Be My Eyes leading the Blind

Denmark – Being able to see the nutritional value of your next meal, or the layout of your home is impossible for the visually impaired. However, that might all change with a new application that could give the user a new pair of eyes to see.

A new smartphone application created to aid the blind has been introduced by a technology team hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark.

This ingenious form of software allows a visually impaired user to access a network in which the average person can act as a set of eyes for them. Through use of the smartphone’s front-facing camera, the user will ask a sighted participant to aid in completing mundane tasks and to help with anything visual related.

According to the website for Be My Eyes, “The volunteer helper receives a notification for help and a live video connection is established. From the live video the volunteer can help the blind person by answering the question they need answered.”

This concept not only contributes to an entire audience that could greatly benefit from it, but also gives credence to a trend in philanthropy. People can then spread kindness through their smartphones and be compassionate with those less fortunate. Each session also ends with an opportunity for the user to report misuse of the system, to which the punishment would be exclusion from the network. An example would be using the application to gain private information for the use of theft or other crimes.

With his own visual impairment as a form of motivation, Be My Eyes was founded by Hans Jorgen Wiberg in 2012, when he introduced the concept at the Startup Weekend event in Denmark. This event led to the creation of Robocat, a Danish software studio team that prides itself in creating and distributing useful, as well as unique hardware and software products out of Copenhagen.

The application has only currently been made available for the Apple operating system, but the team says that they are aware of the potential for Android and Windows phone users being capable of contribution. The organisation is non-profit and need funds to keep it running. As of September this year, their initial funding comes to an end. A subscription model, as well as donations are being considered to keep it running.

For support and any other queries we advise you to visit their website at: http://www.bemyeyes.org/

Physics constant Debunked

Modern physics theorises that the speed of light is a constant which has gone on to provide technology and society with multiple advancements. However a new study might prove that this is not the case, possibly changing the landscape of nanotechnology.

A recent study done by scientists on the validity of the speed of light was released online through the Cornell University Library, proving that the constant should be thought of as a limit of speed rather than an invariable rate of light passing through a vacuum. Experiments were led by optical physicist Miles Padgett by doing tests on photon velocity through both a Bessel Beam as well as a Gaussian Beam. The result was a slightly delayed speed through focus or manipulation of light pulses, even in vacuum conditions.

According to Einstein’s theory of relativity and our physics textbooks, the speed of light was specified to be a constant of around 299 792 458 metres per second, however the new findings have brought to light that when a light pulses through a medium that tampers with its structure, the light wave goes through a minor decrease in velocity.

The experiment conducted saw pairs of photons sent to a detector – with one photon gliding through a fibre and the other through a pair of devices designed to manipulate the structure of the light and then revert it back to the original. The result was a slight delay in arrival from the influenced photon, altering Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Researchers say that the findings won’t change the way most technological applications operate and that it is not recognisable in everyday life. However, it will change the way in which physicists study extremely short light pulses. Especially considering the advancements in photonic circuitry, where light-based circuits replace those of electrical ones. These findings will see progress in the use of nanotechnology.

The Secrecy Bill: A case of National Security

The Secrecy Bill, more technically referred to as the Protection of State Information Bill, is a proposed legislature that aims to regulate the dissemination and protection of state information from journalists and whistle-blowers seeking to maintain transparency between the government and society. I will attempt to explore the final result of censorship and the effect it will have on journalists trying to maintain the balance, objectivity and professional integrity in their reporting of our government’s actions. The late and great South African president Nelson Mandela once said that, “a critical, independent, and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy. The press must be free from state interference. It must have the economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials. It must have sufficient independence from vested interests to be bold and inquiring without fear or favor.” The current South African government - 20 years after the death of apartheid and the end of regulated media censorship – has opted to set in place this legislature with national security being the main defense, or excuse, behind media regulation.

To look at the purpose behind the secrecy bill is to look beyond the scapegoat of ‘national security’ and to other reasons behind its implementation. These reasons may vary, as censorship - as well as political and/or religious control of the media - is a prominent issue that has been around for well over 2000 years. According to the website Beacon for Freedom of Expression, censorship and its harsh results date back to early Roman, Greek and Chinese routes. The Greek philosopher Socrates, around the year 399BC, was condemned to consume poison for acts of spreading knowledge that was deemed a threat to society. These ideas and lessons would go on to shape Western politics and ethics that are still relevant today. The government or rulers of the time would accuse Socrates of going against the gods and other laws that were meant to govern common man. Nearly 600 years later and the Roman Catholic Christian faith would label any acts, written works, or speeches as heresy if it was deemed a threat to Christianity or the leaders of that denomination. Cultural scripture, books, art and acts have been destroyed, often along with the authors, by the Roman Catholic power that ruled over Europe and spread to the Americas. Anything that was deemed a threat or a problem to society by a king or religious leader was censored and thus forbidden. As we can see through these patterns in history, the abuse of power has been blatant since the early inception of man and it still bleeds into present-day situations with the common man’s rights being sidelined for the agendas of those that take seat at the zenith of social hierarchies. 

