Hola MaHigh School Volume 6, Issue 1 January 2017
What is in store for 2017? So, we are all back and ready to fire!
We are turning 6! Hey, wait? .. LOL - read about JANUARY
Gauteng, home to Africa’s economic powerhouse, Johannesburg, boasts an exciting mix of urban lifestyle, diverse cultural and natural attractions, as well as advanced infrastructure. Call us and we’ll show you why Gauteng in South Africa is the perfect location to bring your big idea to vibrant, colourful life.
Contents 06 Editor’s letter 07 Poem 08 We need writers 10 Contributors 11 holler at us 14 Back to school 24 Architecture in Antarctica
Contents 28 January month 30 how could it happen? 32 singapore 38 software: where to? 44 book review 45 quotes 46 next issue
Editors Letter January - A brand new year is starting. Excitement, the same old stuff or the last stretch. It is all there this year. We welcome our new readers in grade 10. May they also find ‘Hola’ a good read. And of course we will strive to be both entertaining and to the point - as usual. So it is also welcome back to our now grade 11 and grade 12’s. There will be great info and some fun as well. Boring is not fun! So what do we see this first issue? Of course back to school. way back as well. To the very beginning of schooling some 4,000 years back. But also a few good pieces of advise. Foreign country: Singapore. Things I didn’t even know before I had to write it. Science is software this time. Where will it go and what will it bring us. There are jobs there as well. Do we really need to do Trump? Well, yes. It is there as well. No way out of it. And of course the quotes: CATS! I love cats, maybe because we have one - LOL Good read!
Sybil
Time for poems:
2017 – such a set of numbers. Twenty-seven-teen Never to be repeated. Always wonder: ‘what will it bring?’ That new year. To all of us before it is over And too late. Gone and now for another new year Will we ever be on time for the new year? Will we ever finish the last one?
Sybil
We need writers! Our writers are growing up and getting older That is og course good. BUT.... it means they are leaving us Therefore: would you like towrite for us? What is required? That is easy You have to be in grade 10-12 Impeccable in your preferred language-and that might not be English. We try to be more than just English Passionate about your topic of choice no dull articles here
Do you get anything out of it? Well, not money, sorrry. BUT if we publish your articles you will have: Your bio in a commercial magazine A photo of yourself You can put it all on your CV you can use us as a reference ... and it goes in your portfolio
Is it important? YES it is. Look what Rofhiwa said: My name is Rofhiwa and I love to write. I think I am rather decent writer too. I took my talent and have used it to express my thoughts on international dealings of the world which have been published in Hola MaHigh-School. It has paid off, not only is my work printed for young people in the country to read, but it also contributed to me gettng a bursary from CNBC-Africa to do my post-graduate studies. Would be a lot harder to get by if I didn’t have platform like Hola MaHigh-School.
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to do
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n iva n co.za @romele . : nam e scho Cell n ol E-ma umber ... and il addres s we w ill tal k!
Meet our contributors My name is Masiziba, a 16 year old girl from a small rural town called Balfour in Mpumalanga. I am a matriculant in wait. My mother worked as a domestic worker and my father is a backyard Farmer. During my spare time I love reading, writing stories and watching TV. I am a confident girl who has big dreams and wants to prove that you can make it whatever your background is
Pinky Rapoo is a creative writer by nature and not yet by profession.She lives in Vosloorus and is currently in grade 12 at Vosloorus Comprehensive SecondarySchool. Listening to music is her hobby,writing is her passion. Her motto is “Think twice before speaking,think three times before acting and think thoroughly before writing�. My name is Fikile Unifire Zulu, I hail from Evaton West in the Vaal Triangle, Gauteng. I love art (writing included) and started doing so ever since I can remember. I am a go-getter, determined, ambitious and diligent young woman, I strongly believe in reading because it allows you to look at the world in a new perspective and writing .. well you get to express your thoughts and imagination without any fear. Besides writing, I am passionate about serving the community, currently I am a Provincial Secretary-General for Disabled Youth South Africa, Deputy Chairperson for Evaton West Local Drug Action Commitee, PR officer for Educate South Africa and part of Gauteng Youth Road Safety task team.
