Author: Gugu Lourie
About 3.8 billion light years away, a star has exploded with a brightness of 570 billion times that of our own sun. If that fails to impress you, consider that this is almost 20 times the output of the 100 billion stars that comprise our Milky Way galaxy. By Ahmed Areff, NewsAgency This supernova, which is being regarded as one of the most powerful explosions in human history, was unveiled through a collaboration of several telescopes. However, a major contribution came from the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in Sutherland, a small Karoo town in the Northern Cape. To prove the record…
Living things accumulate and reproduce information. That’s really the driving principle behind life, and behind evolution. By Michael Gillings; Darrell Kemp, and Martin Hilbert But humans have invented a new method of accumulating and reproducing information. It’s digital information, and it’s growing at an astonishing speed. The number of people using the internet is growing, as are the devices connected to it through the Internet of Things. Digital information can copy itself perfectly, increases in copy number with every download or view, can be modified (mutated), or combined to generate novel information packets. And it can be expressed through artificial intelligence.…
In coming weeks, those using proxies and unblockers to access Netflix will only be able to access the service in the country where they currently are, David Fullagar, Netflix’s vice president of content delivery architecture, wrote in a company’s blog post. This is aimed at stopping users, like in South Africa or Nigeria, accessing content that is strictly available for the US or Europe. By Staff Writer Fullagar said some of Netflix members use proxies or “unblockers” to access titles available outside their territory. “To address this, we employ the same or similar measures other firms do. This technology continues…
The UK government is proposing to follow Australia with the introduction of their version of data retention legislation called the Investigatory Powers bill. This will require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to maintain records of web addresses customers visit for a period of 12 months (in Australia it is 24 months). By David Glance The legislation has been opposed by much of the tech industry including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo acting as the “Reform Government Surveillance” alliance. Companies are largely concerned that anything that diminishes their customers’ trust in the companies’ ability to protect a user’s privacy will diminish their…
South Africa’s third largest mobile network Cell C says that possible local regulation of over-the-top (OTT) services like WhatsApp could harm the industry and consumers. By Gareth van Zyl, NewsAgency OTT services – which range from WhatsApp to Skype and Google Hangouts – allow users to make messages and calls over data networks – typically at lower costs than traditional telephone calls or SMS. But local growth of these services prompted top chief executives at Vodacom and MTN last year to call for regulation of OTT services. And now that call has been taken to the Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and…
Eskom envisages a bigger role for itself in the nascent renewable energy industry in South Africa, according to Ayanda Nakedi, senior general manager of Eskom’s Renewables Energy Unit. By Siseko Njobeni, NewsAgency The Department of Energy’s (DoE) Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) has seen companies invest over R168bn in the renewable energy industry. After four rounds of bid windows – the first of which commenced in the latter half of 2011 – the department has allocated over 6 000MW to 79 projects. The bulk of the projects are for large-scale renewables plants such as concentrating solar power plants,…
French sporting goods retailer Decathlon, which is popular known for its accessible prices and mega stores, opens its first ever boutique in sub-Saran Africa based in in Cote d’Ivoire through a partnership with Jumia, the country’s No.1 online retailer. By Staff Writer The partnership will result in the establishment of a 100% online shop. The boutique on Jumia is the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa for the world’s largest sporting goods retailers. For now, it will propose a first range of products in limited stocks (shoes, bicycles, clothing, fitness equipments, etc.) to identify needs and expectations of the Ivorian consumers. The…
At least three top independent technology experts have resigned from a national broadband council amid allegations of insufficient guidance from government. By Gareth van Zyl, NewsAgency The National Broadband Advisory Council was launched by former Communications Minister Yunus Carrim on March 4 2014, with the intention of tapping independent experts to support the department with policy implementation. However, the council was subject to President Jacob Zuma’s decision in May 2014 to split the Department of Communications into two. This meant that the broadband council subsequently fell under the watch of Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Siyabonga Cwele. But the chairperson of…
Warren Buffett likes to say that when the tide goes out, we can see who has been swimming naked. That applies to overborrowed households and overleveraged companies. But it also applies to monoculture countries, ones who have allowed any narrow dependency to form or to linger, that can become a great weakness once a greater global unravelling strikes. By Cees Bruggemans Well, the tide did go out, spectacularly Tsunami-like, in recent years, the knock-ons have grown wildly in scope, well beyond expectations, and the world is still trying to get a grip on the resulting adjustment. How much further does this…
ShowMax and MWEB have teamed up to offer three months’ free ADSL and complimentary access to ShowMax. By Staff Writer This offer, which is aimed at changing Internet TV or subscription video on demand (SVOD), is available until 31 March to customers who sign up for a 12-month subscription. It is available on all MWEB’s ADSL service products, except on 1GB, 2GB, 5GB Capped and Uncapped 1Mbps services. “If your New Year’s resolutions have anything to do with becoming more tech-savvy, living a more connected life, improving your internet connection or saving money, then this offer comes at the right time. By combining…