Hola MaHigh-School - September 2023

HOLA

Time To apply

Science:

Bennu the asteroid

Hollywood: strike is over

Our writers:

Where are they now?

Rugby 2023

But where did it start?

Contents September

Features

11 Applications - for everything

12-13

14-15

What is an application really?

Unsolicited applications

16-17 Exam tips - the start

18-19 Exam - in there

20-21 Exam in Dubai - different!

22

24-25

40-43

46-49

Where are they now?

Lezy de Yong: doing new things

Hollywood strike is over

Rugby - how it started in SA

Science

28-29

Ruta Seshaba - AI

AI - new things going on 38-39

34-37

When it goes wrong

50-53 Bennu the Asteroid

54-55

Oumuamua - mystery

Applications

Deadline and more Applications!

Time to get on with this recurring malady. We have to apply for anything in life, so we might just get used to it.

We are here to help! Hola to the rescue!

Look at what we have in good advise and tips for you. Some of it can even be of help.

We have a lot of writers, current and former, but where are they now? we are starting a new mini-series - the first to be given the ‘microphone’ is Lez. It just shows: we need more writers! anybody? Science is devoted to Bennu. Benny who?

Bennu the asteroid of course. It just dropped

the sample cannister to analyse. But there is more Mystery. Read Hollywood strike impact? trust (Avatar 4 and Finally, we have to after all. The atypical, so read AI is also on pening. Huawei business. Good Read!

Hola is here to give you a break from all We are also serious, but it is now called

Applications more deadline

cannister off for the scientists more to this: Oumuamua the Read one.

strike is over. Did we feel the trust me. We will. Certain movies and 5) and more are delayed.

have a stab at rugby. We have The development in SA is a bit read on and get amazed. the radar. New things hapHuawei is on it and that means all the school stuff. called edutainment.

Sybil Otterstrom Editor and CEO

WE are the

Contributors

Want to be a contributor? Wanting to write like a pro?

You CAN! look firther and see how you can become one.

... and it is a good feeling to entertain and inform.

Masiziba Hadebe is doing her Master’s in Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS). She is driven to make a change and is a passionate volunteer for community projects. She loves reading and writing about science, agriculture and anything in between. She believes you can wear a smile whatever the weather!

My name is Lerato Pitso. I am from Maseru, Lesotho. I am a Sociology and Criminology student at UFS and Miss Supranational Lesotho 2023. When I’m not a model and a student, I write about my philosophies on life as well as expressing my feelings on paper. I hope that my views will aid in the social development of the next person.

And we are honoured to also have industry-views from:

Edith Wynne-Trollip: - Curriculum Support and advise, Overberg District

Nadia Hearn - Founder of Get-Published

Ashalia Maharajh: - Founder & Director, Sivuka Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Thozamile Mvumvu: - CFE Programme Manager, False Bay TVET

Daniel

Roos -

Account Executive, Transform Marketing

Artvilla Dakamela, 22, another wizard from the literature world, he is an Accounting student at the University of the Free State. He has written for the Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN) amongst others. He currently resides in DurbanKZN - and is a very enthusiastic reader and writer.

My name is Molatelo Kate Kgatla, I’m 24 years old. I was born and raised in Lenyenye. I’m a grade 2 teacher at Vunza Teddy Bear Learning Academy, an author of a book titled her jouney as a young mother. I became a mother at 17. It influenced me to write about my personal journey to try and help someone that could be going through the same. I love writing and I love my 7 year old daughter and life.

Lesly Malose Mahapa is a singer/writer/poet. He started writing at the age of 14 and has since been on a journey to pursue his music and writing career. Lesly is currently working with an indie group ‘MozSouth’ based in Ivory park, Midrand. Lesly is also a brand ambassador for a local clothing line “Boi Boi apparel”

Sybil Otterstrom sybil@romele.co.za

Advertising sales Next level Management

011 614 5046 076 360 1792

sybil@next-level.co.za

ivan@romele.co.za

Applications - the next step

It is time – as always – to look at applications. The year is running out and the next bigger step will the dreaded application. What are we applying for? University? TVET? Job? Wherever we turn, we have to now apply. Just adhere to deadlines!

We may turn around and ask ourselves: What is the objective of a written application? We can all fill in a form with static info, but that will never get us the job.

Let it be said: the objective of the application is to get to the next stage and that is the interview.

It is with this in mind we will assist in formulating a winning application, be it based on a job advert or an unsolicited application.

Unsolicited applications? oh yes! In many instances (a job application) the future employer is looking for someone and now a million people apply.

We can also just approach them with a ‘winning’ application - no competition then.

Many options really - Good luck to all

Applications

What are applications?

There are so many types of applications out there. We apply for a place at university, we apply for a job, we apply for a loan, we apply for …. Anything.

There are many things that are ‘easy’: applying at university is a rather mechanical process. We fill in the form (online), attach the supporting documents and that is it. If we match the criteria, we are in luck. A machine can do it. And by and large: there are no appeals processes.

The best part of university applications are online. There are no walk-in options anymore. If we look at the format (I tried a few), there are plenty of things to fill in. It is not complicated, but be aware: if it is not done correctly, it will be rejected.

If you should apply for a job in any state institution, there are also forms to fill in. I quote from the website here:

“As a rule vacancies are advertised in a Public Service Vacancy Circular compiled and issued weekly by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA).

The Public Service Vacancy Circular informs public servants about vacancies within the Public Service. Persons who are not Public Service

employees but interested in the positions advertised should first establish from the advertising department if they can apply. The contact details of the advertising departments are provided in the Circular” And then the form Z83 to complete.