HOLLER AT US Hola MaHigh-School
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ABSIP extends its youth high schools to help imp 07 February 2016 - Last week five best performing grade 10 and 11 scholars from Ikusasalethu Secondary School were handed school uniforms, stationery and educational packs for their 2016 outstanding academic excellence by The Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals (ABSIP). The identified pupils, five from grade 10 and five from grade 11 pupils, will also receive a continued support, which will be extended to tertiary level based on academic excellence, financial needs and availability of funds in the ABSIP Bursary Programme. Members of ABSIP, professionals, Small and Medium Enterprises corporates, and sponsors will be mobilised to support and grow this initiative. The event at Ikusasalethu Secondary School was part of the launch of the national Extended ABSIP Youth Development Programme (EAYDP). The EAYDP is an extension of the existing ABSIP Student Development Programme and aims to respond to the educational needs of Grade 11 and 12 pupils and build a pipeline of future professionals in the Financial Services Sector in the country. “This launch and donation signifies that ABSIP is led by like-minded people who see it befitting to partner with schools and work towards making a positive difference in disadvantaged communities. The donation of stationery and educational packs will go a long way to enhancing the quality of learning and teaching, and the programme will equip our pupils and the educators with the necessary tools to meet and overcome the challenges facing our education system.” said Mr Dumisane Biyela: Ikusasalethu Secondary School Principal. In previous years, the ABSIP Student Development existed in 12 South African universities, with the aim to be the lead custodian and agent of youth eco-
development efforts to prove matric results nomic transformation in the Financial Services Sector and the broader economy. The main goal of the extended programme is also to help bridge the gap between high schools, university and the corporate environment, by enabling professional development from a young age. Through this programme, ABSIP will also create awareness of the various opportunities available in the industry and enhancing knowledge through information sharing. Speaking at the launch, ABSIP President Sibongiseni Mbatha, a product of Ikusasalethu Secondary School said part of ABSIP vision 2020, the youth development pillar remains one of the important elements for the future of the country. “The promotion of education and academic excellence is one of ABSIP’s key priorities. It falls in line with ABSIP’s mission statement, which is to build leaders that shape the future of the Financial Services industry and the broader economy” he added. He further noted that the ABSIP EAYDP support for the Grade 11 and 12 will include the following: School fees, where applicable, for identified pupils from poor backgrounds with outstanding academic achievements and potential; School uniform including shoes etc., Stationery; Books; Access to tutorials; Access to mentorship and coaching; Educational aids such as tablets to enable research; Any other identified academic assistance “It is with people with determination, drive and ambition that dreams are achieved, I believe our presence in Ikusasalethu senior secondary school and KZN province will indeed influence brighter future for the learners in this area.” - Concluded Mbatha
Back to
Always had such a boring connotation to me at least. ‘Back to’ is hardly exciting. Maybe we should call it ‘forward to school’. But that does not really depict it. So let us stay with back to school. Yawn. Boring.
But it can also be different. It is not like back to grade 10, which I did last year (OK, maybe it could, but let us leave that for now). So it is forward to grade 10. Away from the obligatory nine years. Grade 10 is volunteers only. After all, you can stop schooling at grade 9. Does it mean something? It should. It is now much more for your own interest to go to school. Nobody can force you. And that is a mind-set change. In my time it was a bit of an awakening as well. It was first of all a new school, dedicated to grade 10-12. And one of the older teachers addressed us by surname. Like in Harry Potter. A bit strange, but I started to understand it. We were from now on to be treated as adults. After all, it was our choice to go to grade 10. Grade 10 is a new experience. Enjoy that. Settle in. Grade 11? Sort of a little bit like the ‘new’ has gone off it and it is not yet the last year. Sort of in-between. And the topics are like the one’s from last year and … yawn. Just hard work. Take the time to go to open-day, to go to the TVET, to go and have a life. Do SOMETHING. Because the last year might be too hectic. Time
school
is now to investigate what to do after Matric. Grade 11 is wonderful to use outside of the books. And there is time. That is important. There is still time.
Matric. The last year. The sprint. The finishing line is nearly there. It is possible to taste the ‘life after matric’. But make no mistake. Grade 12 is hectic. But also realise it is much more than final exams. It is not possible to concentrate three years into some few months from January until September. Not possible. Grade 12 has to be just revisions of what went into it the last many years. Make sure it is. Nothing as bad as finding it out in October. But also remember, Matric is the preparation for a further education, either TVET, apprentice, first job, University or anything else. Matric prepares you for life. And life will be a job that will provide for you for 40 years before you can go on pension.
Back to school
This time we look at ancient schooling. Way back in time. And yuo thought it was just so eady?