A combination of time and the martyrs that have forfeited their very own lives for us has resulted in systems that are meant to protect and serve the individual member of society as best as possible. The Constitution and Bill of Human Rights have become fundamental to living a healthy, balanced and fair life within society, proving that the people of a country/state/land are in fact the reason for its very existence in the first place. With that being said, position, ego and power are all factors that could either reap pure benevolence or unadulterated malevolence for its people and a living society.

The Right-to-Know organization is one that aims at bringing to light the current situation of media control and regulation becoming evident in Southern Africa. Our current president Jacob Zuma has attracted himself major controversy with regard to the signing of the Secrecy Bill. If it is passed, journalists and whistle-blowers will be under threat with regard to job security and their final position in society (be it in prison or in exile). Right-to-Know have published an article that brings to light a current example of censorship and the reason behind it - “national security”. This article lists the possible detriments of a ‘national security’ approach to censorship:

·        The public’s right to know is undermined;

·        The public’s right to protest is under attack;

·        State-security structures and crime intelligence is vulnerable to blatant misuse through political agendas;

·        The erosion of public trust.

The result of media censorship through government is one that can extend to grotesque proportions, as journalists from all around the world have been murdered, exiled and incarcerated due to the regulations and mafia-like mentality of political leaders. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has listed on their website all of the known journalists that have been affected by government –related attempts to silence the right to freedom of speech and to, without interruption, receive and impart information. Over 706 journalists have been documented as murdered since 1992 and statistically speaking, the majority has been related to print-related journalists (58%); the beats covered of those murdered were mostly politics (48%), corruption (29%) and war (24%); the suspected sources of the aggressors were political (31%) and governmental (23%); and a staggering 88% of the cases were handled with complete impunity (no justice). These results show the darkness that is prevalent in the world with regards to political leaders and their ultimate goal to ensure their agendas are seen through to the end, no matter the lives lost in the process. A letter from the CPJ urging the new Chief Operating Officer of the state-funded South African Broadcast Commission, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, to change his views on the licensing of journalists was sent expressing concern and unease with the COO’s thoughts and speech concerning media freedom set for students at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. With reference to the universal and local human rights laws that are prevalent, CPJ have made it clear that what is being done by the South African government is something to be concerned about.

The Protection of state information bill should, in my opinion, be done away with. The world has lost thousands of beneficial and great people as a result of censorship and the interruption of political and religious leaders, this shouldn’t be allowed in a country that is considered democratic or even free when the very foundation of that freedom, being the press, is under threat. 

Griekwastad Killer

Griekwastad Killer – Justice served

Alleged murderer Don Steenkamp is set to apply for appeal after receiving his sentence of over 20 years imprisonment for the murders of his father Deon Steenkamp, 44, his mother Christelle, 43, and sister Marthella 14.

During April 6 in the year 2012, near the small town of Griekwastad in the Northern Cape, three murders and a rape took place shocking people from all across South Africa. Don was only nearly 16 when the horrific ordeal took place.

A Petrified Don at his hearing (Source: http://bit.ly/WLHNZr)

Given 20 years for each murder, 12 years for raping his sister and another four years for lying to the police, Don is expected to get parole only after the remaining three years in juvenile detention (when he turns 21) and once a portion of his sentence has been served within the adult section. His parole eligibility will also be measured by The Department of Correctional Services after he has been successfully rehabilitated.

He is now 18, which has granted media the right to publish his name. So far three newspapers have published the name of the teenager. Two days prior to his birthday, Judge President Frans Kgomo said to him, “in two days you are a man. Now, be a man,” before sentencing the boy to over twenty years in prison.

On the morning of the murders, Don would come screeching into Griekwastad in his father’s Isuzu bakkie. Covered in blood, the boy of 15 allegedly lied to police about the murders that took place on the farm. According to the Saturday Star, Don, while sitting in the back of police officer De Waal’s vehicle, asked what was required in order to inherit everything. Deon Steenkamp’s estate is worth millions, having ownership over a collection of farms and livestock.

Family and friends of the teenager are absolutely shocked and confused by the incidents that had taken place, however Steenkamp’s grandmother maintains that she has forgiven him and believes that he must get the correct help. She claims that she didn’t think that he knew the things that he was doing were wrong and that she still loves him.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Steenkamp will more than likely appeal the case as he has the right to do so and all indications are that he intends to.