All in all, complex, but not difficult!

Let us turn to applying for a job. This might be more complex as there may or may not be a form to complete.

Big companies (bank, insurance) do operate with a form, and they (typically) look at applicants after high-school.

There would be a section where you can express yourself. Who are you after all? And why apply with this company?

This is where creativity comes in. But this is much more involved, because now you have to talk about YOU. The key word here is honesty!

That leads into what we are going to discuss as well: the unsolicited application.

The success rate can be higher, but it requires a lot of ground work. You have to research what the company is all about.

Read on – there is an article on that as well!

Unsolicited applications

Is it even worth trying to put a job application to a company if they are not advertising any jobs? Is it waste of time?

I found some interesting viewpoints here and here. Although it requires a lot more research and creativity in writing, it can be a better option than just chucking an email at a job advert.

What the experts above are saying is that the unsolicited job application can be very effective, but it requires a lot more than just emailing a CV.

Research is the key word here. Find a company where you believe you can add value. If you are interested in say working in a lab, find the pharmaceutical company where its values speak to you.

Then more research: what do they do? What jobs are there you could fill? Who is the HR person? Who is head of the unit where you would love to work?

Of course some of it will be available on the website, but otherwise phone reception. Get the names and email addresses.

There is a little hint from the experts. If you write to a BIG

company, they might have a very streamlined HR unit. It is possible to get caught in red tape. Go for the not so big companies. The HR unit may just be one person and it might be possible to engage with the unit head.

Now to writing!

It has to be impeccable and it has to show you have researched it. Talk to them! Sentences like “ I have seen from your website that you have a new contract and that might mean you will need committed people soon”.

Describe who you are and why you want to work for them. Tell them how YOU can add value to their organization. Be very specific. “because I have done a course in XX, I can fit into your new unit…”

Show commitment. Offer them the opportunity to interview you at least.

The real importance is to show them who you are and that may never be possible in a standard job application. This is your chance to shine and to put forward your value to them in your own words.

Remember as well: the objective of the application is one thing only: get to the interview!

Exam tips – something

We should probably also provide some exam tips. It feels a bit flat, though. I think every matric student has been overloaded with exam tips. It feels as though there is more reading about exams than actually preparing for exams.

Be that as it may, we have collected a few hints. These are tested through personal experiences. It is coming from https://www. goconqr.com/en/examtime/blog/studyhacks/

It is only a few we have selected. And a few are based on experience.

Speed reading: if you have not already taken a few online courses on speed reading, it is already too late – sorry. However, it is working. And it is a clear necessity if you should aspire to go to any university. Or anywhere in life, really.

It is working. I would never have been able to consume the amount of written material at university without it.

Reward yourself with a treat: put a treat for yourself if you achieve a set goal. It can be to have read an article in a specified amount of time and the treat can be as simple as a cookie. It is the pacing of one self which is important here. The better one is if the material has simple questions to test the knowledge gained. A mini-exam in your head is just as good as anything else. It creates the spirit of success.

Create mental associations: read the Mind Palace article. That is it. And it works. If it worked for Cicero it will work for you.

The font: this one is new to me. Times New Roman is the easiest font to read (we use Arial as our standard). Amazing! So if you have to stick something on paper, use Times New Roman.

something from us

Get an audience: this works! Explain what you have learned to another person. It can even be to explain it to the cat. Just for you to articulate it will make you see the flaws in your knowledge. In essence: you will know it before anybody else.

It is not the person listening to you who is important. It is YOU explaining it. If you can’t explain it, you haven’t got it. Simple.

This is one which I use personally in many instances. If anybody is trying to get me convinced about a new business venture, I will let them explain the idea behind the venture. Maybe I cannot spot flaws, but people explaining it can. Therefore: use this trick.

Trust me. There are other tricks and tips as well. Read it yourself. These are easy to find. However: this here works!

Exam: In the room

This is inspired by an article from: https://www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz/current-students/ study-tips-and-techniques/studying-for-exams/tipsfor-during-your-exam/

I have tried to draw the salient points and it is not just a copy from the website.

It is of course important to know the topic. So we assume we are all reasonable prepared in that department.

Look at this little video as well:

Read

Read the question – carefully. Understand what they are asking.

Plan your time

Understand what they are after and dot down a few pointers per question. It is important to get a feel for the questions and to make sure you will get to answer along those lines.

Make sure you answer the questions where you are OK first. Leave the hard stuff for later – if there is time.

Got stuck?

Go to the next question. Don’t take time away from answering what you know you can answer.

Check the easy answers

The answers where you are confident must be the ‘deal-breakers’. They have to be perfect so check them.

Out of time?

This can happen. Make sure the easy answers are OK, but also use the last minutes to outline your answers for the hard questions. Convince the people marking the papers that you have at least given it a thought and provided some insights into your thinking.

What does stress look like?

Some signs of stress include:

• Feeling confused

• Losing touch with friends

• Feeling moody and low

• Having trouble making decisions

• Feeling overwhelmed

• Lack of motivation to do anything

• Trouble sleeping or getting out of bed

• Tense muscles or headaches

• Having an upset stomach or feeling sick

• Fidgeting, nail biting, teeth grinding

...and if this happened?

Have a giggle!

Exams in the future Post-Covid

This is not so easy. Will we still sit for exams as we did 100 years ago? Why all this stress really and what is exam actually?

I found an interesting article here.

