 Next generation skills development
by Prof. André Calitz, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
The ICT industry is experiencing continuous growth and, more importantly, continuous change. ICT is a crucial component of most businesses. Tertiary institutions and industry must work together to meet this challenge... ( more)
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 In conversation with Mteto Nyati, MD Microsoft South Africa
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Mteto Nyati's parents wanted him to be a doctor but after he won an international science Olympiad in matric he realised he wanted to study engineering. With a bursary from Afrox he did mechanical engineering at the University of Natal. Today he is the MD of Microsoft... (more)
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 Barriers to cost-effective broadband in SA
by André Hoffman FSAIEE, SAIEE vice-president
There are some less obvious challenges to cost-effective broadband delivery in SA. The average "Joe Blogger" should get more than "Hobson's choice" in a world where the information-rich get more and the marginalised continue to get less... ( more)
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Acceleration of the power of devices drives the future of automation and control
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Michael Caliel, president and CEO of Invensys Operations Management, says the future of automation and control systems is driven by the continuing acceleration in terms of the pace of the change in technology... (more)
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Virtual panel discussion: "Leveraging the cloud to drive automation"
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Over the past two decades, automation has improved the performance, quality and productivity of manufacturing and process systems. But performance remains at a plateau. Further improvements demand more data in real-time, which is beyond the capability of existing systems... ( more)
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EngineerIT Inbox - May 2014
Letters from our readers
A retired engineer offers advice to the Engineering Council of South Africa and a reader responds to the April lead editorial on entrepreneurship... (more)
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our expert is Gareth Carr from Tripp Lite
Typical questions related to analysing data centre requirements include "What are the cooling requirements?" and "What backup is required for the data centre in the event of a power loss or power failure?"... ( more)
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Unpacking the value within the WiFi landscape of tomorrow
by Dr. Dawie de Wet, Q-Kon Africa
In the online-driven society of today, receiving something for free is generally understood to be part and parcel of the environment. Why then the debate over the sustainability and feasibility of providing free WiFi services?... ( more)
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Caring robots get the green light
Information from the International Organisation for Standardisation
Robots have captured our imagination and visions of the future for generations. But the time is fast approaching where interactions between humans and artificial intelligence become part and parcel of our daily routine. A new ISO standard for the safety of personal care robots has made bold steps in this direction... ( more)
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Safety is not the only driver of automation and robotics in mining
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
With frequent and ongoing strikes, the question arises: should more automation be deployed in mines? I posed this question to Dr. Declan Vogt , strategic research manager at the CSIR Centre for Mining Innovation. "I believe that it is the way we are heading!" he said...
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Operational excellence for the mining industry
Information from Honeywell
A basic requirement for mining operations is to track materials as they move through the value chain; plan and schedule future activities; mprove asset availability and utilisation and increase asset effectiveness... ( more) |
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Information from Magnetrol
One of the main advantages of guided wave radar (GWR) over other level measurement technologies, and one that has increased its popularity in industrial process applications, is the fact that it is immune to a variety of process conditions... ( more)
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by Kagiso R Kgowe, EEU Taltronics
A video wall consists of an integration of multiple ultra-thin bezel LCD or rear projection digital light processing (DLP) displays tiled together contiguously or overlapped to form one large logic screen. This produces a high quality image on a vast pixel estate... (more)
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Instrumentation for Generation Y
by Chris Delvizis, National Instruments
Generation Y has grown up in a world surrounded by technology. From computers, to the internet, and now mobile devices, this technology has evolved at a faster rate than ever before. A recent report from Cisco delved into the nature of Generation Y and their relationship with technology... ( more)
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by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
The first deployment of the Infinera DTN-X platform across South Africa will deliver businesses with the simplicity, scalability, and efficiency expected from a fibre network - and it is all in the chip... ( more)
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by William D Kimmel, Kimmel Gerke Associates, for VTI Vacuum Technologies USA
Conductively coated plastics are becoming increasingly popular for EMI shielding. Vacuum metallising is a cost effective way to get fast turnaround in small quantities. Commonly, shapes can be complex, making it impossible to get absolutely uniform coatings... ( more)
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by Mark Eardley, B2B Marketing
IT professionals need to take increased responsibility for analysing big data to produce actionable insights into the customer base that will boost revenue and profitability, and reinforce competitive advantage... ( more)
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Information from Moxa
Although the term "high definition" has been used since the 1930s in the HDTV industry, the precise meaning has changed considerably over the years as manufacturers competed to outdo each other... ( more)
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Information from IEC
The IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) today welcomed last week's near-unanimous vote by the European Parliament to embed the IEC's universal phone charger standard for data-enabled mobile telephones into law in the EU by 2017... ( more)
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Telecoms developments in Africa: May 2014
Compiled by Matthew White
- Slow ICT infrastructure growth raises fear of new digital divide
- Gondwana International Networks set to deploy broadband, VOIP across Africa
- Fibre cuts delaying deployment of telecoms in Western Ghana
- World Bank, mobile firms funding rural projects in Kenya
- Etisalat Secures major loan to buy stake in Maroc Telecom
- Liberia regulator warns on closure of "illegal" radio, TV stations
- Rwanda to take public services online
- Vodacom to offer telecom services to Tanzania's rural population... (more)
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- Capture and share high quality imagery in an instant
- Turning TVs and displays into tablets
- Smartphone? Now smart cameras that monitor the baby!
- A smartphone with many functions ... (more)
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Amateur Radio
Propagation research in South Africa on 5 MHz produces some interesting results... ( more)
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Aerospace Technology
Manufacture of MeerKat antennas will boost local industry in South Africa... (more)
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Views, Comment and Opinion
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