India The oldest schools go back some 2,500 years back. They were traditionally linked to a term Gurukula. In essence, students were living with the teacher – the Guru – and learning from him. There was no payment, but the students were expected to take care of the Guru’s needs, i.e. washing clothes, cooking, cleaning, etc. At the end of the period, the student would typically present a gift to the Guru. It might not be money, but could be a special task which would please the Guru. China, Really something else. Schooling goes back some 4,000 years. Back to the Xia dynasty. We love the Chinese wise words, and here is one from that time: “Those who labor with their minds govern others; those who labor with their strength are governed by others.” As China started to grow, there was a need for administrators. That need had to be filled by educated people; hence the schooling system. Of course it got very regulated. There were exams for public servants, etc. It really got into the swing of it some 2,000 years ago, with some 30,000 students enrolled, 7,000 faculties and some 240 buildings. PS: the entire British population at that was probably some 3 million. Perspective! Ancient Rome Started at the early days of the republic but got formalised during the Roman Empire’s heydays. Real classes, real teachers, real exams, real… all of it. In essence, if we just go back some 1,800 years, we see the modern day schooling system. As this also got propagated to the Roman provinces, it
... way back!
is the Roman tradition which forms the European schooling system Western Europe With the advent of Christianity throughout Europe, the clergy started to ensure that schooling continued (in reality after the collapse of the Roman Empire). That means we see the cathedral schools gaining the prominence. The oldest one is probably from Spain and is from around 570. However, we see ‘old’ schools from the British Isles and still operating. Examples are The King’s School, Canterbury from 597., St Peter’s School in York – 627, Hereford Cathedral School – 676. All of it is very ‘Harry Potter’. Africa The best know old one is Timbuktu. Dating from around 1200. It was very much focused on the teaching s of the Quran, but also had all the other elements of teachings (math, science, etc). South Africa’s schooling followed the colonisation. Dutch and British schools got established around 1800. And we still have the buildings!
Career choice - d Okay. For interesting careers, just read previous Hola Ma High School editions. Google. Check out the salary. Potential employers. Attire. Corporate or not. Bla bla . . . But when choosing a career, it is not just only about that. A third of Graduates in my community do not get jobs, not because there are no jobs or because they are stupid but because they did not choose the right career. So how does one choose the ‘right career’? Ability can simply be explained by stating the facts about you. What you can really do. Academic results, especially when you are in grade nine, should give you the direct pathway to the right subjects. You are not forced to take Math and Science as subjects if you know you don’t have that ability. Go where you belong and strive to be competitive there. No-one will ever understand you like you understand yourself. Believe in yourself and what you can do. And don’t let anyone ‘bully’ you into doing things you are not cut out to do. Not even parents! Parents should be able to know their children and what they can do. In that way they can be able to support their children in every good way possible and make them productive human beings. Health is another important aspect of
do the right one career choice and it continues to broaden my definition of ability. You cannot be a game ranger if you and the sun are water and electricity. Your health might prove you are allergic to the sun. And you cannot stand or walk for long periods of time. So, in this case, is being a ranger applicable? Fitness is important for careers too. It is one fact about us that we can change to better our career statuses and it is very important to remember that fitness does not imply that one should be slim or overweight or anything of that nature. However, it ignites the level to which the extent that one can cope with immense physical pressure. This career hierarchy is dependent on parents who should know their children so that they can sit down with them, and explain what the key requirements are in choosing a career. These children in turn, with the support from parents, can do what they are able to do. A career that is accompanied by thorough research regarding you, is perfect. And it should include your abilities. Health wise. Fit wise. And most importantly: what YOU want to do in life. By MASIZIBA HADEBE
Our life Water is a scarce resource in South Africa and we see daily how bad it is. But what are the implications really? Let us turn to Wiki. Water scarcity is the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet water needs within a region. It affects every continent and around 2.8 billion people around the world at least one month out of every year. More than 1.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Water scarcity involves water shortage, water stress or deficits, and water crisis. The relatively new concept of water stress is difficulty in obtaining sources of fresh water for use during a period of time; it may result in further depletion and deterioration of available water resources. Water shortages may be caused by climate change, such as altered weather-patterns (including droughts or floods), increased pollution, and increased human demand and overuse of water. The term water crisis labels a situation where the available potable, unpolluted water within a region is less than that region’s demand. Two converging phenomena drive water scarcity: growing freshwater use and depletion of usable freshwater resources.
