by Hugh C.n. Miller | Apr 4, 2019 | Uncategorized
When the original Blade Runner movie was screened in 1982, it went almost unnoticed. But the Ridley Scott adaptation of a Philip K Dick novel quickly became a cult favourite, and then acknowledged as a seminal vision of our future urban landscape.
That being the case, why are we not yet living in that future? This was the fairly standard question asked at the Cisco Live conference in Barcelona this week, but the answer was somewhat surprising.
“We should have humanoid, lifelike robots among us. Instead, we have Sophia the robot, who is not exactly lifelike and quite creepy,” said Jeremy Bevan, Cisco vice president of marketing for Europe Middle East, Africa and Russia, during the opening keynote address. “We should be seduced by digital billboards everywhere. Maybe we do have that in Times Square and some shopping malls. Maybe soon, as in Blade Runner, we’ll have giant ads that say you can start a new life on a different planet.”
Yet, said Bevan, in some ways we have gone far beyond the Blade Runner vision. For example, talking to our computers is now standard. Going into a phone booth to make a video call is downright old-fashioned, as the technology for video calls is now available wherever we are.
“Films are a reflection of how things are today and how they might progress; what could be possible. The connection between what we do and what is possible, is imagination. It is the most important thing we have to make our lives better, from the smallest things in our personal lives to the way we transform businesses. All the way through to things that can solve some of the world’s biggest challenges. Technology is truly an enabler of our imagination.”
Rather than offering movie visions to prove his point, however, he presented the case study of the largest port in Europe, that of Rotterdam, which handles 130 000 ships a year. Already, the complexities of combining shipping logistics with weather and other data is a massively complex channel. Using Internet of Things technology and data services supplied by Cisco and IBM, the Port can now predict precise conditions hours in advance.
In the next six years, Rotterdam expects to welcome its first autonomous ships – self-steering and self-navigating vessels. By 2030, it plans for a combination of the Internet of Things, data analytics and cloud computing to make it possible for completely automated handling of these ships, from docking to unloading and loading, without direct human intervention.
Considering that around 85% of globally traded goods travels by ship, the project will point the way to more efficient and more cost-effective international trade. It is also a vision that goes beyond Blade Runner, in imagining a more sustainable and environmentally cleaner future. Ultimately, says Bevan, it will enhance human quality of life.
“You might think the stories we share are about technology to solve big problems, but it’s also about people’s lives that are transformed,” said Bevan, insisting that such projects underpin Cisco’s vision of “technology for good”.
If he is right, our descendants may never need those Blade Runner ads for finding a better life off-planet.
- Arthur Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram on @art2gee
- Arthur Goldstuck is ORT SA’s IT Ambassador and was a guest speaker at the recent launch of the ORT SA CareerHub: the educational journey to your career destination.
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Mar 20, 2019 | Uncategorized
“Last year, we promised a series of Career Guidance talks and we have actually done more than that. We have, in fact, developed the ORT SA CareerHub,” says Ariellah Rosenberg, ORT SA’s CEO, who is the visionary behind the idea.
Through a series of talks and workshops, the CareerHub will help high school students, university students, parents, teachers and even those who feel ‘stuck’ in their path, to “Explore, Expose and Experience” their way through the quagmire of choosing a career.
“The choices can be daunting ,” says Rosenberg, “You’re 18 years old, finished school and most probably, experiencing the ‘end of childhood’ as you knew it. You are faced with a life-time decision, or so you feel, about your career path. All of us have been in a similar situation… ‘the road not taken’… ‘jobs of the future’… so much pressure for relatively young souls that have being part of the schooling system for more than a decade. A system where almost everything is dictated, including your dress code, the time you wake up and the curriculum. Now, you have to decide yourself which path to take. If to learn: what to learn, where and when? “
The ORT SA CareerHub will be focused on Exploring the individual’s skills, attributes and strengths when seeking a career path, Exposing participants to the jobs of the future and giving them the Experience with practical workshops.
The CareerHub is launching on 2 April 2019 with ORT SA’s IT Ambassador, the internationally renowned writer, analyst and technology commentator, Arthur Goldstuck and ORT SA IT Ambassador, speaking about ‘jobs of the future’.
Booking essential: ora@ortsa.org.za
The next in the series will be on 16th April 2019 at 6pm: Lorraine Silverman on Career Assessments.
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Feb 28, 2019 | Old News
We are offering a unique opportunity to young people who are entrepreneurs at heart and love computers and technology to get a business going.
The ORT SA ICT Entrepreneurship Programme 2019 offers:
Two months of classroom training in:
- CISCO in IT Essentials (certified)
- Microsoft Fundamentals
- Basic Coding
- Business Enterprise Training
- 10 months business support with group mentoring & business sharing forums.
Application Criteria:
- South African Black (male or female)
- Age 18 – 34
- Matric (Grade 12)
- Unemployed
- ICT start up business or interest
- Viable ICT Business Idea
Cost:
No cost; only your commitment.
For more information, please contact: Zarina Parker; 011 728 7154; zarina@ortsa.org.za
DEADLINE FOR INTEREST: 5 MARCH 2019
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Nov 22, 2018 | Uncategorized
There are very few organisations that are able to effectively combat social issues faced in many communities, including unemployment. ORT SA seamlessly manages to do this through its various programmes while producing measurable results.
The collaboration between ORT SA and the YES (Youth Employment Services) campaign has ensured that 200 young hopefuls have been placed into companies and schools as administrators for a 12-month workplace experience, that maximises their potential. The collaboration has created an essential platform for youth to develop their skills and tap into their potential.
Hilda, Botlhale and Thabiso are interns at Puo Media which is a performing art’s school specialising in dance, music and drama at the Pretoria State Theatre. “The interns are learning on the job and are very useful to the company,” said their manager.
Nondumiso and Bongi are being trained to become young, successful all-round entrepreneurs as they are receiving the necessary exposure into the world of entrepreneurship through the Gooie Café food truck based in Sandton, Johannesburg. The owner of the food truck, himself an alumni of an ORT SA Business Training course, is confident that these two individuals will be equipped to begin their own businesses in the future.
A huge thank you to all the businesses that took on these young people, for the support in enriching the lives of others. From here on, it can only be onwards and upwards!
Written by ORT SA’s YES intern, Molebogeng Assegaai
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Oct 29, 2018 | Uncategorized
While South Africa is considered an entrepreneurial powerhouse in sub-Saharan Africa, its weakest link in terms of its entrepreneurial ecosystem does happen to be start-up skills. This poses the question, what skills can local youth be taught, in order to improve their appetite for entrepreneurship? Crucial skills that can be taught for the betterment of entrepreneurs include information gathering, organizational skills, rational decision making and oral communication skills, to name a few.
ORT SA continues to upskill aspiring entrepreneurs of all levels. Just ask ORT SA’s skills training facilitator, Rugare Gapare. He says that giving these youngsters business enterprise skills provides the opportunity for them to gain the relevant and necessary skills and tools and does so through experiential learning.
Some participants are active business owners and the benefits of these courses
Learning work ethics and etiquette, marketing and customer care
are life-changing. Self-improvement is key for those wanting to become entrepreneurs. This group showed a vibrant mix of knowledge and experience. Judging from their comments, the beneficiaries were certainly advanced by the training in various ways and are going to put into practice what they learned from the sessions.
Contact us on: info@ortsa.org.za or call 011 728 7154
