₦airaland Forum

Pidgin is a tough one to follow.  The use is so diverse in Nigeria.

For example:

Dey can be used as follows:

"Is" or "Are". For example "he dey go school" - he is going to school
How you dey? How are you?
Him no dey for house.  He's not at home.

i think some part of russia is ghetto ..n i mean proper ghetto!!! esp outside the city/capital....

Most nigerian (student )will go anyway as long as its outside nigeria!!!

For somebody who declares he doesn't know about Russia, you sure are making some direct statements here.

Ghetto?  What on earth are you talking about?  The whole idea of communism is that all citizens are equal.  So if any part of the country is ghetto, then the whole country is ghetto.  Which is certainly not the case.

Why do you guys without facts feel the need to contribute to this thread?  If you have a specific question, or you would like to learn about Russia, go ahead and ask, and somebody will help you out.

There's a lot I didn't like about Russia, mainly their xenophobia, and gangs running amock.

But there's also a lot Nigeria can learn from Russia:

Transportation is top notch and cheap. Everything is timed and highly punctual.
There is no hunger.
There is no homelessness.
No rioting in schools.
Free healthcare.
24/7 electricity.
24/7 Running water.
Solid roads.
They had super power status.
etc.

Can Nigeria claim any of the above?

I am Russian student, studyaing with one from Zambia. He looks fine. =)

Are Zambians still as sweet as ever. I had a few of them as friends myself.

Have Russians improved somewhat in terms of their view of inostrantsi?

Given the deafening silence, does that mean nobody is up for the $1 year idea?  That is certainly affordable.

There are other ways Seun could monetized the site:

1. Sell text adds.  I volunteer to write the code if this forum is powered by php.  If not, you can grab javascript code on the net, and manually set things up.
2. Sell amazon books/music/movies related to Nigeria.
3. Sell rotating banner ads.
4. Join google adsense, or yahoo ad network.

I agree with the comment about people becoming grumpy if they voluntarily contribute, and their post is ever deleted.  But with the advertising idea above, the site won't be beholden to anybody.

As far as paying somebody to manage to site, applications should already be rolling in.

Just as DHTML is Javascript+CSS,
AJAX is Javascript+XML.

Here is what AJAX does:

It allows you to update data on a webpage, even after the page has been fully loaded.  That is how I'm able to update messages in my chat application without reloading the chat window.

If you want to learn ajax, the Internet is your oyster.  Just google it.

I hope you know javascript inside out.  if not, you'd be putting the cart before the horse with ajax.

Recently i saw an article that the notion that poor countries have people living on less than $1 may after all be false. The argument being that the most prevalent occupation in such countries is primarily subsistence agriculture,hence most of the populace are self dependent as regards their feeding.

I agree.

Besides, $1 in poor country may be worth $10 in the USA.

@oasis do you do AJAX programming? I havent seen anyone do that in Nigeria and that is the way to go. I have downloaded so many materials that I hope I can use this vacation of mine to get through...

Yes.

I created a live chat program for my website. It's all AJAX.

Before you get into ajax, learn your javascript.  I read David Flanagan's book from O'Reily from cover to cover, and I also used Thau's JavaScript Tutorial.  http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/programming/javascript/tutorials/tutorial1.html

@naijaguru

I do a lot of tech writing, many geared toward helping people get started. My goal is to see Nigerians cash in on the billions of outsourcing dollars that India is enjoying today. Unfortunately, we're so deeply buried in 419 at the moment. However, it's encouraging to see you showing interest. Keep it up. Post questions if you have any.

As for my site, use it, and you'd discover what's behind the hood. I've never been interested in designing flashy anything that's why the look is conservative. It'd probably stay that way. I value function over heavy graphics.

poor shooting, no depth. We should ban such movies.

Yes, along with every poor movie made in Nigeria.

Here is a suggestion for a project..

Create a php application that lets you catalog your CD collection.

It should allow you to upload images of the artists, including auto-creation of thumbnails after upload.

You should be able to search for any CD in the catalog by keywords, artist name, or album name.

After search results are displayed, you should be able to re-sort the result by clicking on a link.

Results should be displayed 10 per page, and you should be able to click a link to view more results.

You should be able to delete an entry in your catalog.

You should be able to edit an entry in the catalog.

I guarantee you, by the time you're done with this project, you'd be half way through becoming a full-fledged php programmer.

Do this without using OPC (other people's code).