What is states is that exam has not moved from what was exam hundreds of years back.

I quote: “For the last 30 years, access to knowledge has been open and one of the most important skills has become knowing how to select, analyse, synthesise and combine existing knowledge in creative new configurations.

However, examinations test knowledge retention by hiding information to see how well students can recall narrowly selected pieces of it. Even online examinations do not escape this contradiction”.

It gets more intricate: “Everyday life, most especially in the workplace, almost never involves exam-taking techniques. People do presentations, they write up assignments and argue positions. Might not critical thinking, curiosity and social skills be better taught, therefore?

Covid-19 by and large made exams impossible. Social distancing prevented the annual horror-show. Online exams could not fill the gap.

What we need to do is to re-look our society and take this opportunity to create a different education system that just might be more in tune with the outside world.

The emphasis could be on ability to search

the internet, to utilize the modern tools to make a presentation (whatsapp to propagate it), free internet software to design, youtube to create references, tweets from some media person as backing up the arguments, and much more.

Remember: this is not about the technology. It is about using technology. And that can be applied to anything: art classes or life science and so on.

Is it too much? If the educational system is to educate for life, we have to think about what that ‘life’ is.

Is it happening anywhere? I found this. Future Dubai Students Will Have No Exams - Scoop Empire

“According to Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, director-general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), the future of Dubai’s schooling system is getting a major revamp.

“In the future, classrooms will be replaced by open, collaborative spaces that bring students of different ages and abilities together. This will encourage students to work together on solving real-world problems from a very young age, allowing schools to completely move away from tests and exams,” said Al Karam

WOW!

The future is already happening - Exams will never be the same post-Covid

Where are they now?

Our stock of writers is all getting older and doing a lot of interesting things now. Finished with high-school in many ways, finished with a lot of things in many ways. Life is calling.

We know that our writers have a ‘fun club’ out there. We know that they are known to you.

We have therefore decided to have a little refresher, enlightening you on what they are now up to.

There are so many things we could write about, but we have given the ‘microphone’ to them.

See their own words. Maybe getting inspired by their achievements. They are all worthy role models.

We start with Lezy de Yong who is a multi-talented person, poet, musician, organizer of gigs, mentor and much more and now involved with medical support structures.

Hey, I will stop now. Not stealing anyone’s thunder.

Knowing yourself and your capabilities

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR CAREER ChooseSubjectsyour

Career Planning

For you to pursue your career choice.

You need to pass your National Senior Certificate!

Careerchoice

The Eastern Cape Department of Education encourages learners to choose suitable career path, by collecting information that will help them pursue their career / field of study.

“ it is in your hands “

- Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Lezy de Yong

My HIV Lay Counsellor Internship Experience at Aurum

As a young and passionate individual interested in making a positive impact in the field of healthcare, I was fortunate enough to secure an internship position as an HIV Lay Counsellor at Aurum. This experience has been nothing short of transformative, both personally and professionally.

Aurum is a renowned non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. Their comprehensive approach encompasses prevention, treatment, and support services, making a significant difference in the lives of countless individuals. Being a part of this organization has allowed me to witness firsthand the incredible impact that can be made when passionate individuals come together for a common cause.

During my internship, I had the opportunity to work closely with a team of experienced HIV counsellors who guided and mentored me throughout the process. They provided me with valuable insights into the challenges faced by individuals living with HIV/AIDS

and taught me effective counselling techniques to support them emotionally and mentally.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my internship was the opportunity to interact directly with clients. I had the privilege of conducting one-on-one counselling sessions, where I provided emotional support, answered questions, and addressed concerns related to HIV/AIDS. These sessions allowed me to develop strong relationships with clients and witness their growth and resilience in the face of adversity.

In addition to individual counselling, I also had the chance to facilitate support group sessions. These sessions provided a safe and inclusive space for individuals living with HIV/AIDS to share their experiences, learn from one another, and build a sense of community. Witnessing the power of peer support and the positive impact it had on the participants was truly inspiring.

Furthermore, my internship at Aurum exposed me to the broader healthcare system and the various stakeholders involved in HIV/AIDS care. I had the opportunity to collaborate with healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and clinicians.

About Aurum:

Aurum’s headquarters are in Johannesburg South Africa, with a staff presence in the USA and Europe, as well as operations in Mozambique, Ghana, Lesotho and eSwatini.

Aurum’s projects and programmes cover a wide range of activities from programmatic implementation and technical assistance for HIV/ AIDS and TB prevention, care and treatment services throughout the health system in South Africa, HIV prevention clinical research studies, TB and HIV vaccine studies, voluntary medical male circumcision to large scale TB prevention programmes.

Blues – forgotten style?

Blues music seems to have gone out of fashion. Surely it cannot have been totally absorbed into jazz and early rock music?

Where did it come from really? Of course the deep South of the US somewhat around 1860. This was the time of the civil war and the end days of slavery and the consequent abolition of slavery.

The typical ‘blues’ is focused on describing the hardship and the sadness within this community. That is rather evident. Listen to Bessie Smith here:

Jazz got into the picture at the turn of the century. Of course inspired by blues, but jazz developed and became much more international. It left the sadness alone and became more ‘fun’; hence the attraction of many more musicians.

Blues has also developed but has still the sadness and the more intimate setting. We do not see massive big bands on the blues scene. Nothing like jazz at the funerals in the south at that time.

Here we have Lucille Bogan and Ma Rainey: Some of the early blues singers are well-known, but what about modern blues?

Is that out there? And who are they?