= water Effects of water crisis There are several principal manifestations of the water crisis. Inadequate access to safe drinking water for about 884 million people Inadequate access to sanitation for 2.5 billion people, which often leads to water pollution Groundwater overdrafting (excessive use) leading to diminished agricultural yields Overuse and pollution of water resources harming biodiversity Regional conflicts over scarce water resources sometimes resulting in warfare. Waterborne diseases caused by lack of sanitation and hygiene are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. For children under age five, waterborne diseases are a leading cause of death. According to the World Bank, 88 percent of all waterborne diseases are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene As of 2006, one third of all nations suffered from clean water scarcity, but Sub-Saharan Africa had the largest number of water-stressed countries of any other place on the planet and of an estimated 800 million people who live in Africa, 300 million live in a water stressed environment.
Are there any
Women African women and men’s divergent social positions lead to differences in water responsibilities, rights, and access, and so African women are disproportionally burdened by scarcity of clean drinking water. In most African societies, women are seen as the collectors, managers, and guardians of water. Because of these traditional gender labor roles, women are forced to spend around sixty percent of each day collecting water. For African women, their daily role in clean water retrieval often means carrying the typical jerrycan that can weigh over 40 pounds when full for an average of six kilometers each day. This has health consequences such as permanent skeletal damage from carrying heavy loads of water over long distances each day. Solutions and technologies The more basic solutions to help provide Africa with drinkable and usable water include well-digging, rain catchment systems, de-worming pills, and hand pumps, but high demand for clean water solutions has also prompted the development of some key creative solutions as well. Some non-profit organizations have focused on the aspect of drinking water contamination from sewage waste by installing cost-effective and relatively maintenance-free toilets, such as Drop In The Bucket’s “Eco-sanitation Flush Toilet” or Pump Aid’s “Elephant Toilet”. Other solutions to clean water scarcity issues have focused on innovative pump systems, including hand-pumps, Water for People’s “Play Pumps”, and Pump Aid’s “Elephant Pumps”. All three designs are
y solutions?
built to aid communities in drawing clean water from wells. Moving beyond sanitary waste disposal and pumps, clean water technology can now be found in the form of drinking straw filtration. Used as solution by Water Is Life, the straw is small, portable, and costs USD$10 per unit. The filtration device is designed to eliminate waterborne diseases, and as a result provide safe drinking water for one person for one year. On transporting water: Look at Hippo-roller. We have written about it before. It is pretty obvious what it can do. It is by far easier to roll 90 liters of water than trying to carry 20 liters of water on your head, especially if it is a child. And one more thing abut Hippo-roller: if anyone should roll it over a landmine, the blast will be absorbed in the water and not blow off the leg of a child. And for that alone we should be looking at this solution! PS: Hippo-roller is from South Africa! Overall, a wide range of cost-effective, manageable, and innovative solutions are available to help aid Africa in producing clean, disease-free water. Ultimately what it comes down to is using technology appropriate for each individual community’s needs. If this can be done, with sufficient funding and aid to implement such technologies, it is feasible to eliminate clean water scarcity for the African continent.
Architecture I read an interesting article on BBC from 13 January. It was a very eye-catching one. Architecture in Antarctica. This is a strange subject, really. Who is going to admire the architecture? The Penguins? In essence: correct! There will not be too many other living things around. But surely? How many of these research stations are there? And how many nations have one sitting there? More than what we think: the list is impressive, just to mention a few: USA, Russia, Chile, Australia, India, China, Pakistan, Uruguay, Poland, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Italy, South Africa and many more. Some of these stations are not much more than a hut, but some are rather elegant and represent real architecture. There are some considerations in all this: heating must be provided, there is always a risk that the station will disappear (swallowed by ice or just buried in snow), far from home, etc etc. So it is not just‌ Antarctica is a pristine environment. Pollution is a real factor although it has not always been recognised. The early explorers really just chucked things all over. That said, heating had some challenges as well. Normal diesel cannot be used. Too cold. So ‘Arctic Diesel’ has to be used. But is a
in Antarctica pollutant (and expensive). New style is to super-insulate everything and use waste and human activity as a heat source. The newest is that solar, wind and these measures are ensuring a zero-emission and low-resource intensive set of buildings. But why this flurry of building in Antarctica? There are a few pointers, according to the article. Prestige and also being ready for exploring Antarctica when the moratorium runs out in some 40 years. The other factor (my guess) is that scientists must also have a nice environment to work in. Why go shabby just because nobody is really going to see it? If we look at some of the earliest stations we can see those are more practical than aesthetic. Wooden huts and that is it. Also a bit dirty and shabby. Face it: this is not what you would pay money for. So we have to turn to the real fancy stuff now. Not these one’s:
Architecture i The next boom came from the ‘International Geophysical Year’ – 1957. The US built its McMurdo station and it is huge, even nuclear powered and home to the biggest contingent of people. Some 1,200 permanent staff. It looks like a US small town in the Mid-West, during winter, really. That also means that waste removal, maintenance, fresh water, heating, etc etc are now factors. It is really a small town to run, not just a ‘hut’. That is why it requires a lot of support personnel. There are ATM’s and shops and all things we would expect in a town. Now compare to today’s stations. Brazil’s newest building it just magnificent. The location is magnificent. The price tag is magnificent. And the view to die for. All in all, not bad. Wouldn’t mind having an office there, but the distance to the corner café and the Spar would be a problem. India is doing fine. Building out of shipping containers (it’s true!). And that is hard to see. China’s flying saucer is a bit dramatic, but it is there. Britain is doing its Haley VI. The other five are all gone. Gobbled up by snow and ice movements. This one can be jacked up on its skies and just be rolled to a new location. Problem solved. And the interior is great. And it is (according to the article) smelling of wood and furniture and all things. Because there are no smells in Antarctica! The colours are pleasing to the eye. Because there are no colours in Antarctica. Just different shades of white!
