 Driving the economy through ICT
by Dr. Rob Davies, minister of Trade and Industry
Nearly a decade ago, the DTI began to actively engage in the development of the information & communications technology and electronics sector (ICT&E). The objectives were to grow the ICT&E industry to increase employment, broaden participation, encourage exports and promote small business development... (more) |
 Hey there! EE Publishers is using Twitter...
Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with other twitterers and receive " The best from EE Publishers" through the exchange and sharing of quick, frequent short messages and links. Join today to start receiving our tweets on your dektop PC, notebook PC or mobile... ( more) |
IEEE 802.11n to benefit data comms industry
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
On 11 September 2009 the IEEE ratified the IEEE 802.11n 2009 amendment, defining mechanisms that provide significantly improved data rates and ranges for wireless local area networks (WLANs)... ( more) |
Digital television broadcasting - an international perspective
by Dr. Ellen Gregory, Relate Technical Communications, Australia
With South Africa on the brink of the digital migration of its TV services, it is useful to have an international perspective. Recently the USA went through this process and had to postpone its introduction for some months as the industry was not ready. This article discusses digital migration from a world perspective... ( more) |
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SaaS makes good business sense
by Jaco Stoltz, Stategix
Companies are realising the benefits of removing paper from business processes. However, the cost and complexity of implementing software and hardware to achieve comprehensive automation can be prohibitive, making software as a service (SaaS) an attractive option... ( more) |
SATNAC 2009 - an overview
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Features editor Hans van de Groenendaal attended the Southern Africa Telecommunications (SATNAC) 2009 held in Swaziland from 31 August to 4 September. He highlights some of the presentations and discussions... ( more) |
SATNAC: Innovative solutions
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Introducing the agenda item on innovative solutions, the chairman, Prof. Ian Jandrell, head of the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, said that one cannot have a SATNAC conference without talking about innovative solutions... more) |
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SATNAC: Best student papers awarded
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Three students received awards for submitting the best papers at SATNAC 2009. The three best papers are not rated in any particular order but were selected for their originality, content and presentation... ( more) |
Instant messaging - revolution or disaster?
by Amy Thomas, Zycko
Instant messaging, (IM), has changed the communications landscape dramatically over the past decade. Since the evolution of IM as we knew it in the mid 1990s, this social communication tool has grown phenomenally, and is now being incorporated into the day-to-day business operations of many enterprises... ( more) |
Can the malware scourge be beaten?
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
As the companies that create anti-malware and virus products develop solutions to combat the malware scourge, so the internet bandits that create them get one better. This one-upmanship is a vicious circle... ( more) |
Protect your most valuable asset - information
by John McLoughlin, J2 Software
With users being able to access the internet, send and receive e-mail and browse the local network - often in an unstructured manner - it is more important than ever that users or employees are focused and productive and do not steal intellectual property. It is essential that access to information is managed and users are accountable for their actions... (more) |
Life sciences - bridging the digital divide
Information from Rockwell Automation
The life sciences production environment is constantly evolving - driven by the need to achieve a competitive edge, and deliver consistently high quality products. This article discusses the implementation of information technology (IT) infrastructures into the pharmaceutical industry and the associated benefits and challenges... ( more) |
Network trends: operational cost a significant factor
by Mike Holmes, Nexans Cabling Solutions, UK
While networking trends continue their progressive evolution of increasing speed and bandwidth, new additional factors such as fuel costs, regulation, and rapidly changing usage and environment are also having a major influence... (more) |
Telecoms developments in Africa
compiled by Matthew White, Iona Press Services
ITU blames African ICT slump on high costs and limited broadband; Kenyan government accuses TEAMs shareholders of price-fixing collusion; Mozambique mobile phone costs plunge in price war; Zambian Communications Authority moves to limit competition; Econet signs US$200-million contract to expand Zimbabwe network; telecoms executive calls for US$25-billion investment; Rwanda's third operator ready for launch; Glo 1 undersea cable berths in Ghana ... ( more) |
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Gadgets for geeks
We bring you the latest in gadgets:
Keep your snacks cool with a USB-powered fridge; watch TV on your laptop; and a USB dual band wireless modem and memory stick with built-in laser pointer and pen... ( more) |
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Thermal profiling: A key element of process control
by Paul Austen and Mark Waterman, ECD, USA
How can manufacturers ensure process control and still achieve speed of throughput in the electronics industry? Thermal profiling, as an element of process control, provides many solutions... ( more) |
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Control systems increasingly replace PLCs in automation solutions
Information from ABB
Small, fast and cheap PLC-solutions usually offer few engineering options and often do not provide convenient visualisation. In contrast, distributed control systems integrate a host of components such as controls, engineering tools, human machine interfaces and numerous peripheral devices and tools... ( more) |
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KiloNewton shock-force calibration
by C S Veldman, National Metrology Institute of South Africa
Force measurements are performed routinely by industry, mainly in modal analysis applications. The purpose is to determine the system's response to a known applied force... ( more) |
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Invention of the Tellurometer - a giant leap forward in measurement
by J R Smith, Hon.Sec. History Group of FIG
If one traces the measurement of distance back through the mists of time for the determination of long distances with a high degree of accuracy, one comes to Eratosthenes around 230 BC... ( more) |
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Understanding the decibel in audio
Information from Agilent Technologies
In the radio frequency (RF) microwave test and measurement world, engineers often deal with the power measurement unit of dBm instead of wattage, or watt (W). However, engineers entering the audio measurement arena will need to understand one more measurement unit known as dBu, which is decibel (dB) relative to 1 mW into 600 Ω... ( more) |
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Embedded resources: made for sharing
by Sean Justice, Microchip USA
Shared modules can reduce the amount of resources used by multiple applications in embedded systems. The author explains how to identify, place and access shared modules to maximise limited embedded resources... ( more) |
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Space technology
Cosmic rays hit an all-time high
NASA's virtual space station spacewalks
Essay competition to celebrate Space Week
SumbandilaSat team making good progress ... (more) |
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Amateur radio: UK amateurs to take space into the classroom
UK radio amateurs are planning a project that will take space science into the classroom with a project called FunCube. It is an educational project with the goal of enthusing and educating youngsters about radio, space, physics and electronics, by constructing and launching a small satellite, based on the CubeSat standard... ( more) |
Industry and institute news
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