Let us look at some of them – and hear their tunes:

Muddy Waters and B. B. King

Now let us go to 2020s:

Larkin Poe, Imelda May and Samantha Fish:

The below is editorial provided by the agency Dialogue on behalf of Ruta Sechaba Foundation. The opinions are not necessarily those of Romele Publications.

The Ruta Sechaba Foundation (RSF), a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering South Africa’s brightest young minds, has unveiled an extraordinary vision of South Africa’s potential future created by their top scholarship learners.

Using AI technology, learners were encouraged to envisage and artistically represent their ideal South Africa using iconic landmarks across the cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. The resulting visuals are testament to the boundless potential of young minds when adequately nurtured and supported

“Empowering our learners to imagine their country’s future and bring it to life in such a tangible, thought-provoking way is a clear demonstration of the success of our ‘investing in potential’ manifesto,” says Natasha Mkhize, Executive: Strategic Relations at the Ruta Sechaba Foundation.

The ‘investing in potential’ viewpoint rests on the foundation’s belief in the transformative power of potential and the foundation views the potential

of young people as an immense force, ready to be harnessed. To maximise this potential, Ruta Sechaba provides not only educational resources and opportunities but also a holistic support programme that empower learners to make a significant impact and go on to achieve great feats beyond school.

“Access to education is just the beginning. By investing in potential, we can provide the right support and resources learners need to succeed in academics and sports. We are dedicated to empowering young people to reach their full potential, in turn, building future leaders, innovators, and changemakers who will drive progress in our communities and the world.”

The foundation has supported over 515 learners across the 66 Curro high schools in 2022 and provided scholarships to academically and athletically gifted learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. The foundation’s impact is measurable: over 90% of Grade 12 learners received university exemption, with over 100 learners completing Grade 12.

The scholarships are available for Grades 8 to 11 from other schools or to learners who are already attending Curro-managed schools but cannot continue due to financial hardship.

To learn more about the Ruta Sechaba Foundation, please visit rutasechaba.org

New Exhibitions

We added two new exhibitions to our collection on the floor. The 4IR and Mirror Maze exhibitions

4IR Exhibition

The 4IR exhibition currently hosts the Humanoids (two small ones and the big one called Pepper), Virtual reality Station, Augmented Reality and the interactive displays integrated with of a number of TV screens.

This concept is through the touch screen located at the entrance to the center. Interactive display section has been created where visitors are encouraged to use traditional touch screens to immerse themselves in games and content around Science Technology Engineering and Arts and Mathematics (STEAM).

Children are provided with the opportunity to play games to train their analytical ability, improve their ability to solve puzzles and chal-

lenges. They are also challenged to explore more traditional content style, such as exploration of subjects including how Artificial Intelligence works, Machine Learning, how data transfers over networks etc.

Science Exploration

While traditional science teaching has complex challenges around logistics, safety and costs. VR has none of these limitations. Experiments are done as often as needed with no physical costs of materials or safety concerns. Students can learn about physics and chemistry, life science etc. in a safe environment. Within VR learning occurs without any distract but with full immersion. Learning and understanding mathematics becomes easier and more fun inside of VR due to the nature of games and how they are designed.

This is designed to make learning and exploration real fun especially for little ones. Wide learning opportunities exist through this exhibition, children have many prospects to learn on, e.g. google earth exploration experience.

With Google Earth VR, children can travel to almost any place in the world. They can fly all over the world and explore any city, any monument and landmark anywhere in the world.The exhibition has two different types of humanoids the small one (called Sanbot Max and the Bigger one called Pepper).

The Sanbot Max robot was designed to be implemented into numerous kinds of business scenarios, providing customers and staff members with intelligent and efficient services.

Pepper is a semi-humanoid robot, which means that a human has to control it. It is designed with the ability to read emotions. Pepper recognizes faces and basic human emotion.

Drones and Mirror Maze

Drones Pilots at the Clubhouse

Did you know that the Clubhouse has three certified drone pilots?

They also have 10 DJI Tell drones that they will used for their drone course.

They are currently putting together content for the said course.

In addition, the Clubhouse offers programmes such as Teach Fundamentals of drones, real-life applications of drones: namely surveillance using object identification and tracking to videography for commercials and other media use.

This includes python programming that covers drone automation.

Mirror Maze Exhibit

A mirror is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera.

Mirrors reverse the direction of the image in an equal yet opposite angle from which the light shines upon it. This allows the viewer to see themselves or objects behind them, or even objects that are at an angle from them but out of their field of view, such as around a corner.

Natural mirrors have existed since prehistoric times, such as the surface of water, but people have been manufacturing mirrors out of a variety of materials for thousands of years, like stone, metals, and glass. In modern mirrors, metals like silver or aluminum are often used due to their high reflectivity, applied as a thin coating on glass because of its natu- rally smooth and very hard surface.

A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching patterns that lead unambiguously through a convoluted layout to a goal. The pathways and walls in a maze are typically fixed, but puzzles in which the walls and paths can change during the game are also categorised as mazes or tour puzzles

Mirror Maze

The mirror maze itself is a pattern, combining several characteristics of geometric patterns: repetition, symmetry and tessellation using repeated equilateral triangles. These triangles fit together without any gaps or overlaps, creating a tessellation. Mirrored surfaces all around reflect the pattern so that it repeats and appears infinite.

AI again – Huawei in on it – full bore

Are there any new developments in the AI sphere of things? I found an interesting article here.

What Huawei has been about for some many years was cloud computing and Intellectual property.