in Antarctica And South Africa? We were the first to introduce stilts for the buildings. The snow can then just blow underneath the building instead of piling up (and gobble up the building!). The big thing we have to ask ourselves: When will there be a ‘real’ town in Antarctica? And who will it ‘belong’ to? Right now there can be no territorial claims on Antarctica (Treaty!) but whn will it be reality? What now if a group of people claims it a s a refuge? And start a new ‘country’? not impossible. And the economy? Export ice for fancy drinks to the super-rich at exorbitant prices. Who would like to have ice cubes from ice 1 million years old? Well, it is already happening! Have a look at the buildings here:
January mon January, Such a strange month. After all the excitement and holidays and doing things and now… ‘back to’ all kind of things. Back to is actually a horrible thing. Back to the groove. Back to the books. Back to the .. oh no. BUT we have to endure and let us look at a few things about January. Christmas on 7 January Wiki says: “January (in Latin, Ianuarius) is named after the Latin word for door (ianua), since January is the door to the year”. Now that sounds better. A door to a new beginning, rather than ‘back to”. … and now comes the fun part: As we all know, we had the Julian calendar, where the leap years were not really accounted for. Later on we got the Gregorian calendar. That means (yes, it’s true) that the one’s still using the Julian calendar have a deficit of some seven days. THAT means that they celebrate Christmas on 7 January. Who is doing that? The Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church amounts to some 200 million worldwide, so it is rather big. Most of them in Russia and Eastern Europe, but also scattered throughout the world. The Oriental Orthodox Church According to the Encyclopedia of Religion, Oriental Orthodoxy is “the most important in terms of the number of faithful living in the Middle East”. Sooo, you may consider celebrating Christmas again? 2nd January in Cape Town. Wiki says: “The Kaapse Klopse (or simply Klopse) is a minstrel festival that takes place annually on 2 January and it is also referred to as Tweede Nuwe jaar (Second New Year), in Cape Town, South Africa. As many as 13,000 minstrels take to the streets garbed in bright colours, either carrying colourful umbrellas or playing an array of musical instruments.
nth ... boring? The minstrels are self organised into klopse (“clubs” in Kaapse Afrikaans, but more accurately translated as troupes in English). It has been around for generations and is such a part of our heritage. And who cannot want a party on 2nd January? It is true that the tradition stems from the slaves having a day off on 2nd January and could celebrate in any way they wanted. However, it is of course not that simple. The modern tradition was influenced by the visit to the Cape by American minstrels. In 1862, the then internationally renowned Christy’s Minstrels visited the Cape from the United States and in 1890 Orpheus McAdoo’s Virginia Jubilee Singers performed in Cape Town. In 1907 Green Point Cricket Club organized the first formal Carnival and moved it to the Green Point Track which later became a tradition. The events continued in 1908 and 1909, but discontinued thereafter until 26 January 1920, when the leader of the African People Organization, Dr A Abdurahman, re-instated the “Grand Carnival on Green Point Track”. In 1921, the Cape Town Cricket Club held a rival carnival in Newlands and this was the start of competitions in various venues and by various organizing boards.
