the taxes are different in the four countries, the affect on the operators has been the same. In Senegal, call prices rose by 50 percent. In Ghana, prices rose by 58 percent while inbound traffic fell by 12 percent in the six months after the tax was introduced. In Congo Brazaville, the price of inbound calls rose by 111 percent while the volume fell by 36 percent. In Gabon, prices rose by 82 percent when the tax was introduced in August 2011. The report questioned the benefit of the tax on economies, given that half the money collected is shared with the third-party company that monitors the calls. "The main objective of this taxation is to raise revenues for governments, in this case by taxing users calling from abroad into the country, however, the government transfers approximately 50 percent of the revenue from the tax to the external call monitoring party," the report said. "This leakage should be taken into account when assessing the effectiveness and net benefit of this tax." The report projects that other African countries are likely to reciprocate by raising the cost of inbound calls. In Congo Brazaville, an operator reported that an operator in another African country raised call termination charges by 30 percent. while in Senegal, an operator reported that nine operators in other African countries raised rates by 23 to 80 percent, making the call costs very high. The GSMA further noted that many operators are not making profits because the cost of other services and maintaining rural telecoms infrastructure is high. In supporting its case to remove telecommunication taxes, the GSMA released another report that highlights the benefits that Kenya has gained since it zero-rated mobile handsets in June 2009. This year, the mobile communications industry will contribute US$300 million to the GDP and a further $100 million from intangible benefits to Kenyan consumers. The industry also employs 250,000 people in Kenya. "Since June 2009 when the tax was removed, handset purchases have increased by more than 200 percent and penetration rates have increased substantially from 50 percent to 70 percent, this successful policy confirms that consumption taxes can have a significant impact on consumer behavior in Kenya," said the report. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have the strength to survive, you have the power to succeed. Life is all about choices we make depending upon the situation we are in. Go forth and rule the World!

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Commodity Exchange System - Revisited
by robert yawe 21 Feb '13

21 Feb '13

Hi Listers, About 9 month ago (human gestation period) I mentioned the need for developers to start looking into the development of a futures exchange system and as always is with the village madman I was dismissed. On Wednesday 8th June 2011 the Capital Markets Authority advertised for a futures exchange system, rfp is open to both international and local vendors. Regards Hi, The National Cereals and Produce Board together with the East African Grain Council are working towards the creation of a commodity exchange to trade futures. This process is at an advanced stage which begun with a process called warehouse receipting and currently Equity Bank offers credit against the receipts. What does this have to do with us in the IT field? When the Nairobi Stock Exchange tendered for the automated trading system (ATS) and more recently for the Broker Back-office System no local IT company made it past the 1st round. The fact that companies like Virtual City are winning international awards for systems development and others like PesaPal are receiving large direct foreign investments means that we do have the skills to develop world class solutions. This is an appeal to all ICT experts in the country to prepare ourselves to make sure that the grain exchange system is locally developed and we stop being spectators in our own country. I know it is said that a prophet is never recognised in his own town, it is time we made this phrase redundant. NCPB and others are already shopping overseas for a solution so be warned that time is not in our hands and if we are to have an impact we need to move quickly. The proposed system is supposed to provide a trading platform, depository system, GIS for land information, settlement system, warehouse management, weather monitoring and seed planting information system (acreage, seed type, fertiliser, etc). Lets get off our high horses and put a together a world class solution for a local problem. No tears after the horse has bolted. Useful links http://dn.nationmedia.com/DN/DN/2010/09/03/ArticleHtmls/03_09_2010_030_014.… http://allafrica.com/stories/200904271171.html http://www.ratin.net/mainfeature.asp?id=40 http://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Smart%20Money/-/688614/899436/-/bypmdxz/-… http://www.unctad.info/upload/SUC/LusakaWorkshop/WarehouseServicesKenya.pdf Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/robertyawe%40yahoo.co.…

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IIEC: voting for technology
by Andrew Limo 17 Aug '12