Before his sentencing, the judge told Steenkamp to face the consequences of his deeds and the Steenkamp family spokesperson said that the family expect strict conditions be met before he is considered for parole, such as psychological evaluations. 

Feeling Dark, Pt 1.

I propose a rant of a somewhat Cimmerian embrace:

Gathered together the Ignoramus seeks distinction, definition, division. Pathetic creatures with no sense of self, no conscience, no compassion. They see wealth as victory: stained with the scars and ink that bind them to their comforting chains; the very same chains that constrict them to the confines of their ever so stygian victory. Should pity be held accountable for such sheer stupidity? Should grace be wasted on filth that stays redundant? Should forgiveness be squandered on the imbeciles of evolution?  I pray thee; find the answers, for I am lost.

There is a somewhat chilling glare the creature radiates when it is feeding, despising, inspiring. Only from within the abyss can there be found light, benevolence, God. I speak not merely from what I have come to observe, rather from the conscious within that catalyzes this perversion. I see truth as clearly as I see day. I see through the eyes of the spineless, the neurotic, and the disengaged. I see their darkness. I see yours. Call me pompous, arrogant, narcissistic; I see what I see, because I see it. I see it, because I too, am like you. 

Observe the evil that these creatures gradually and graciously disseminate, like a raging fire hell-bent on annihilating all within its path, introducing to the Earth an unending inception of madness and decay. Apathetic creatures that refuse to compensate for their infinite appetites. The symbiosis that is life; these creatures diminish, crush, corrupt and destroy. The guest has become the captor; one that refuses to let go until its unfortunate host is dry, barren and desolate. These creatures live with a sort of internal compass that magnetically drives them to their own end; to their own defeat.

 “Surrender now, for victory is an illusion,” said the battered fool before his beheading.

To rape and to violate her and her belongings: The rampant and wonderful oceans, forever swaying back and forth as a life-giving force - unfathomably majestic; The Land and fruits on which the true heir of her glory lives - seeking solace in the abundance to which she offers. Why do these creatures, these demons, persist? What is the purpose, the motivation, behind such brutal intrusion?

 However, within the recesses of my mind, I envision something extraordinary, inspiring and attractive. It is known as a Utopia; only in the imagination can a place of pure peace and equality be conceived, for it can never truly exist. This Utopia is a home to which I visit and meditate, for it is the only place in space that lasts longer than time; the only place that gives me solitude on her grand and awe-inspiring body gloomily populated by filthy, malevolent creatures. An urge that sparks interest in this hopeless race becomes prominent and I seek to ignite a change. 

An attempt at Gonzo - MH370 

So a plane goes missing - a giant, metallic air-bird consisting of a shit load of people. Alright, well, 239 passengers to be exact, but regardless of the amount, every single soul, body and whatever else we human beings have, has vanished into thin air… What the fuck?!

As if the poor, unsuspecting bastards on the plane didn’t have enough on their plate: frustrated faces, nervous body language and the aggravating shrieks of the baby 2 rows behind. I pity them. Even though there is nobody to pity. Or is there?

The Malaysians, together with an entourage of 14 countries all seek the predicted remains, debris, or remnants of the gigantic 747. Yet, nothing has surfaced. The confident and uneducated conspiracy theorists quickly take to their girlfriends – the sexy, seductive and slim keys of the laptop – and with such passion and purpose, write down the most blatantly idiotic fragments of filth a reader has to bear witness to. Come on, where is the love for truth? Bloody Dipshits.

So these morons argue that Edward Snowden, Ancient Aliens, The Illuminati and Witchdoctors could be the best possible explanation for a flight that just vanishes. Mind you, the incapable imbeciles of the FBI and Interpol have proven - for quite some time now - that they can’t even come up with a solution. As for Ibrahim Mat Zin, the foolish leader for the cult of wasteful witchdoctors, we can only feel compassion and give sincerity to such a brain-damaged individual. If you can find 239 passengers on board a plane that has just disappeared, then go ahead and win the lottery. Why waste such divine skills? I mean, can you say charlatan?

An old-ass captain with his trusted co-pilot companion, maybe they’re to blame? Remember those incapable imbeciles, the FBI and Interpol? Well, they’ve taken that angle and been to the homes of the missing pilots, twice. If twice doesn’t spell incompetency, then I don’t know what does. There are still another 43 ships combing the raging, living seas; another 58 aircraft exploring the altitudes of the spheres and another million people surfing the web for porn. What difference does it make? So far, none, none at all.

So after denigrating my mind with theories of garbage, I’ve also been thinking a bit about the reason behind this surprising turn of events. Perhaps, there is somebody on board, smart enough, nay, genius enough. So genius in fact, that they have decided to land the plane in a place of silence, peace and tranquility, all in order to procreate until a new culture of people emerges and evolves into a community of ingenuity and art. Call it bullshit, call it conspiracy, it really means nothing until we know the facts. Am I wrong?