They have now announced that the development goals will be all about AI.

“As artificial intelligence gains steam, and its impact on industry continues to grow, Huawei’s All Intelligence strategy is designed to help all industries make the most of new strategic opportunities,” the company said in a statement.

This is a statement that really does not convey a lot. Is it then important? It probably is as a range of other companies are now also saying something similar.

However, we hear a lot of the ‘dangers’ of AI. What if we try to quantify those?

The article lists 12 different things that we should be aware of. Without listing these I found the most ‘interesting’ ones:

Difficult to explain and difficult to figure out why the AI is coming to certain conclusions. It is complex and we might not be able to ‘argue’ with the bot because .. we can’t seem to figure out why it is coming up with ‘solutions’.

Job losses. Typical argument but this time it is probably not the workers. AI future is in complex decision making. A judge or a medical diagnosis are good examples. Legal ‘arguments’ are heavy on the brain and we can easily miss something. AI does not miss things. However, the human element is out then. “AI judge: “guilty as charged. Off with the head”. “But Your Honour, there are mitigating circumstances”. “rubbish – the law is the law”.

The big one is social manipulation. Give AI the task of spreading fake news for political reasons? No problem, it can generate fake videos, voice clips (altered), pics, statements, news that nobody will ever factcheck, and so on. Marcos Jr did something like this on TikTok to win the 2022 Philippine election.

The most dangerous part is probably: we might just get the programming wrong! What if there is no malicious intent? Elon Musk warned about this. He said that when we set the ‘goals’ for the AI bot, we as humans might not be too clear about the goals and not too good at being very specific.. And then the bot will try its best but with faulty input.

… and that is scary!

What is AI really?

This may sound a bit silly. We all know what AI is, isn’t it? Maybe not.

There is a lot of hype out there. I think the general ‘understanding’ is that AI is something massive computing entity (cloud) that ‘read’ and ‘search’ the internet for info that can be used for a response to a question. Or it can somehow emulate a human brain in providing actions and rational decisions.

It is along those lines of course. But let us look at the basics. Chat-GPT is programmed by humans. That means that there is a human element involved in the ‘birth’ of the ‘bot’ in question.

Whatever we touch will still need to be programmed. However, it is not the classical linear programming we otherwise see. An example is: read the bank clients balance per account. If in the red, write a letter demanding payment.

It could look like this:

Read bank balance.

If bank balance < 0

Otherwise

But this is not AI! This is just normal accounting software programming.

What about this example: Read the bank clients balance per account. If one of those is in the red, evaluate the client. If it is a good client wait for some months and see if the balance gets back again

Can we see how ‘fuzzy’ this is? What is ‘evaluate’? what is ‘good client’? A human may know by instinct, but how to programme this?

So, the bot will have to learn some sort of bias. Elon Musk specifically mentioned this as a danger. It is a ‘fuzzy’ goal and the more we try to specify and be exact, the less chance we have of getting it right.

In essence: the bot will act on a non-clear goal using fuzzy logic.

Here is the next bigger thing. If it needs to be programmed, we need to use a programming language. What have got that is suitable for AI?

There is a list of programming languages that are now commonly used. Python tops the list. All well and good so far. But what about something that is designed to counter bias and ‘fuzzy’ goals?

That is the next step and might just be the trigger for AI usage.

We will get it wrong - sometimes

We mentioned that the programmer might just get it wrong. Human errors in the programming. Ever heard about that? We will get it fixed in V2.0. sounds familiar?

If we leave decision making to a bot (without human influence) it can be more serious than paying someone R10 million in NSFAS stipend.

I have found a few instances where the programming went wrong. The first one is from my own experience.

The first space shuttle

I worked for a company who also had a space division. This division developed a piece of software that would run for about 4 minutes some 20 minutes before launch of the space shuttle. Anybody knows what happened? 20 minutes prior to launch it all stopped – computer error somewhere in the code. It was not in our code (they all went pale!) but somewhere there was a division by zero. So it all stopped. They got it fixed up and the launch did happen. But …

Here is another one:

“NASA lost its $125-million Mars Climate Orbiter because spacecraft engineers failed to convert from English to metric measurements when exchanging vital data before the craft was launched, space agency officials said.

A navigation team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory used the metric system of millimeters and meters in its calculations, while Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver, which designed and built the spacecraft, provided crucial acceleration data in the English system of inches, feet and pounds.

As a result, JPL engineers mistook acceleration readings measured in English units of pound-seconds for a metric measure of force called newton-seconds.

None of JPL’s rigorous quality control procedures caught the error in the nine months it took the spacecraft to make its 461-million-mile flight to Mars. Over the course of the journey, the miscalculations were enough to throw the spacecraft so far off track that it flew too deeply into the Martian atmosphere and was destroyed when it entered its initial orbit around Mars.

This is not a ‘bug’ but just a ‘funny’ joke among programmers: At university we got an invitation to a party. However, it was a hexadecimal dump. If you can’t read ‘hex’ you wouldn’t know where to go for the party. And you still had figure out if this is ASCII or EBCDIC.

Hollywood on strike: serious stuff

The Hollywood strike is formally over. Did we notice? It is complicated.

The writers union (Writers Guild of America – WGA) declared a strike against the producers, represented by Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Nothing new in this. But the new thing is that WGA represents 11,000 writers and they also got the backing from the actors union (SAG-AFTRA). That added another potential 160,000 members to the strike.

Although the WGA strike is over, the SAG-AFTRA strike is still ongoing.