17 Aug '12

The Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) will hold a two-day conference and exhibition on election technology at the KICC grounds in Nairobi on 22nd- 23rd Sept., 2012. Over 40 firms dealing with election technology, both local and foreign, have been invited to showcase their innovations to the Commission and the public. Electoral management bodies from East African Community (EAC), professionals in electoral technology, political parties and other interested parties have also been invited to the open forum on election technology. Participants will be expected to interrogate and evaluate the solutions offered by the various vendors and share their findings with IIEC. The aim of the open day is to expose voters to election technology and give them an opportunity to try out some of the solution on offer. In looking for the appropriate technology, the electoral management body would like to make informed decision based not only on expert advice but also the user experiences. It is apparent that the expanded 2012 general elections, which will require voters to vote for six elective positions in a single session instead of the traditional three, will require a fast and reliable solution. The appropriate application of technology should increase administrative efficiency, reduce long-term costs and enhance political transparency.Since technology is always designed to solve problems, and elections are not short of problems, technology is therefore first port of call by the Commission. We would be happy to have the ICT fraternity visiting and sharing with us their views. Welcome all, Andrew

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Bitange for President? Reality-on Media
by Alice Munyua 17 Jan '12

17 Jan '12

Dear P.S Ndemo, I would like to take you back to the question on media. The role played by media, mobile phone sms's, internet, (e-mail, blogs, websites, etc) during both the pre and post-election period in 2007-2008 is well documented, with media picking up and printing/broadcasting uncensored statements by politicians and sometimes government that amounted to hate speech, which helped to create the right kind of environment that exploded into our bloody violence, but also promoting good civic behavior, peace and human rights campaigns. Government has so far responded with various media related policies and the new constitution is set to radically change the environment within which media operates. But taking into consideration the ever changing nature of new technology and how it affects media policy and regulation, how would you ensure that policy and regulation keep up? -What has been the impact, has there been any additional policy/regulatory processes? -How would you/your government address this challenge (hate speech etc) if it were to occur again? Best Alice

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Bitange for President? Driving Knowledge Economy? Online Interview with PS Ndemo
by Grace Githaiga 04 Nov '11

04 Nov '11

Dear Listers Greetings. This is to inform you that PS Ndemo has agreed to articulate his vision in regard to his role under the new constitution, and his plans for the Internet Governance and ICT sector. PS Ndemo, can we in this sector say "Bitange for President?" And can we be confident that you would drive the country into a knowledge economy? Listers, this will not be an interrogation as such but an engagement similar to what was being done with "Yawe for Post Master General"-- the Kictanet style. Anyone with questions to PS Ndemo has this chance to ask him. The discussion will take place for five days, starting tomorrow wednesday August 3, 2011 to next week on tuesday August 9, 2011 and will be facilitated by me and Barrack Otieno. Over to you listers! Rgds Grace and Barrack

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is an e-book a book?
by robert yawe 01 Nov '11

01 Nov '11

Hi, My son's kindle crashed and Amazon sent him a replacement which arrived a few days ago. Fortunately the customs fellow accepted that it is a computer device and therefore did not charge duty and VAT but I still needed to pay 6,000/- that was categorised as GOK charges which interestingly do not apply to books. In my understanding a kindle is a book and therefore it needs to be treated as such otherwise we are shooting ourselves in the leg as we talk about e-books for use in school. Yesterday at the launch of the Safaricom Cloud both Dr. Ndemo and Bob Collimore both emphasised e-book readers but if the cost of shipping in the readers is hindered by taxes all because someone at KRA refuses to move with the times both this visionaries will remain frustrated. Regards Its interested what a free meal can bring out Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Fw: Fw: Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report?
by mpodhiambo＠yahoo.com 31 Oct '11

