Author: Contributor
MTN’s support of the South African national rugby team was further bolstered today following the announcement that the country’s rugby fans will be given the chance to join the Springboks in Japan later this year. These lucky fans will have the experience of a lifetime; travelling to Japan where they will explore the country’s rich cultural history – before the highlight of the trip where they will cheer for our nation with pride. Mapula Bodibe, Consumer Business Unit Executive at MTN SA says: “We are beyond proud to be the brand behind the Springboks as they take on what is…
by Tolu Olarewaju Corruption can have a crippling effect on a country’s economy. This is why African businesses have described ending corruption as “priority number one”. Take Nigeria, where the basic infrastructure deficit is huge but funds to improve its infrastructure always seem to end up missing or misallocated. In addition, projects are started and never finished. As a result the country’s roads, rail and ports are in a deplorable state. Nigerians also suffer from persistent electricity shortages. They lack pipe-borne water and proper sanitation facilities. Housing provision is a problem too. The country has spent billions of US dollars…
by Mayank Batavia These days it’s difficult to read about artificial intelligence (AI) without a mention of how China plans to dominate the AI industry worldwide and how it’s going to relegate the U.S. to a distant second position. While it’s not safe to make predictions about whether China will be successful in pushing the U.S. to second position in the AI industry in the coming years, one can easily say China is putting its best chip forward when it comes to AI. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) came out with a very detailed document in 2017 that…
by Jelena Kecmanovic More than one-third of American adults view social media as harmful to their mental health, according to a new survey from the American Psychiatric Association. Just 5% view social media as being positive for their mental health, the survey found. Another 45% say it has both positive and negative effects. Two-thirds of the survey’s respondents believe that social media usage is related to social isolation and loneliness. There is a strong body of research linking social media use with depression. Other studies have linked it to envy, lower self-esteem and social anxiety. As a psychologist who has…
by Michael Guihot Australia is among 42 countries that last week signed up to a new set of policy guidelines for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Yet Australia has its own draft guidelines for ethics in AI out for public consultation, and a number of other countries and industry bodies have developed their own AI guidelines. So why do we need so many guidelines, and are any of them enforceable? Read more: Artificial intelligence in Australia needs to get ethical, so we have a plan The new principles The latest set of policy guidelines is the Recommendation on…
by Bram Jansen There are various interesting things on the internet today that you can enjoy watching but you might not be aware that there is much more on the web that you actually see. To see the stuff you cannot see, VPN connection can be used. 1. Stream content that is blocked in your region Not all the content from the major streaming media providers like Netflix & Hulu is allowed to be broadcasted outside USA reason being the copyright agreements. This implies that a large number of Movies & TV Shows which are accessible to those living…
By Tammy Hodgskiss, University of the Witwatersrand Digital technology has become an integral part of our everyday lives. So it was only a matter of time before the ways people interact with the past and ancient artefacts in museum settings became digital, too. The problem is that technology can be extremely expensive. Many museums just don’t have the funding to obtain, develop and maintain fancy devices or interactive digital gadgets. Some big European and North American museums, which receive millions of visitors each year, have been able to afford virtual reality (VR) and various other digital technologies. These are an…
By Staff Writer Software firm SAP announced on Friday that it will provide an update on the investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in its South African business during the last week of October 2017. The company initiated an investigation spearheaded by international law firm Baker McKenzie on July 12, 2017. At the same time, SAP placed four senior executives on administrative leave pending the finalization of this investigation. The German-based firm said in a statement that the team from Baker McKenzie has been reviewing and scrutinizing large volumes of data, talking to a variety of stakeholders and conducting interviews with…
by Steve Tzikakis, SAP President EMEA South We all face an exciting – but uncertain – time ahead. The disruption of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will change every facet of work and life over the coming decades. We will need to confront global challenges such as the socio-economic effects of workplace automation. climate change and the rise of new diseases and superbugs. Improvements in medicine will extend the human lifespan, leading to ageing populations and swelling populations. This will put a strain on our natural resources and force us to develop innovative new ways to meet basic human needs such…
By Martin Walshaw, Senior Systems Engineer at F5 Networks Biometrics are quickly gaining momentum both in the global and local financial services sector, making the security of the technology behind these mechanisms increasingly important. For financial institutions, the primary goal of digitisation is making banking simpler and more intuitive for customers. Biometric identification has huge potential, offering convenience, simplifying password management and providing a frictionless authentication process. However, combining the desire for ease of use with the need to improve security is a difficult balancing act. With biometrics in banking rapidly gaining momentum, it is equally becoming an area of…