Writings: My Musings, Essays and Articles
This is not a blog; it is just a space where I put articles and essays that I write. Such writings are not dedicated to a particular subject or a selected range of topical interests, but a generic log of my research, experiences, meditations, and commentaries on just about anything. This page, serving as the index, attempts to list all these articles, categorized into their year of publication. It also serves as a pseudo-sitemap for this site since the actual sitemap is currently only meaningful to bots and a few weird computer nerdz.
General Computing
Introducing the Exploit Chronicles Campaign
An exploit crusade to expose poorly written codeExploit Chronicles is the name of a campaign that I'm about to start to expose bad code (and for that matter bad software) that I managed to put up with in the past year - 2013. Over the last couple of months, I have been bitterly amazed at how some Ghanaian programmers write software, especially with applications that are exposed to the Internet. Nowadays, it seems one only needs to know how to install Wordpress on a web server to call himself a "software engineer." But does good enough code even make good enough software?
Operating Systems: Features and Functions
Examining the internals of modern operating systemsAn operating system is a collection of software that provides services for computer programs. In other terms, an operating system is a composition of a kernel and utility programs; the kernel controls the allocation of hardware resource while the utility programs enhance the usefulness of the computer. However, the question of 'What an operating system is?' is complicated by many different visions of what an operating system should be. In this essay, I will attempt to give a thorough definition of what an operating system is.
Unsorted Miscellanea
The Terminal Meeting in the Tent of Korah
Why coups d'état go wrong in earthquake-prone areasThere was a strange occurrence in the wilderness during the Israelite exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, when a Levite named Korah and 250 other men were devoured by fire from heaven and a couple others were swallowed up alive by an opening in the earth. It so happened because they had stood up to challenge Moses, the leader of the people of Israel. According to various Rabbinical writings, Korah was extremely wealthy and wise so how come he could not figure his place in the theocratic hierarchy? I think I’ve figured why.
Just Because I Had to Break the Silence
The story of a priestly lad who renounced his beliefsI have recently come to a realization that as a man deepens in beliefs, so does he in doubts so that the one who is the most conscientious is invariably the most ignorant. (Yes, at least, philosophically.) But what complicates the matter is that if one does not set appropriate limits to his doubts, they would eventually consume his beliefs so that the person ends up gaining a great deal of knowledge but loses all practical wisdom and reasonableness. This, is what inspires me to tell you a story of a mysterious man who was once a friend of mine.
India 99, Ghana 1: The Complete Mfum Story
Know the origin of the popular phrase "Mfum atete net"Perhaps you have heard of the football match between India and Ghana where the latter lost by 99 goals to one; yet, the Black Stars were awarded the trophy. But how could it be that the team that lost became the one that won? Well, since the recitals are mostly inconsistent, everyone having their own “version,” some have even dismissed this famed historic account as a Kwaku Ananse story. But wait, this article presents all the facts so that you may know fully the certainty of the things that you may have only been informed orally.
DISCLOSURE: As I write about what I want, when I want, however I want, there is a reasonably good chance that at some point what I will write may upset, offend, or even annoy you. Sadly, the longer you read the contents on this site, the more likely this becomes.