Blog entries from Dissol

How we easily adapt to the Digital way of life, and a warning of doing so...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:03:59 +0100

So here I sit, parked on the side of the road in between meetings, up here in Jozi. Tablet, connected to phone, both plugged into car...it seems so normal, and yet I remember wishing to be able to do this sort of thing many years ago. It is a straight forward reality now, and easily / cheaply done...

Well, I say cheap...and here comes the warning. In December, I was invited to speak at a couple of conferences in Europe. Fine, I was able to manage to fit in a visRead More...

Happy 70th Birthday to Prof. Stephen Hawking

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:14:53 +0100

Firstly, why am I posting this in the "Digital" Section, and why am I posting this early (by 4 days) as his actual 70th birthday is on 8th January 2012?

I shall answer these, which should explain my motives. Professor Hawking deserves to be in the digital section as he has led a "digital" life, since he was first diagnoses as having motor neurone disease back when he was 21. Initially he was told he would not survive for longer than 2 or 3 years. He proved that wrong!Read More...

Life goes on....without a Hitch

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0100

I changed the title to this blog. His death caused me to revisit some of the fabulous books he wrote. God is Not Great, Letters to a Young Contrarian, Arguably, and his autobiography - Hitch-22. I realised over the course of re-reading those incredible works, that his work has influenced me. He was a truly great mind, and a brilliant orator. The world is much poorer today, for not having Hitch about, but he did achieve immortality, in that his literary works willRead More...

Xmas carol

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:46:40 +0100

To me, spending the month of December in somewhere like South Africa, or the UK, indeed much of the Western World, is like having a taste of what it would be like to live in a single party, dictatorship. Same songs everywhere (everywhere, meaining everywhere public - malls, shops, offices, hospitals, stations, airports), same "uniforms", same exhortations. Everyone is forced to join in.

But there are some good bits. I do enjoy having the whole immediate family under oRead More...

Great Video - must watch

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:23:26 +0100

I have been so busy in recent weeks, hardly been home in weeks. Travelling both within & outside our borders, almost all work. I was briefly in the UK, and was able to catch up with family & friends there, which I have not been able to do for over 3 years. At least Skype means that I am no longer shocked with the aging process of family & friends.

Recent events have brought home some key thoughts. Some nice & fuzzy, others stark & cold. Read More...

The Amazing iPad, and its Benefit to Users with Disabilities.

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:09:27 +0100

I don't normally just regurgitate other blogs, or news stories, but I try to give them my own spin. However this posting is just too good on its own, and it combines the two issues that interest me; Disability and Technology.

So here is the link: http://atmac.org/round-up-ipad-user-stories

Saudi dictators running scared...from both sides.

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:44:00 +0100

I don't like theocracies. I don't like countries that take away basic human rights from their citizens. I don't like dictators. Therefore, I don't like the Saudi Royal family.

But the Saudi Royal family are clearly scared...they must have been watching events of the Arab Spring all around them; other dictatorships in the region being overthrown, and the public demanding their rights. There is also pressure from outside with many Human Rights organisations detailRead More...

SMS Spam - Maybe we will have to follow the Indian example?

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 06:22:52 +0100

I really hate spam. I have to have spam filters on my email accounts to block unwanted sales pitches, but I get especially annoyed with SMS spam as it is much less easy to block. So maybe we ought to follow the Indian example in order to block SMS's?

It is so sad when a really good invention is totally abused for the majority by a selfish minority, and the system ends up being restricted because of their abuse.

Calling people names

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:07:23 +0100

Technology - the Good, the Bad & the Really Ugly

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 09:40:21 +0100

So I have posted several times recently on the same topic - on how technology, especially Web 2.0, Facebook & Twitter have been instrumental in the "Arab Spring". The World has been able to witness the brutality of several theocratic dictatorships, and how they try to suppress the Freedom of Expression. It has been remarkable to be able to track these in "real time", and even to interract with people on the ground. It enables us to circumvent the bias of different media outlets (althouRead More...

Angry

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:51:35 +0100

Grrrr!!!

So I have a problem with ulcers. My GP has tried all sorts of (expensive) medication, to no avail, so she said that the only option left open is to shove a camera down, and have a look, and possibly sort out any problem that they find. But she does not do the procedure, I have to see a local specialist.

She does not see the need for me to have an appointment, as everything has been tried, and the scope is the only option, but the specialist decides he wants Read More...

IT to the rescue again!!

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:41:57 +0100

We live in fascinating times. My work is as an access consultant, and as such I try to keep abreast of new developments for anything that may benefit people with disabilities. It can be an almost full time job, just trawling the net for new ideas, and devices.

I have seen exoskeletons for people with mobility impairments (you will never know how much I WANT one of those!).

White canes for people with sight impairments, with radar fitted into the handle, which vibrates, and Read More...

Nuclear Energy is Safe...don't listen to the Germans!!

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:14:50 +0100

Nuclear Energy is back under the spotlight after the Japanese "disaster". It has become such a super-heated potato in Germany, that the Green party there has managed to reverse policy, and Germany is aiming to be nuclear free by 2020 (which is a bit silly given their neighbour, France is building more and more on their doorstep…).

I have posted a few times recently about how Web 2.0 is helping with World Peace. Too often it is happening too late, but internet connections from Egypt, Libya, and elsewhere have enabled the rest of us to gain an understanding of what is happening on the ground (rather than merely through the biased lenses of different media outlets.

Now there is a new initiative which is showing real promise to try to avoid the wars, and strife. Read More...

Another Tom Tom Entry...or GPS & Shuttle Technologies

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:15:08 +0100

Along with my earlier post, here is another (weak) attempt to win the prize…

I actually thought I would merge this competition entry with a post that I have been wanting to do for a while. I wanted to post about the end of the SpaRead More...

Why I really need the Tom Tom!!

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:35:07 +0100

I am so desperate to own a Tom Tom navigation device, I am planning to post several blog posts in an attempt to ingratiate myself to the competition judges.

So, why do I need one? Well, I recently replaced my company car, but I could notRead More...

A World gone mad

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 13:28:20 +0100

Various items in the news have really got to me recently. 2 in particular stand out. The first was an idiotic English tory MP, Philip Davies, who suggested in the House of Commons that people with Disabilities should be prepared to work for less than the statutory minimum wage. Suffice it to say, that this moronic MP has a history of saying outrageous things, but this is one of the worst. I tweeted about it, and was fascinated to watch his statements becoming a "trend"Read More...

Future Computer. Is this the answer?

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:23:53 +0100

I already think that the future computer will be touch based. I like this concept, which brings all the different devices together into one unit. I think this could be the answer...

Each item can be used individually, or together in the unit:

I love Bill Gates!

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:23:23 +0100

Yes, I know it is trendy to hate the man. But he is doing much good around the world.

His latest good, is amazing. He has bought the rights to the lectures given by the brilliant Richard Feynman. We use the term genius too lightly these days. Feynman was a genius, easily on a par with Einstein, and many would say that his discoveries, and work eclipsed Einstein. Not only was Feynman a brilliant physicist, but he was an incredible communicator. These Read More...

The Internet can Save Lives!

Tue, 17 May 2011 07:39:15 +0100

The internet is a powerful tool. Of course this power can be used for bad ends - think child pornography, or the dissemination of false information, or to link terrorist groups.

But the good outweighs the bad. By a long way. Read More...