How could The numbers are in. the election over. The new president sworn in. Trump is the president of the biggest and most powerful country in the world. And that will last for at least four years. How could it happen? Let us try to look at the US in terms of voters and so on. Everybody in US – the one’s with education, money, position, good jobs, East coast (like Boston, Washington, Maine, New Haven) were all making fun of Trump. There are marches against him already. And if we should believe the papers, the majority of Americans hate him with a passion. BUT he was elected by the majority of Americans. There are of course many good reasons, but let us focus on one very good one. The ‘fed up’ factor in US politics. A good load of the Trump voters are Mid-West Americans. It is also called the ‘rust belt’ What used to be the industrial heartland of America. The industry, the car manufacturers, the coal mines, the steel mills. These are not un-educated people. They are probably very hard workers and now they have lost their jobs. Factories closed, mines gone, car manufacture moved to Mexico. … and then they have to look at the East Coast aristocracy (Clinton, Obama, etc). The exact one’s who are both well-off and the one’s who caused it all to happen. So, when Trump says that global warming is just a ruse by the
it happen? Chinese, it might sound stupid, but the background is really ‘let us re-open the coal mines’. Make America Great Again is more than a slogan. It is really a return to the days where there were jobs and it was possible to work hard and have a decent income and send kids to school and do all things. Never mind that there were problems with that. Never mind it might be more sentiment than reality. It is the perception which is reality. And the perception is that the East Coast politicians have proposed laws which have benefitted the ‘outside’ world (other countries like Mexico) or just cost a lot of money for nothing (Obamacare) or just mismanaged the economy and created the un-employment, the devastation of American industry. And that might just be the perception of the majority of voters. So it is a reaction against the well-off from far-away East Coast. Reality? USA has had 75 consecutive months of job-creation, the un-employment rate is 4,7% (compare to our 20+%) and the economy is growing. But the high-ups on the East Coast forgot that perception is reality and that they took it all for granted. They started to believe their own story instead of actually knowing the ‘people’. The fine words flowing from Washington did not match reality in small-town America. Where the previous low-to-middleclass people had a living and now are hardly getting by. It is about people’s dignity and how to respect people. So for all their intellectual superiority, they lost!
Singapore: Such a Singapore! Why? Such a small little collection of islands. A whole nation twice the size of Johannesburg (the city, not even the metro)? What can they teach us? Ok. Singapore is an island-state – one big island and some 62 other smaller one’s. They sit on the exact tip of Malaysia and that is important. If anyone should be travelling from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, well, going through the Malacca Strait, past Singapore and out on the other side is a good and fast and short route. 80% of all China’s crude oil import (from Middle East) goes that way. 4bn people live within a 7-hour flight distance from Singapore. That is 55% of the world population. But surely, there must be more? Let us quickly do the numbers: Land area: 719 km2. GDP: $452 bn, $82,762 per capita. About 5 million people in all. OK, then. Every sixth person is a dollar millionaire! Hows’z’t? Compare to Gauteng: 12 million people, $811 bn in GDP, 18,000 km2. But what more?
a small country! A bit of history: British empire, founded by Raffles in 1819. Totally devastated after the Japanese occupation in WWII. Got to be a part of Malaysia, but became independent in 1965. So, we have an island, with no hinterland, a lot of people and no natural resources. It could become very problematic, but somehow, they found their niche. The first one is that corruption hardly exists. Next is that their laws are extremely business friendly. Low taxes and an extremely well-skilled workforce have attracted investments from all over. Their focus became international banking and finance. Next as a transport hub for world ocean travel. Singapore is the 2nd busiest port in the world. On top of, they import raw materials, manufacture high-tech items (wafers, etc) and export these. The value-add pays the highly skilled (and expensive) work force.
Singapore: Such Hardly any un-employment (1,2% un-employment rate) combined with the ease of doing business has created an economy which is far beyond its small land area and small population. However, Singapore is running out of workers. Both skilled and un-skilled. The workforce right now consist of 27% foreigners. As the number of kids being born is reducing, the problem will be to cater for the import of labour force. Will they be citizens? Enjoy the same rights as Singapore natives? How do they do democracy? If International trade takes a dip, Singapore will be hit. If there is a slow-down in the economy, the international banking community is hurt and that equates to Singapore. And nothing can be guaranteed to last forever. Are there any warning signs right now? Yes, the growth rate is negative. And unless they start to look seriously at the Chinese dependency, they will have to follow what US and Europe are doing. And who can tell what US will be up to in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Can we as Gauteng learn something? Gauteng’s GDP consists of 22% finance and services, 16% manufacture and 16% government functions. That is a good portion of what Singapore is doing.