You have to decide what kind of programming you want: procedural, or object programming. Procedural is easier to understand, and used by most php programmers.

My advice to you is this: If you are serious about learning php, you have to have a pet project in mind. Merely reading, and trying out bits of code won't get you very far. You learn better when you go looking for an answer to a question you already have. And that would only happen if you have a project in mind. For example, assuming you're building an application that requires image upload and resize, you would understand it better when you have an actual need to get it done within a real project.

If you have a personal computer, install LAMP, or WAMP. And start practicing.

There is no learning php without mysql. So prepare for that also.

Here are resources I use a lot:

http://www.phpbuilder.com (Post your questions, and ask nicely for help).
http://www.php.net (Look up functions and their use).
http://www.mysql.com (Everything mysql).

PHP is easy, but it takes patience and several years of dedication to master it.

Goodluck.

Would you pay $1 a year membership fee toward the upkeep of this forum?

As a web admin myself, I understand what it means to battle spammers.  Those people are relentless.

In my case, I handle spamming by writing scripts that deny posting of any spammy material.  I can do that because I'm in a specific market.  Unfortunately, a forum like this deals with a diverse array of topics, making human monitoring inevitable.

However, you can still create scripts that'd automatically deny the posting of the following:

419 letters.
UK lottery scams.
Russian dating scams.
"How To Make Big Money From Your Home Computer" frauds.

When I first started running my site, I was constantly deleting messages and user accounts in response to user complaints.  But now, no user can post these kinds of garbage on my website anymore.

Do you really think it will cheaper to shoot a film in some European countries than in Nigeria?

Depends on the country.
In Nigeria, you would need power generators, full medical staff must be available, if there's an accident on the set, the actor probably needs to be flown to the USA for medical attention, all film making equipment must be flown in, etc.

There may be no need for these things say in France, England, Spain etc.

But, go ahead and say why you think a Hollywood movie made in Nigeria would be less expensive.

you can also try net2ftp.com free online ftp using your browser

Does this reveal your login info to the website.

1. Why do we immigrate?

For a better standard of living.  This is true because Nigerians always aspire to emigrate to countries that are better economically than Nigeria, not to poor countries.

2. What economic attainment has it brought to Nigeria?

A typical Nigerian abroad can easily sponsor several relatives in school.  Something he/she probably couldn't do living in Nigeria.  Furthermore, educated people are always a good thing for the economy in the long run.  So by helping educate more Nigerians, a Nigerian abroad is contributing economically.

3. Must we learn a lesson?

Can you elucidate that point?

4. Immigration, is it another way of slavery?

Is a lack of emigration a form of self-enslavement? Nigeria is not exactly paradise on earth, is it?

5. Why don't we go home after education like the Chinese and Indians to empower their people (If you claim you immigrated for studies)

A typical US Medical Doctor graduates with a debt of about $100,000.  How is he going to pay that off working in Nigeria?

A banker is used to everything being highly computerised.  Do you expect him to now work in a Nigerian bank with no computers?

Skills acquired by say, a cisco CCIE may not be useful in Nigeria, since we don't have such WAN networking requirements yet.

In general, good education today attracts a salary of about $40K in the US.  A doctor, or CCIE could earn as much as $250K a year.  Think of it logically, is it better to earn this much abroad, or take a serious pay-cut working in Nigeria?

6. What legacy or impart does this have on our children?

Your children grow up having better opportunities in life than their Nigerian counterparts.
Unfortunaly, they also lose the typical African camaraderie instilled in us growing up.  That is the difference between an African and an African-American.

8. Advantage/Disadvantage of immigration

Advantages: all of the above.
Disadvantages: brain-drain in Nigeria, second-class citizens abroad, ...

The whole Nigerian environment is hostile toward business development.  You basically have to bribe your way through every thing.  Telecommuncations is poor, healthcare, our reputation abroad, R&, low-standard of living, roads, power supply, etc, all poor.  These things are the duty of the government.  And until the government wakes up and addresse these problems, there is very little a foreign-trained Nigerian can do to make things better at home besides offer financial help from his overseas post.

Finally, let me say that emigration is not unique to Nigerians.  Millions from other countries come to the USA and never return home.  All for the same reason that they can take better care of their people back home that way.  Latinos for example swim across treacherous rivers, or walk dangerous deserts everyday to cross the US border.  Many of them never make it, and either drown or die of dehydration.