31 Oct '11

Sent from my BlackBerry® -----Original Message----- From: mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:09:50 To: Edith Adera<eadera(a)idrc.or.ke> Reply-To: mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fw: Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report? Thank you Barry. Indeed Edith you are right.It goes way beyond language...in fact my unscientific research points to even food as a major factor of development. We only point out that language is one of the major if not the Major contributor to locals not comprehending best practices. We talk to them but they don't understand what we are saying;hence we don't communicate. A case in point is the lack of the word 'maintenance'(differentiate from repair) in most of our languages.It means we are socialised to wait for things to get spoiled then either correct the errors or acquire others. Hence when we talk to them on maintenance since it's not in their 'system code' they only think repair. That's my two cents. Cheers Sent from my BlackBerry® -----Original Message----- From: Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.or.ke> Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:58:50 To: mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com<mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: RE: [kictanet] Fw: Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report? Thanks for sharing some of these insights. Bwana Ndemo/Odhiambo, don't you think it goes beyond language? Local business does not necessarily use best practices (which is what Ndemo was trying to communicate) - how do we inculcate these practices in ways that people will understand and make them a natural part of doing business like the Coffee SACCO you spoke about? Edith -----Original Message----- From: kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com Sent: Monday, October 31, 2011 1:04 PM To: Edith Adera Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: [kictanet] Fw: Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report? Hi Listers, Forwarded is a thread I wish to share. Some two cents on a tech repository of our languages----- Sent from my BlackBerry(r) -----Original Message----- From: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:36:48 To: <mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com> Reply-To: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report? Odhiambo, Did you not want to share this? It is absurd that we need the language to express ourselves and at the same time have so many educated and unemployed Kenyans. Ndemo. Sent from my BlackBerry(r) -----Original Message----- From: mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:19:41 To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> Reply-To: mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report? Daktari, Though I concur with your thesis...I dare not conceive that considering discarding our languages should even be an option! Science has told us we think in vernacular then translate to other languages. That's a given. I submit that our languages are part of our 'genetic code' through which we view, understand and relate with the rest of the world. Discarding our languages therefore would result in a slavery of sorts since we would need to use 'imported genetic code' to view, understand and relate with not just the world but ,regrettably, with ourselves as well! We would be a 'GMO' so to speak. Indeed the part of the world that is producing technology on a large scale as opposed to us(consumers of technology on a large scale) learn in there 'genetic code' or at least have a repository of it. Resolved:Making our languages more expressive and dynamic is key-I think we could introduce this much needed dynamism as we create a tech-repository of our languages. Indeed we should create institutes of Maasai,Kamba,Taita etc within our Universities-Makerere seems to be ahead in this in the region. I think they introduced diplomas on local indigenous languages(Luo,Luganda,Runyakitara,Kiswahili,Ateso). To have the institutes is one side of the coin, to complement the institutes with tech---so that they serve as the supply end to the tech-repository for our languages is the second side of the coin. The third side of the coin is to engage the universities in research(actual and meaningful). Cheers. Sent from my BlackBerry(r) -----Original Message----- From: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:24:51 To: <mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com> Reply-To: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report? Odhiambo, Most unfortunate, we have no repository for any of our languages. Will it be possible if the tech community created local wikis? Oral cultures do not help in sustaining a language. Since language is a key development component, shouldn't we be creating institutes of Digo, Kikuyu, Dholuo, Bukusu etc in our Universities. We can develop a highly Knowledgeable society within a short period if we address the dynamic nature of language and its repository. My thesis is that our backwardness is as a result of using non expressive non dynamic languages and our continued use of them will undermine our long term economic growth. Should we consider discarding these languages? Recently we debated on the poverty of English language in our journalism. This is because we think in venacular then try to write in English (several studies reveal this). For Africa to change, we must be bold and adopt what will bring us to bar with the rest of the world. Ndemo. Sent from my BlackBerry(r) -----Original Message----- From: mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:49:47 To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> Reply-To: mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report? Daktari, You seem to be pointing out a very pertinent issue in African Languages. It appears we've been socialised without the vocabulary for development. I encountered this when looking for the word 'maintenance' (differentiate with repair) in dholuo. I came to nought. I put it that we've been talking but not communicating! Cheers Sent from my BlackBerry(r) -----Original Message----- From: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke Sender: kictanet-bounces+mpodhiambo=yahoo.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:19:00 To: mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com<mpodhiambo(a)yahoo.com> Reply-To: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report? Grace, Approximately 90% of development language centers around those words. Could it be that we have not been talking? Couuld this be the reason why Africa lags behind? Are our leaders communicating? Ndemo. Sent from my BlackBerry(r) -----Original Message----- From: Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga(a)hotmail.com> Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.keDate: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:21:52 To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: [kictanet] Ndemo's Presidential Debate Final Report? _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mpodhiambo%40yahoo.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eadera%40idrc.or.ke The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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Google Paid More Than $1.4B for 57 Acquisitions in 2011
by Titus Ngeno 31 Oct '11