a small country! What now if refine all the gem stones ourselves? What if we do not export raw materials but do the beautification ourselves right here and then export the high-value items? Hat if our workforce is a well-educated as in Singapore? It is not impossible. Gauteng is on its way to be the owner of the value-chain. It is happening. ‌ and we are the financial hub of Africa. No doubt there. But we can do much better. We should be a financial hub of the world, competing with Dubai, New York, London and Singapore. And why not? Singapore is innovative. Any new idea will be welcomed. SMME’s are in abundance. We need to capture that spirit as well. After all is said and done, it is attitude that counts. In essence: if we want to, Singapore is the place to go get ideas of how to do things in the 21st century.
A tyre? No Goodyear unve Unique spherical shaped concept tyre highlights ultimate manoeuvrability, safety and connectivity
Geneva, Switzerland, March, 2016- After 117 years of making tyres, Goodyear presented a vision of a fut Goodyear unveiled its latest concept tyre, Eagle-360, at the Geneva International Motor Show. The spher for the long-term future when autonomous driving is expected to be more mainstream.
According to a recent study from Navigant Research, 85 million autonomous-capable vehicles are expec Tech Choice Study, consumers are most concerned with ensuring safety through technology in autonom “By steadily reducing the driver interaction and intervention in self-driving vehicles, tyres will play an ev president and chief technical officer. “Goodyear’s concept tyres the boundaries of conventional thinking and as testbeds for Spherical shape for ultimate manoeuvrability and safety The unique shape of the Goodyear Eagle-360 could contribautonomous mobility.The spherical shape of the tyre is key to move in all directions, contributing to passenger safety. Active from potential hazards, such as black ice or sudden obstacles, so In addition, the spherical shape of the Goodyear Eagle-360 This helps the car to overtake an obstacle without changing its Finally, because 360 degree turns are possible with this tyre, it less space will be needed for cars fitted with spherical tyres to same role, this could significantly increase the capacity of public
Connected via magnetic levitation To connect with the body of the car, the Goodyear Eagle-360 from the car by magnetic fields, similar to magnetic levitation “Though this is purely a concept tyre, it showcases some of drivers can be addressed. Based on our own recent research[3], able cars to be part of future mobility and that reliability and could deliver a safe and sustainable solutionfor our end consumer who is likely to drive or ride in autono as inspiration for the automotive industry as we continue to find solutions for the future, together.”
Sensors ensure connectivity with car and increase sa Goodyear imagined another feature, connectivity, to cles, which is brought to life in three features. First, s the road conditions, including weather and road surf to the car as well as to other vehicles to enhance safe and pressure monitoring technology, sensors in the E tyre to extend mileage. Finally, because the tread is p based on the region where the driver lives is a new p
Biomimicry - inspired by nature Elements of the Eagle-360 design showcase biomimi Goodyear often uses in its designs. The tread mimics blocks and grooves help to secure a safe contact patch. The groove bottom has the same elements as a n and aquaplaning resistance. This texture also absorbs water on the road and ejects water from the tyre f
o, Science eils Eagle-360
ture tyre that looks radically different from tyres today -it’s a sphere. rical, 3-D printed tyre highlights Goodyear’s vision for the future and presents an inspiring solution
cted to be sold annually around the world by 2035[1], for example. According to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. mous cars. ven more important role as the primary link to the road,” said Joseph Zekoski, Goodyear’s senior vice play a dual role in the future both as creative platforms to push next-generation technologies.” ute to safety and maneuverability to match the demands of delivering ultimate manoeuvrability. The multi-orientation tyres technology allows the tyre to move as needed to reduce sliding it contributes to staying on a safe path. provides a smooth ride by creating a fluid, lateral movement. driving direction. could tackle anticipated parking constrictions of the future, as pull into parking spots. Assuming public parking areas play the parking areas without increasing their size.
concept tyre relies on magnetic levitation. The tyre is suspended trains, which increases passenger comfort and reduces noise. Goodyear’s best innovative thinking and how the needs of future we know that young drivers are looking for smart and sustainsafety are key for them.4 We believe the Eagle-360 concept tyre omous cars in the future,” said Jean-Claude Kihn, President of Goodyear EMEA. “We also hope it serves
afety o optimize driving conditions in autonomous vehisensors inside the Eagle-360 concept tyre register face conditions, and communicate this information ety. Secondly, leveraging Goodyear’s tread wear Eagle-360 register and regulate the wear of the produced by a 3-D printer, customizing the tyre possibility.
icry, which is the imitation of nature, a principle s the pattern of brain coral, and its multidirectional natural sponge, which stiffens when dry yet softens when wet to deliver adequate driving performance footprint through centrifugal force to reduce the risk of aquaplaning.
