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Comment by noonespecial | Hacker News Reader

I'm guessing you didn't drive on dirt roads or carry all of the fuel for the trip with you in jugs, all while hoping you had enough bribe money for anyone who might turn up with a rusty AK-47 and a barricade to keep them from taking said computer from you along the way.

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Dude, not every country in Africa is Somalia. Kenya is a moderately wealthy and largely-stable country. Paved roads are common and gas stations are plentiful, for christ sakes.

Not sure if you are kidding but I am pretty sure Kenya wasn't THAT bad. It's actually a fairly stable country, even with the high level corruption scandals and occasional election violence.

This would likely have been around 10 years ago. Perhaps longer. Today's Kenya is less violent but according to the New York Times corruption index, its still one of the most corrupt nations on earth.

The point is that throwing your Alien-Ware in the back of your Volvo to go to a lan party across town is a ridiculous (to the point of being non sequitur) comparison.

If anything the country was more peaceful ten years ago, not less.

It has enjoyed relative political stability but it's not as safe as you think. My exes father lived there for many years. One night his compound was raided, his guard killed and he and his family were trapped in the house. In the morning the raiders left but he still shudders when he thinks about it.

Reading this article makes me think maybe Kenya isn't as backwards as I imagined.

What was the source of your prior beliefs about the country? It might proof enlightening to question those sources of information henceforth....

Movies.

African Men vs. Hollywood Stereotypes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSElmEmEjb4

As a matter of fact, I did drive on dirt roads and many times after dictatorship enforced curfews. No jugs of gasoline or bribe money though. Anyway, the point I was making that carrying a CPU tower, mouse, keyboard and a monitor (no alienware or volvos, btw) is not such an effort by itself, as people did it just to play. The story is remarkable but for other reasons, like the ones you mention.

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