There is an estimated 28 million Mexicans living in America today.

what? aint nothing wrong with the site. may be the devil pulled at the server plug.... he's found of doing that. he think it's funny

Site is back up now.

Good job on the design. No clutter anywhere.

This thread is in response to a request for a java ftp client, i.e. no special installation required.

There is no shortage of ftp client implementation. But if you're looking for a no-fuss client that requires no installation on your computer, or a special setup on the server (webDAV), then Internet Explorer is the answer. Most computers have it already.

I have watched several hollywood moies that were shot in europeans countries. Hollywood has got the funds. thats not an issue to the exceutive procuders.
Block busters like Tear Of The Sun are bankrolled by companies who can afford the expenses. I guess its more of a security problem than financial.

Hollywood is a for-profit establishment.

You think they just throw money at any ole project without weighing the possibilities of making a profit first? If they did that, they'd be bankrupt in no time.

Making a movie in Europe would cost way less than doing it in Nigeria. The reason is that europe offers more than Nigeria could in terms of power, medical care, security, etc.

It's way less expensive to build a Lagos in Hollywood, than it is to fly all experts into Lagos, Nigeria. As proud as you may be of Nigeria, Hollywood has to make financial decisions.

hmm i wonder what will push a Nigeria man to russia

Is Russia that much worse than Nigeria?

Cold is not an excuse.  Canada is just as cold.

Most Nigerian students go to Russia on scholarship.  Besides, by the time you return, you're stronger mentally because of the challenges you've faced.  Also, you would've added another language to your list.  Good on your CV.

I think Russia is tougher for foreigners now though.  Russians have always been xenophobic.

Why can't they shoot it in nigeria? Films showcasing Nigeria should be shot in Nigeria.

Cost mostly.
You have to fly all the experts, all the equipments, provide electricity, accommodation, food, healthcare (medical doctors must be flown in), telecommunications.  You have to get security clearance for everybody, for the territory you're moving into.  You have to contend with weather conditions you're probably not used to.  You have to contend with bad roads, personal security, etc.  You have to educate the local residents to gain their co-operation.

By the time you sum up the expenses involved, you'd undertand why shooting a movie offsite is not cost-effective.  Unless there's a compelling reason, why would you throw money down the drain like that?

Hollywood movie-making is not the one-man show you have with Nigerian movies.

I have RSS on my website too www.dejiolowe.com

What's the matter with your website? Server Error

Well, Oasis, my baseless and unintelligent accusations have been right until this time.  Normally I would ask over PM but the people would not respond, forcing me to use a more public approach.  So you were caught in the fire that was started by others.  Sorry!

Understood.

I understand your concern about stolen articles, as you should be.  The Digital Millennium Copyright Act could get this website in trouble.  Your Registrar could drop your domain name, search engines could delist you, etc.  All because somebody posted a stolen article.

If It'd be helpful, how about simply pasting a unique part of the article into google with quotes?  If that article is anywhere on the web, google will dig it out.

But there's a wrong way and a right way to do things.

If you don't have the time, then ask for volunteers.

That is the way online forums do it. Going round throwing baseless accusations at people is definitely unintelligent.

Yes, Nigeria today is desperately poor.  But not because we don't have the money to make things better, but because our resources are shamelessly squandered.

So, the message is clear, and all attempts to obfuscate the truth about our wealth and worth would be rebutted.

I understand.

It's not about Russia being good or bad.  It's just that when you've made friends in a place, a part of it stays with you.   And there's nothing like getting re-united with long lost pals.

Be very careful about reprinting people's work without giving them credit. You'd get burned by the The Digital Millennium Copyright Act if the owner decides to come after you. I doubt you have $10,000 to pay per infringement.

http://www.bestwebatlanta.com/services_design_colors_and_their_meanings_atlanta_web_design.shtml

I CAN'T Belive you thought that place WAS actually lagos?

Does it really matter?
Should we condemn say, every movie about Jesus Christ, simply because Hollywood wasn't there on site to shoot it?

layi, are you currently, or have you been a student in Russia?  That's what the topic is.

Any Nigerians here who are students or have at one time studied in Russia?

Kak u vas delo?

I wrote it today. 100% mine.

I also posted it to some of my online blogs. Is that what makes it copyrighted?

Do you always jump into conclusions about things without making necessary enquiries first? If you can utter more than your usual one-liners, maybe we can enjoy a real dialog here.

There are too many good movies for me to choose a "best" one. I can however say a great one I saw recently is:

Crash - Don Cheadle