31 Oct '11

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Google-Paid-Over-14B-for-57-Acquisi… I just read an article entitle "Google Paid More Than $1.4B for 57 Acquisitions in 2011" and one thing hit me are mergers and acquisition the best thing?...Most conspicuously, the biggest problem created by the ill-fated urge to merge is that the new company is often more fragile than its predecessors. Then, add a recession on top of that. A company can quickly find itself in a weak position while it is forced to blend two different labor forces and cultures in order to stay competitive. Worse, mergers often leave a company awash in short-term debt required to finance the transaction. Thus, companies are left trying to simultaneously restructure their finances and a mish-mash of product lines and operations. So is this a good thing? My two cents! Google acquired a whopping 57 companies of various assets through September, according to an SEC filing. With three months left to go in the year, anyone want to guess what else is on the radar? Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) spent more than $1.4 billion to purchase 57 companies of various sizes and persuasions, blasting apart the company's previous record of 48 acquisitions from 2010. The search engine provider revealed in a 10-Q filing with that Securities and Exchange Commission<http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000119312511282235/d228523d1…> that it paid $941 million in cash for three deals alone. That sum includes $676 million for flight software provider ITA Softwar<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/DOJ-Clears-Google-ITA-Bid-with-Cond…>e in April; $151 million for restaurant review guide maker Zagat; and $114 million for daily deals asset Daily Deals<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Google-Buys-DailyDeal-German-Groupo…>, both in September. Google paid another $502 million on the other 54 companies, which include These acquisitions were not material individually or in aggregate, according to Google. Google also bid in August to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, but that isn't likely to close until 2012, due to current regulatory scrutiny. Google isn't done with M&A either. The company spent that much and picked up that many assets<http://www.eweek.com/> only through September, which means that it acquired more than 6 companies a month to date. With 3 months left in the new year, it's possible Google could tack another 10 or 15 purchases before 2012. Why buy all of these companies and what's the grand plan? Most of the buys have been cloud-based players that bolster the company's local search, advertising, video and social software<http://www.eweek.com/> services. Ultimately, Google is weaving a fresh tapestry of Web services and applications into its Google+ social network, which it hopes to make the center of the user experience. ITA has been leveraged in Google Flight Search. Zagat will be used in Google Places for local business<http://www.eweek.com/> search. Daily Deals, along with loyalty card provider Punchd<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Google-Buys-Punchd-to-Boost-Go…>, coupon provider<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Google-Buys-Zave-Networks-Coupon-Pl…> Zave Networks<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Google-Buys-Zave-Networks-Coupon-Pl…> and daily deals aggregator DealMap<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Google-Buys-The-Dealmap-a-Groupon-A…> will likely be used to fortify the Google Offers deals and Google Wallet mobile payment services. Google's YouTube arm bought video producer Next New Networks<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Web-Services-Web-20-and-SOA/YouTube-Buys-Video-Pro…>, which is being used to help fashion new channels on YouTube, as well as Fflick for social sentiment analysis<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Web-Services-Web-20-and-SOA/YouTube-Buys-Fflick-fo…> and Green Parrot Pictures<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Web-Services-Web-20-and-SOA/YouTube-Buys-Green-Par…> for video processing. ________________________________ The information contained in this message may be CONFIDENTIAL and is for the intended addressee only. Any unauthorized use, dissemination of the information, or copying of this message is prohibited. If you are not the intended addressee, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message.

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