What is network latency?
Latency is the wait on a network, and it is not the same thing as speed. Here is what the number means, what makes it grow, and how to measure your own in one minute.
Author
Author: Mark Alex
Mark Alex is the founder and Managing Director of Real Biz Digital, a technology company operating out of Nairobi since 2018. He works in agentic AI and the Model Context Protocol, AI governance, enterprise software architecture and cybersecurity. He holds an MSc in Mechatronical Engineering from Obuda University in Budapest and a BSc in IT, Forensic Technology and Cybercrime, from USIU-Africa in Nairobi, and has published IEEE conference research on an AI-powered digital twin for greenhouse systems. He is the author of seven books. Between 2020 and 2024 he mentored more than 200 university students and interns in Nairobi. He writes every Just Out Tech article from the original research paper.
Explainer/Semiconductors & chips
What is Moore’s Law, and is it over?
Moore's Law said the number of transistors on a chip doubles about every two years. Here is what Gordon Moore really claimed, which half of it has stopped, and what makes chips better now.
What is Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
MCP is one agreed way to plug an AI assistant into your files, tools and databases. Learn how the host, client and server fit together, and what to check before you connect one.
Explainer/Fintech & mobile money/Kenya
What is mobile money?
Mobile money turns a phone number into a payment account that any shop can top up. This page explains cash in, cash out, why the agent matters most, and how to avoid the common frauds.
What is mixed reality?
Mixed reality puts digital objects in your real room and lets them treat it as solid. This guide explains how a headset learns the shape of a room, how MR differs from plain AR, and what it is used for.
Explainer/Artificial intelligence
What is machine learning?
Machine learning is how a program picks up a skill from examples instead of from rules. Here is the training loop in plain words, the three main kinds, and the checks to run before you trust a model.
What is low Earth orbit?
Low Earth orbit is the crowded band of space a few hundred kilometres above your head. This page covers how it works, what it is good and bad at, and how to spot a satellite tonight.
Explainer/Climate & energy tech
What is green hydrogen?
Green hydrogen is hydrogen made by splitting water with renewable electricity. Here is how it is made, where it genuinely helps, where it wastes energy, and what to check in any project.
Explainer/Artificial intelligence
What is fine-tuning an AI model?
Fine-tuning takes a trained AI model and teaches it your job with a small set of your own examples. Learn what it changes, what it cannot fix, and when to use something else.
What is extended reality (XR)?
XR is the umbrella word for virtual, augmented and mixed reality. This guide explains what the three share, what is inside a headset, why bad tracking makes people sick, and what XR is really good for.
What is end-to-end encryption?
End-to-end encryption seals a message on your phone and opens it only on the phone of the person you wrote to. Learn how the keys work, what it still leaves exposed, and how to check it is on.
What is edge computing?
Edge computing puts the thinking next to the data instead of in a far-off data centre. Learn how it works, what it is good at, what it is bad at, and how to spot it.