Now, prayers and opinions are being disseminated like free condoms. Will it all end in truth, or will the falsified, unsubstantiated tide of misinformation create a disruption throughout the minds of the gullible? Imagine that, we all doubt and deny with such conviction and no fact, logic or rational conducting of our innate human faculties. Wait just a second, we’re all like that already!

Google and the One Dollar Salary Club

Founding fathers of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, should be nothing short of social and technological archetypes; conquering the vast invisible spectrum of technology and its complex encryptions, mastering the unspeakable act of humility within the selfish human race and serving - like ingenious butlers - decadent  information to the starving and ungrateful masses. These role models, archetypes, or simply, men are worth billions upon billions of dollars. Yet, it is one miniscule dollar that is taken their absolute income.

The ‘one dollar salary club’ was initiated by a variety of CEOs and magnates, such as the late Steve Jobs (Apple), the retired Jerry Yang (Yahoo), and up until recently even Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) has joined. Sergey Brin and Larry Page started with the $1 annual salary when Google went public in 2004. Showing the world that passion is the greatest driving force behind success, the Google heroes adopt and display a particularly clean philosophy which echoes through the minds of their rivals and competition. These men should be respected and seen as a benchmark in which to strive for in order to better the lives of people and to create a desire for passion and purpose within society.

Larry Page is a 41-year old internet entrepreneur and computer scientist, he is also married with two children – he is a social hermit. Sergey Brin is a 40-year old computer scientist and internet entrepreneur, he is divorced and has two children – he too is a social hermit. These two reclusive men would come together to create one of America’s, as well as the one of the World’s, most exciting enterprises that internet and technology has ever had to offer. Surely there are specific values that shape or mold these individuals and thus the organization as a whole. If Forbes would go on to declare that “Google isn’t just a technology innovator. It is a business model innovator,” then these two brilliant men should inspire success within people of nearly all occupations.

Success is in the statistics

Google makes its revenue mainly through online advertisements, apps and media, and has never been shy of attracting billions of dollars to its name. According to The Verge, Google had made 15.4 billion dollars in the 1^st quarter of 2014 and that since 2004 they have had a gradual increase of up to 10% every year.

Business Wire, a website based on global press release distribution, released statistics describing that the Android Operating System is the most sought after, thus leaving rival companies like iOS, Blackberry and Windows far behind. The website included that of the 96.7% of major smartphones shipped (Android and iOS), nearly 80% were all Android-based smartphones.

Google’s Values

The organization itself is more representative of who these individuals truly are and what they hope to achieve on a global scale.  According to Google, there are ten specific things that they “know to be true” with regard to the values, goals and objectives of the organization. Three of these goals are described as follows:

Focus on the User and all else will follow

The user, client or audience is everything. Tweaks, updates and changes are all made with the user in mind. Every feature is made to ensure that the consumer does not need to give feedback, as everything should be as user-friendly as possible. This value should be recognized in order to succeed, as it is through people that most, if not all, objectives become possible. 

Fast is better than Slow.

As time is a valuable commodity in our day-to-day lives, efficiency through speed becomes the best possible solution. Google says that they might be the only company in the world that attempts to get the user off their website as quickly as possible; this is due to the speed and reaction time at which they apply in order to get the user to the desired information. Being punctual, concise and efficient can always count in your favor in making the customer more comfortable. Again, this proves how the user, consumer, or viewer is always seen as the motivation behind the success of the organization.

Great just isn't good enough.

The founding fathers can be firmly distinguished from other CEO’s through this value and driving force behind their success. Google’s values webpage had this to say: “We see being great at something as a starting point, not an endpoint. We set ourselves goals we know we can’t reach yet, because we know that by stretching to meet them we can get further than we expected.” They identify a user problem, in this case the search for particular information, and make it their goal to ensure it becomes a problem of their own, guaranteeing that the user is always satisfied. An example of the way in which Google attempts to excel on a smaller scale is the introduction of Gmail and its greater storage capacity, which resulted in the setting of a new standard for all online e-mail storage. The values and goals that Google portray are significant in that they aim to create a more user-friendly and stable environment on the internet for all information- and communication-based access.

Conclusion

Google’s values page offers the following statement of inspiration: “Ultimately, our constant dissatisfaction with the way things are becomes the driving force behind everything we do.”

The future will see many more future innovations come from the men and women working behind Google’s fame. This will introduce a new shift in the current perspectives we hold about technology and the way that we embrace it. With the values and direction that Google strives for, there seems to be a positive future for bonding society through technology and information.