Did you watch the Proteas snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yesterday? For the umpteenth time, our national cricket side has caved in when victory seemed assured. Why? Most of the commentators seem to be blaming mental weakness and a tendency to “choke” in high-pressure situations. As tempting as it is to blame weak…
1 February 2011 The next bubble Winston Churchill once said: “If there is one thing we can learn from history, it is that we do not learn from history.” Truer words are rare. Lets cast our minds back to 1996. The Internet was in its infancy, shrugged off as a passing fad. Then came the…
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being…
25 April 2010The regulation of mobile phone operators can be used as a case study of how strong network bonds can be broken. First, some definitions: On-net: Calls within the same network (Vodacom customer to Vodacom customer) On-net rate: The rate charged to customers for On-net calls Off-net: Calls between networks (Vodacom customer to MTN…
15 December 2010 Nowadays tech is not hardware. Tech is software, and the cutting edge is the Web. PC-based software is a bit like mustard jeans in the early 90’s. Out-of-date and likely to get you killed. Web-based software is the new mustard jean pant. In the past 10 years the Web has spawned global…
26 November 2010 Hi guys, What a year! Feels like I’ve been in an old SpeedQueen tumble-dryer. I’m dry, but at some point it seemed the machine was going to blow up… Started the year with some lows, (the Sunday Times stuff was so much fun!), had a life-changing experience in the States in March,…
10 August 2010I grew up in Pretoria east, went to a government school, had my fair share of fights, and managed to finish matric without children, a criminal record, or being expelled.I learnt a few things along the way. How to drink Hunters Gold and look cool. How to wrestle. How to spot a blackhead…
Values, the media, and being judgmental In April 2010 I read an opinion article on how abhorrent it is for a political leader to engage in hate speech[1], referring in particular to Julius Malema’s remarks implying rape is acceptable. What a crazy country we live in to be having this debate, but here goes an…
2 April 2010 E = evolution of systems, ie: forward progress, positive development, progressive complexity C = System complexity F = Feedback loop I = Information S = Speed of transfer D = Effectiveness of transferE = C C = F F = I x S x D Therefore E = I x S x…
25 March 2010The network effect of mobile interconnect as it pertains to the development of countriesAll things in the world comprise a system, and every system in the world has a network effect. The variable is the strength of the bonds. The stronger the bonds, the harder it is to breach the network, and vice…
30 January 2010 Firstly, some facts. ADSL comprises 63%[1][2] of broadband connections globally. In SA, ADSL comprises less than 40% of the broadband market[3], and until recently, an email being sent via fixed-line was in danger of being overtaken by continental drift! Secondly, 6 different network technologies (iBurst Wireless, IPWireless, UMTS (3G/HSDPA), Wi-fi, Wimax and…
10 January 2010 Here goes at explaining why broadband is so cheap in Europe and the USA. Let’s start by pointing out that two of the heaviest cost components of data are local connectivity (connectivity within your country) and international connectivity (connectivity outside your country). Both of these portions have evolved very differently in Europe…