Software: This is an article I have wanted to get on to for a long time. What will
software look like in the next decade? What are the trends? What to do about it all? Solving a problem.
This is a fun one. Software will still have to be able to ‘solve a problem’ or a challenge. That means someone will have to be able to express what the software must do, i.e. understand the problem to be solved. It can be simple: ‘read the setting of the washing machine and pour in water, heat it to a set temp and start the spinning thing etc etc. Simple? Yes, but it still has to be expressed. And here is the real problem. The amount of people capable of defining and articulating the ‘problem’ is not that many and with the amount of ‘work’ there is a shortage already. It can only go worse. Planning for the devices Our world will evolve around the smart-phone (who actually talks on the thing?). That means that the big TV will still be there, but we might not ever really sit down in front of that one. We are on the move. The amount of devices will be bigger and more variety
the future will be seen. HUD’s will be there, maybe projecting from the jersey I am wearing? And of course speech-recognition will be the thing. Open-source software Well, Uber and Netflix are good at that. It is possible to build a business from open-source. But what does do to the industry? It pushes advertising in your face, all the time. There is only one way of making money. Advertising whatever product. On whatever media. At whatever opportunity.
it
Advertising We will see a world where advertising will be the main economy. Products and services will be adapted to the individual situation and it all goes with data about the individual. Maybe we will see private information being shared in a lot more instances than what we see now. And that can be used to promote services which actually make sense for an individual. An example? Interpret Google Street. Look at the front of my house. It needs paint. A paint company offering the right product for the outer wall. Fantasy? Maybe not.
Software: Massive web-based servers
The entire world will be based on web-interpretations. But the tool will be radically different in the years to come. It will not be cumbersome. XML and so on were a bit hard. Real-language compilers will be seen coming in. So, the bottom-layer programming languages will still be there, but it will be compiled code (or we run an interpreter as we used to do 30 years aback in time). Such compilers (or robots) will do the coding. Parallel computing The biggest thing will be parallel computing. We are only starting to be proficient here. The computing power is not realised yet as the software is not there (in general terms). But that will change! More industries will be based on software competency Software and the services offered because of the flexibility in the design of a service will be the thing. ‘Don’t get Ubered’ is a wonderful term. Netflix is another example. Both companies have realised where their core competency is: software and what it can do to design a service. Hardware Surely the hardware will be faster and cheaper. But is there an upper-limit in terms current technology. Optical computers will be
the future the thing to look for. Faster, and with more bandwidth. Interfaces Let your device ‘sense’ you. Use a finger to write a telephone number on your palm. The device will pick it
but very rudimentary. Products Who wants to buy a new toaster at a store? You buy and pay for the design and print it at home. THAT will revolutionise the entire transport and logistics sector. Is it reality? ISS (the thing in the sky) does not get spare parts flown up there. They have a 3D printer and can then just download the design of a spare part and off they go. Scary new world!
up (not by the movements, but by the ‘sensing’ of your skin). Brain wave interfaces will be the norm. You think about something and the device picks it up. It is here already,
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SPQR – A history of Ancient Rome Mary Beard: 2015 ISBN: 978-1846683817 some 600 pages
The book is much more than just another history book – Who killed who and so on. It goes into the detail of the big ‘WHY?’ how come a little village in Italy could found an empire? Where did they come from? and why did they do it? It punctures a good load of myths about Rome and Romans. It is immensely detailed – slightly boring at some points – but still interesting. The reason for recommending this book? Simple stuff! It is relevant to us today. First of all, a fair portion of our so-called ‘Western Culture’ is directly attributable to Rome. Our way of perceiving big questions, like democracy, citizens’ rights, governance, law and so on – well, SPQR will put it into perspective. Even our dress codes, schooling (yes!) and a lot more are founded in Rome. So without understanding where we are coming from, we will never know where we are going! ... and I love a Toga party
Quotes Today we do CATS You can teach a cat to do anything that it wants to do. coolfunnyquotes.com You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense.” (from cattime. com) —Jane Pauley Cats don’t have owners. Cats have staff. - Anonymous “I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.” (from cattime.com) —Jean Cocteau
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