There are three main issues: residual payment, labour contracts and use of AI.

Residual payments are payments

the producer receives from streaming services in the likes of cable reruns, DVD, licensing agreements and so forth. The non-traditional screening has shifted the importance towards residual payments.

The producers changed tack and claimed that writers and actors should not receive a share of residuals. That in essence was a salary cut!

Residuals can be very substantive and account for a lot more than the ‘normal’ salary of an actor. We are talking millions (of dollars!)

Taking this away – suddenly – caused chaos in the actor community. It is of course correct that a small part in a movie would not pay a lot (like those ‘extras’ hired on a day-by-day basis.

Reality is: it is a major part of the income and the producers tried to cut costs.

AI is the big one. The actors claim that they can be shifted out as AI can copy them into any production. Even without their agreement. The writers claim that AI can start writing episodes and they will be out of a job.

It is difficult to quantify as it is still in the future. But that future can be coming at us very fast. And that is the big fear in the community.

The last one is something we do not see outside of US: labour law and contracts. This is a very complicated thing and we will leave that part for now.

On that note: who is then going to develop new shows using AI? Members of WGA?

There is plenty of mistrust and animosity in this one. Who are the ‘producers’? there are some 350 different production houses in AMPTP, but the big ones are Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, Netflix, Apple TV+ and Amazon. That covers the best part of all producers – and a lot of money!

Mistrust and animosity? Listen to this one: WGA have had several pickets outside the studios. Now one pruned all the trees on one side of the street where the strikers typically camped. That mean that the shade (California sun!) disappeared! Just to prove a point. However, it was against the city by-laws, but they still did it! And a lot more like this happened.

But did the strike have an impact?

There are plenty of series and TV shows that got impacted. Wiki has a whole list of these, but let us just look at a few

and also look at the associated consequences.

Avatar 3 (the one after Avatar – the way of water) started shooting in parallel with Avatar: The way of Water. It was supposed to be released in 2023, but is now scheduled for December 19, 2025 as the post-production (where they stick it all together) has been suspended.

Avatar 4 (and 5) are suspended. Avatar 4 is now scheduled for release in 2031.

It is a direct consequence of the strike and also the fact that there are still un-resolved issues.

On top of: the producers are not generating the amount of money they have anticipated. So they cut costs.

Another element is prop production. Look at any good film (or TV series). All the costumes have to be done by somebody.

Look at Avatar. Imagine all the carpenters and the set builders and the electricians and light specialists and the IT people and the administrators. This is huge and is a part of it all. Without these people there will be no movie.

Even something simple as the payroll clerks for the production. Somebody has to punch up all the admin and make sure all will get paid.

These are not necessarily on strike, but the sympathy is with WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

Conclusion is: Hollywod is in trouble and will need to get their life sorted.

What is NSFAS?

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a government entity under the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)

What does NSFAS do?

Supports access to and success in, higher education and training for students from poor and working-class families who would otherwise not be able to afford the cost of studies at a public university or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college.

•Provides financial aid to eligible students who are studying or plan to study at any of the 50 TVET colleges or the 26 public universities in South Africa

•Identifies students who qualify for the bursary

•Provides bursaries to students

Who qualifies for NSFAS funding?

• All South African citizens

• All SASSA grant recipients

• Applicants whose combined household income is not more than R350 000 per annum

• Persons with disabilities with a combined household income of not more than R600 000 per annum

• Students who started studying at a university before 2018 and whose household income is not more than R122 000 per annum

What does the NSFAS bursary cover?

• Registration

• Tuition

• Book allowance

• Accommodation allowance

• Transport allowance

• Food allowance

• Personal care allowance

Does the NSFAS bursary offer any additional support for students with disabilities?

Yes, NSFAS further supports funded students with disabilities through an additional allowance that covers:

• Medical assessments

• Assistive devices

• Human support to cover for the cost of a caregiver, guide dog, scribe or tutor.

How, where and when can one apply for NSFAS?

The 2021 application season will be communicated through media, social media and the NSFAS website www.nsfas.org.za.

Applications are submitted online through the NSFAS website: www.nsfas.org.za

To apply for NSFAS funding students must have a registered myNSFAS account

If you plan to study in 2021 and require support from NSFAS, you may open your myNSFAS account now to keep updated with the latest funding information.

Connect with us using the following channels:

National Student Financial Aid Scheme myNSFAS myNSFAS

NSFAS Connect: www.nsfas.org.za and log into your myNSFAS account

NSFAS Connect gives you access to quick facts and frequently asked questions. Applicants and students can also submit and track a query for further assistance.

We are getting there again. OK, so we lost against Ireland, but we have surely made an impact.

... and remember 1995! the drop-goal and the SAA Jumbo. If you were too young, look here. It can still make goosebumps.

The attire is a bit different this time. The Checkers sixty-60 colours are of course great, but is it rugby (surely it is not cricket).

Let us just look at the poor animal on the jersey – the springbok. What can be more South African.

Well, I found some of the history here.

1906-1936

The first Springbok colours were created during the 1906–07 tour of the Northern Hemisphere when cap-

tain Paul Roos decided that the team needed to create their own emblem and nickname to prevent the British press creating one for them.

1937-1963 saw a developmenbt into something more standardised

1963-1964

The South African Rugby Board (SARB) first copyrighted the Springbok emblem in 1963. It was also the first introduction of the rugby ball.

1992-1996

The Protea flower is introduced to the emblem.

1996-2003

The Springbok faces right from 1996 onwards.

