#TodaysReads: Kenya’s Sex Tourism, Microsoft’s Secret Book & more (18.5.14)

Microsoft made a secret book for Nokia employees before its takeover The coolest way to introduce one company to another is to chuck out a book that shows the history of both companies. The book isn’t just a bunch of words but includes several cool illustrations.

In the months leading up to Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s phone business, the two companies approached Shoreditch-based media company TCOLondon to secretly build a unique book for the nearly 20,000 Nokia employees set to join Microsoft. The 128-page book was edited and illustrated in London before being printed and shipped to employees in more than 90 cities in 53 countries.
It’s a celebration of the rich history that Nokia and Microsoft both share, including etchings of Nokia’s origins in a paper mill in Finland and Microsoft’s roots in New Mexico. Illustrations range from the first-ever GSM call to surgeons using the Kinect sensor for operations.

Data Mining Reveals How Wording Influences Tweet Propogation The things you can do with data is amazing. These guys analysed data and came up with an algorithm that can help, better than a human, predict how far your tweets will propagate.

So what is the secret of the perfect tweet? Tan and co say better tweets are ones that include more information clearly, use language that aligns with previous messages and with the community at which it is aimed and ones that mimic news headlines in their structure. Requesting followers to retweet also helps.

Kenya’s hidden sex tourism in Malindi This is so disgusting. Anyone coming to my country just so they can have sex with children should be castrated when they’re caught. I mean really why would anyone want to have sex with a child? And they sometimes involve animals?? Why is the human mind so wickedly depraved?

Algorithm appointed board director Gimick? Definately. Cool? Absolutely.

East Africa needs a selfie Sounds like a joke but it is used as a metaphor for us coming together and working together despite how difficult and uncomfortable it is.

East Africa needs a selfie. And it must be the presidents’ selfie. In it, presidents need to extend their arms, even to the point of pain, to get the right angle and background. All of them must be in the picture, and one of them must take it.
Extending the arms means going beyond one’s ordinary duty to get the right perspective. East Africa’s pressing challenges: Peace and stability in South Sudan, terrorism and growing religious extremism, devolution and its financial burdens and discontents in Kenya, Museveni’s progressive isolationism, Tanzania’s constitution making challenges and petty envies, Rwanda’s transitional justice model.