I am a big admirer of Clay Shirky and his works on social and economic effects of internet technologies, especially social media. I have read both of his books "Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations" and "Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age" and written a few words about them . Today, I stumbled across this TED Talk by him in which he talks about how the rise of information communication technology, especially the social media is transforming the landscape of media itself.  He argues that as more and more people are becoming both producers and consumers of information unlike in the past where majority of people were supposed to be just consumers consuming the information produced and disseminated by a smaller group of professionals; closed groups and companies will slowly disappear giving way for smaller, independent and more dynamic groups and individuals. The rigid and somewhat central planning is becoming...

Surviving the Tribhuban International/Kathmandu Airport Experience This Post Will Save You Over $25 in Your First Two Hours in Nepal This picture is from the entrance at the street. Why? Because I want you to get out of the airport quickly so you can to save money from the beginning of your stay in Nepal. If you don’t arrive at night or on a holiday and do not have too much luggage, walk down to the street. It’s only .3 KM. Cross the street and take care of your needs there.  Be sure to always use this type of ATM machine that allows you to hold onto your card. You will pass the Flat Rate Taxi Service counter at the airport. If you chose to have them provide a taxi you will pay at least 150 NRs. more than if you go outside and talk with a cabbie yourself. When I tried to tried to get a taxi from the bottom of hill it was about the same price. However, from what I understand, they have reduced the number of taxis at the airport, which is increasing the price. One day, while in Bhakt...

Captain Wagna, the snorkeling king of Mombasa Some people trot around the world just to see animals, or to ogle at old buildings, or to take photos of a ‘wow factor’ that has been photographed a billion times already. True, with me, I find myself going to places that have been talked about over and over again, which is why I went to Mombasa, but the one thing that lures me to travel to such places is the chance to stumble upon stories that have never been told before. Stories that can never be told because travel books are full of stuff like ‘the best hotels in Mombasa’, or ‘the top five places to visit in Kenya’. Stories like that of Captain Wagna, one of the millions of unknown faces who work in the background to make sure visitors enjoy their holidays. The first time I met him was at the Backpackers Nirvana. In fact, the easiest way to get in touch with him and have him take you out for a day snorkeling would be through this humble hostel. He came in the evening because h...

How to get the most out of your volunteer efforts? Of all the questions I hear asked, this is probably the most common. We Westerners love to help people in less developed countries. The Africans figured it out a long time ago that social work is a very lucrative profession. And now, the Nepalis are catching on. A Nepali social worker who came over for tea last year encouraged my younger Nepali friend to get into social work. “There’s a lot of money in it,” he counseled. And this is the major problem in Nepal. This was a special medical camp that gave free eye exams. This is an example of a good local NGO. First, ask yourself why you want to volunteer? How much time do you have to dedicate to volunteering? What are your personal talents that you would like to work with? Do not think it doesn’t matter. I met a couple of women from Amsterdam that were happy to help a young, Nepali man. They told me they had purchased a shoe shine kit for him and he was very grateful to have the tools h...