2003-2008

The rugby ball is removed and the word ‘Springbok’ is added to a modernised emblem.

2009-present

In 2008 the government votes to replace the Springbok with the Protea as the official emblem of South African rugby. Since 2009 the Protea emblem occupies on the left side of the South African jersey and the Springbok is on the right (or sleeve).

The jersey has changed just as much. MTN is now the sponsor, but look here:

When did it all start in South Africa?

This is a bit of a weird thing really. The ‘myth’ today is that the Afrikaners like their rugby. Full stop and no more arguments! If we look at the teams today, not so much.

But when did it all start? And how? Wiki has a lot to say about it.

“When Canon George Ogilvie became headmaster of Diocesan College in Cape Town in 1861, he introduced the game of Winchester College football. This version of football, which included handling of the ball, is seen as the beginnings of rugby in South Africa”.

Now we need to remember that Cape Town (and surroundings) where very much a colony at that time. So we would see the army officers being in a league of their own and the ‘gentlemen’ of the colony – all English of course – took to the sports they were familiar with from ‘the old country’.

Whether ‘that old country’ also included Scotland or Wales or Ireland is something I am not so sure about.

1875 saw the first real rugby club being formed (Cape Town) and adhering to the rules we know today.

The colonists spread throughout South Africa and took their sports with them. That suddenly meant that rugby got a following outside of the major cities.

“The game was strong enough in the Western Cape for the Western Province Rugby Football Union to be formed that same year; Griqualand West followed in 1886; Eastern Province in 1888; Transvaal in 1889 and in 1889 the South African Rugby Board was founded. Kimberley was the founding city of the South Africa Rugby Football Board in 1889”

“The first-ever tour of the British Isles by a team from Southern Africa took place in 1891, with the trip financially underwritten by Cecil Rhodes and President Kruger.

Seven years later Britain was at war with the Boer republics, and during the Boer war British troops would play a key role in entrenching the game throughout the country, and games amongst the Boer population in prisoner of war camps popularised the game further.”

The amazing thing here is that not even the 1899-1902 war could impact the popularity of the game.

OK, here is what has happened.

Osiris-REx is a space probe by NASA. It had two missions: Land on an asteroid and collect enough material for further study back on Earth and the second mission to conduct an in-depth study of another asteroid out there.

It launched 8 September 2016 and arrived at Bennu 3 December 2018. It spent 2 years studying Bennu and identifying a good landing spot.

Finally, 20 October 2020 it ‘landed’ on Bennu. But things were not so easy after all.

First of all, there is no gravity to speak off. So a ‘hard’ landing will mean that the probe would bounce off the surface and be lost in space. The solution: don’t land in the classical sense. Just like ‘hover’ and then sink the collector probe down in the surface and get at least 60 g of samples.

So some sort of vacuum-cleaner head got invented and mounted on the

Remember Bennu the Asteroid? And the Osirix-REx mission?

‘snout’ of the arm of the probe. The idea was that the vacuum-cleaner head would emit a little ‘poof’ of air and dust would be in the air, which will then get layered in the snout.

Well, the little ‘poof’ created a crater down in the dust, the snout dipped in and disappeared ½ meter down in the surface. The collector got some 400 g of material inclusive of some pebbles that got stuck and prevented the snout lid to fully close!

They all feared that the samples would leak out on the trip back to Earth which would mean a total fiasco.

So everybody was holding thumbs when it launched itself back to Earth.

It has landed!

Wiki says: “On September 24, 2023, during a near-Earth flyby, the spacecraft ejected its sample return capsule. The capsule was parachuted down to Earth, where it was retrieved from a US government training range near Salt Lake City, Utah.

Shortly after the sample container was retrieved and transferred to an “airtight chamber at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas”, the lid on the container was opened. Scientists commented that they “found black dust and debris on the avionics deck of the OSIRIS-REx science canister” on the initial opening. Later study was planned.

A news conference on the asteroid sample is scheduled for 11 October 2023.

Success so far!

Why Bennu and 99942 Apophis

Bennu is BIG. It is about ½ km in diameter. That makes it rather easy to spot and to predict the path. That is important if you want to tam up with a space object.

But there are other reasons why Benny got selected for the Osiris-Rex mission: it is a carbon-rich and water-rich environment.

Bennu is old. The theory is that it is a fragment of a much larger body – a proto-planet and that it got formed some 4,5 billion years back. That is at the time when our solar system got formed and when also Earth got formed.

Bennu probably came from the Inner Asteroid Belt which is the collection of dust, rocks, asteroids and more which circles the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. It is important as Bennu’s orbit is not one of thousands of years. Bennu is a near-object and it is predicted that it could actually hit Earth one day.

The date with the highest probability is Tuesday, 24 September 2182 when there is a 1:2,700 chance of hitting us. … and that will mean a really bad hair-day for us all.

Apophis is also a near-object. Oh why the name Apophis?

Wiki: “Tholen and Tucker, two of the co-discoverers of the asteroid, are fans of the television series Stargate SG-1. One of the villains is an alien named Apophis. He is one of the principal threats to the existence of civilization on Earth through the first few seasons, thus likely why the asteroid was named after him” – weird people them astronomers!

Osiris-REx will now go for Apophis after having dropped off the Bennu collection of dust and rocks.

Apophis is some 350 m in diameter, so it is not a small thing. It is also coming from the Inner Asteroid Belt and it also got formed at the same time as Eart. Probably also from segments f a proto-planet.

However, with those asteroids there are chances of a collision with Earth. And Apophis is the best ‘candidate’ as it goes.

