Most governments are borne on the shoulders of three pillars of society: tribe, economy and religion. In Uganda circa 2024, two of those pillars are already dissatisfied with the status quo, the third pillar of business joining that line up is a worrisome state of affairs.

Like I said a few weeks ago, this traders strike against EFRIS is unique in Uganda. The seriousness of the protest is demonstrated by the silence of politicians on either divide about it; they realise it has potential to upend social order. And may. 👇👇👇👇👇

Some guy rang me this morning to say the biggest fans of my photography in Uganda are Comorians.

Speaking of which, this from last Sunday, May 5, 2024, at one of our gatherings. Always with that serious expression.

Photo by Timothy Kalyegira

There are too many law firms in the country, just as there are too many radio stations, restaurants, and too much office and retail rental space for the economy.

Uganda is simply going the way of Kenya or, worse, India where people with Master's degrees work as waiters.

Could it be that the low pay of young lawyers is not selfishness on the part of senior partners, but because as with most other professions (medicine, journalism, teaching, marketing, IT, etc.), there is now an oversupply of graduates relative to the economy's size and needs?

The ornateness of Russia's physical centres of power are so intricate, detailed & artsy- walls, doors, ceilings, floors, lights, glass, decor, its geometry, maze-like landscapes, name it!

Johanna Quaas is a 98-year-old gymnast from Germany, she started competing in gymnastics at the age of 10 in 1935.

'Nearly 3 in 4 IT practitioners [in the United States and the United Kingdom] worry the skills they use in their daily role will become obsolete very quickly because of AI tools.'

(Pluralsight, 2024)

This list, to me, reflects the collective intellectual curiosity and openness to new ideas of countries.

Lesotho with 81 per 100,000 should be at No. 12, and Nigeria at No. 13.

Only Mauritius of Africa's 55 countries ranks at a world-class level.

African interest in AI
Based on searches
Per 100,000 of the population
Dec. 2023
1) Mauritius, 1,156
2) South Africa, 438
3) Namibia, 320
4) Botswana, 310
5) Ghana, 251
6) Kenya, 221
7) Morocco, 200
8) Tunisia, 163
9) Egypt, 142
10) Zimbabwe, 119
11) Algeria, 100
12) Nigeria, 77

'Even the most advanced [generative-AI models] still fabricate facts, make basic math errors and produce imagery with physical or historical inaccuracies...but the technology is advancing quickly and doesn't need to be revolutionary to have an impact.'

(BoF, May 6, 2024)

Testing, testing...

Night scenes around Kampala, April 23 - May 3, 2024.

Video by Timothy Kalyegira

Science girl Dog can love cartoons too ❤️

Testing, testing...

Night scenes around Kampala, April 23 - May 3, 2024.

Video by Timothy Kalyegira

This is an example of the scary potential of AI in almost every sector and profession.

If in less than a year and a half AI can improve by this much, what will it be capable of by the end of this year?

As the new generative AI was stunning the world in Dec. 2022, I asked it to paint a sunset over the island of Zanzibar.

Two months ago, March 30, 2024, I asked it to create a painting of a rural 18th-century English village.

Note the jump in quality and fine, realistic detail.

Instruction to AI:

'Create a painting of a rural village in 18th Century England.'

AI:

Following on Twitter/X of select media
(In millions)
As of May 3, 2024
Compiled by Timothy Kalyegira
YouTube, 80
CNN, 62.3
New York Times, 55.2
BBC World News, 40.7
Instagram, 33
National Geographic, 29.1
Fox News, 24.4
Netflix, 22.6
Wall Street Journal, 20.6
Washington Post, 20

However, social media showed a hunger in the public for a much wider range of content than traditional media's focus on government and politics.

So, mindful of the smartphone's convenience and the top 0.1%'s need for polished content, let's create a new East African 'Paper'.

Social media is okay for the general public.

But the intellectual and artistic elite (the top 0.1%) will always find jarring social media's erratic nature.

Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, and Pinterest met this need for polished content.

So, we need a newspaper Netflix.