Wiki: “The closest known approach of Apophis occurs at April 13, 2029 when Apophis will pass Earth closer than geosynchronous communication satellites, but will come no closer than 31,600 kilometres above Earth’s surface.

However, that is mighty close. It could even hit a satellite (there goes the Wi-Fi and TikTok) and just imagine that one of the scientists got a ‘rounding’ of the fifth decimal wrong?

Something this big will still make it a very bad hair-day.

Oumuamua – the deep mystery

I found inspiration here.

We now know that Bennu is coming from the Inner Asteroid Belt circling between Mars and Jupiter. That is where there could have been another planet but Jupiter’s gravitation ‘disturbed’ that.

The next ‘belt’ out there is the Kuiper Belt, somewhat on the other side of Neptune. Loads of asteroids and things as left-over from the creation of our solar system.

The Oort cloud is probably encircling the entire solar system and stretching out into inter-stellar space. This is where we find those long-term asteroids coming from.

All well and good, but what about Oumuamua?

Oumuamua is rather small. It is not round as other asteroids but cigar-shaped. It is some 1 km long and with a diameter of

some 200 m. and it is not spinning, but tumbling end over end in space.

Nobody saw it, nobody had heard of it, nobody detected it as it came towards the inner solar system.

Wiki: “It was discovered 19 October 2017, approximately 40 days after it passed its closest point to the Sun on 9 September. When it was first observed, it was about 33 million km from Earth and already heading away from the Sun”.

So it just came bulleting in towards the Sun and left us never to be seen again? Yes, correct.

It emitted no plumes as it passed the Sun, it had a non-gravitational acceleration (meaning that it speeded up due to emitting gasses from its interior, not because of the Sun’s gravitation).

How old it is and where it came from is not known. Nobody can predict where it will go either.

Agreement is that it came from somewhere else in our galaxy. Maybe it is a splinter from the formation of a planet on the opposite side of our galaxy? Maybe in another arm of our galaxy? Maybe even from another galaxy?

Nobody knows and data to support any theory is not available.

Maybe, after all, it was a carrier of life as some like to think? Or a spaceship? Any opinion is a good one.

It’s movie

They are already ... but they are fun

Barbie

I know it has been out for a while. Not sure how to go about this one.

Anyway the story line is:

She’s everything. He’s just Ken. A doll living in ‘Barbieland’ is expelled for not being perfect enough and sets off on an adventure in the real world.

movie time!

already out there fun for spring time

All courtesy of NuMetro

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid” tells the story of Ariel (Halle Bailey), the youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), the ruler of the underwater kingdom Atalantica. Ariel, already fascinated by the world of humans, falls deeply in love with the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) after saving him during a shipwreck, and resolves to meet him in the world above water. Her quest brings her in conflict with her father and in the clutches of the scheming sea witch Ursula.

National Poetry Day is a British campaign to promote poetry, including public performances. National Poetry Day was founded in 1994 by William Sieghart. It takes place annually in the UK on the first Thursday in October.

In 1994 the Radio Times wrote “National Poetry Day has been created to prove that poetry has a place in everyone’s life.

The Belfast Newsletter reported, “National Poetry Day swept Ulster yesterday, transforming ordinary citizens into part-time bards or budding Heaneys or Wordsworths.”

The Daily Telegraph reported that in London at Waterloo station, “The announcement boards were given over to poems about trains by T S Eliot and Auden.” The Times that reported Chris Meade, then director of the Poetry Society saying, “Readers are finding a place for poetry in their lives again. You can read one between stations on the Northern Line. It fits well into the modern experience.”.

This is the way to do it!

Who does not like the Vikings?

Leif Erikson Day is an annual observance that occurs on October 9. It

honors Leif Erikson , the Norse explorer who, in approximately 1000, led the first Europeans believed to have set foot on continental North America (other than Greenland).

The federal government of the United States first recognized Leif Erikson Day in 1935.

President Johnson proclained October 9 of that year as Leif Erikson Day.

It is celebrated in many communities, particularly in the Upper Midwest and other places where large numbers of people from the Nordic countries settled

Leif was the son of Erik the Red and his wife Thjodhild, and the grandson of Thorvald Ásvaldsson. Thorvald Ásvaldsson had been banished from Norway for manslaughter and went into exile in Iceland accompanied by young Erik. When Erik was banished from Iceland, he travelled further west to an area he named Greenland, where he established its first permanent settlement in 986

According to this saga, Leif discovered Vinland after being blown off course on his way from Norway to Greenland. They found wild grapes, self-sown wheat, and maple trees. Leif did not return to Vinland, but others from Greenland and Iceland did.

We need writers!

Hola MaHigh-School is YOUR magazine. That is why we would love to see students writing for students about student life and everything of importance to a student in any grade10-12 across the country.

What is required? That is easy:

You have to be in grade 10-12somewhere 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

Look

My name is Rofhiwa and I love to write. I have used my skills 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 a platform like Hola MaHigh-School.

Next Time...

This is easy! Exams are here.

There are many pieces of ‘good advise’ and we trust you have heard them all. So that is not where we go.

We try to go beyond the mere exam table and the big hall with the creaking floor boards and the smell of last year’s performance.

We will try to look at the experience of working under pressure. The final marks are important, but maybe there are other things that can be relevant? let us see what we come up with.

Science will be there. But what it will be is not cast in stone yet. Maybe a trip to Titanic? Before it is too late.

... and all the other things we love to entertain you with. Until next time!