Life in Pixels

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  • A Decision of Absurd Proportions

    South Africa will be flying at full velocity into the Stone Age as the very people meant to be upholding the foundations of democracy are denying a fundamental institution of a free society: a free press, devoid of rules restricting what it can report in favour of a single-sided opinion.

    It’s a ridiculous notion – one that has been made by an ignorant government that can’t seem to fathom the absurd proportions of it.

    This goes against the very integrity of democracy. Socrates, titan of philosophy and instigator of modern thought, aptly expressed this when he once said, “no society is good, whatever its intentions, whatever its utopian and liberationist claims, if the men and women who live in it are not free to speak their minds.”

    The government’s reasoning towards enacting the Protection of Information Bill is that the media is not effectively regulated, and as such, reporting can sometimes be questionable. They have made themselves appear to be the victims of scathing attack by the press.

    But this Big Brother-esque idea extends far from the mere proposition that our journalists are running rampant, having a field day reporting fallacies. Controlling the media controls the people of a country. Thus, effectively, we would be introducing a whole generation of “programmed” leaders that will be fulfilling a single-sided agenda. It will be propaganda on the biggest scale this country has experienced since the dark days of Apartheid.

    This sounds disturbingly like the ideas proposed in George Orwell’s 1984, and if applied to our country in particular, this restriction of free information will have devastating ramifications. The vast majority of South Africa’s population is uneducated, and playing on this philosophy means that the government can easily sway opinions in their favour.

    Yet, before we even go as far as criticising the integrity of this decision, we should examine the sheer foolishness of it. Our government appears incapable of understanding the times that we live in. Sure, back in the Apartheid era it would’ve been (and incidentally, it was) easy to muzzle the media. But the capacity of the modern media and advancement of communication technology negates the possibility that a system of this size can be contained. Modern media – blogs, Twitter and social networks – are constantly allowing citizens the opportunity to learn about events long before they are published in the traditional press. How does our government plan to leash the leviathan creature that is Media 2.0?

    At the end of the day, though, we as free citizens, must understand that the State and the media need each other to co-exist in an equilibrium that ensures the safety, integrity and intellectual wealth of a nation. A functioning, symbiotic relationship such as this ensures that the principles of our sacred Constitution are respected, and that the idea of a democratic society – where the men and women are free to speak their minds – is maintained.

  • AutoCAD Finally Comes to the Mac!

    Just mere hours ago, Autodesk, the makers of legendary graphics software that has been responsible for making possible projects like Hollywood blockbusters Avatar and The Lord of the Rings to the design of your house – seriously – possible, have finally announced the upcoming release of their world-class and industry-leading CAD software, AutoCAD, for the Mac platform.

    Now, AutoCAD was previously on the Apple platform – 15 years ago, until it was decided to cut the product and focus entirely on the Windows market. But since Apple’s marketshare has begun to rise, and Mac sales begin to surge once again, one of the leading design suites finally returns to the realm of designers; since its birth, Macs have been renowned for their design-orientated architecture, making it the ideal environment for creative types to work in.

    But as Mac OS X gains popularity in the business field, and as AutoCAD supports the artistic-orientated and technical finesse tools designed to develop awe-inspiring concepts, from a wide range of disciplines that span Civil Engineering to Architecture, the move by Autodesk to get a Mac version of one of their flagship products is greatly justified.

    I, for one, am really excited about this. It finally puts the Mac back into the serious sector of the workplace, and allows countless engineers and architects to harness the power of the Mac – from the portable powerhouse of the MacBook and MacBook Pro, to the Titan of computing, that brute of a computer known as the Mac Pro (8 cores and still counting!) the future of innovative design is certainly looking bright.

    AutoCAD for Mac even harnesses native Mac OS X features like the Preview tool to quickly browse designs without even launching the actual program.

    “The release of AutoCAD for Mac marks the return of professional design and engineering software to the Mac platform and an important convergence of power and design,” – Amar Hanspal, senior vice president of Autodesk Platform Solutions and Emerging Business

    What’s more: a free iOS app for Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, that will accompany the Mac version, called AutoCAD WS, will let users view, edit and share AutoCAD files. Phill Schiller, Apple’s Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said in a statement:

    “The AutoCAD WS app is a bold new idea, a mobile version of industry-leading design software for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch…”

    Watch the awesome video below from Autodesk introducing the new product.

  • We’ve Looked, But Haven’t Seen

    Heard of Australopithecus sediba? No? What about Karabo? Nope?

    It’s the scientific and general name for an amazing find just outside the city limits of Johannesburg, by legendary palaeo-anthropologist Professor Lee Berger. In fact, this great find that fills a critical void in our transition through the various Hominid forms to the Homo-sapien was discovered by his nine-year-old son, Matthew, after countless professional scientists, some of whom had even done their PhD degrees on fossil finds in the area known as the Cradle of Humankind, had seemed to miss this particular area where Karabo was lying. What’s even more incredible about the find is that the scientists haven’t even begun to excavate the land – the two fossil finds of the male and female Australopithecus sediba were lying on the surface, amongst hundreds of other well-preserved remains.

    The Professor gave us an incredible lecture at school today on his adventure over the past two years in being a part of this amazing discovery. Below is the gist of what he spoke about (it’s a video of the media unveiling of the find at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg).

    Professor Berger’s discovery was made possible by the great advances in technology that are currently aiding in our immense progress into understanding more about the world we inhabit. For example, he used Google Earth to discover that the area where he’d been working for a number of years, an area that he subsequently knew so well, hadn’t actually been explored to its capacity. GPS restrictions on early positioning devices offset readings for security purposes, and Google Earth led to him discovering a myriad number of new cave sites, around where this great discovery was made.

    A lesson I have taken to heart from Professor Berger’s lecture, and what truly inspired me about this incredible individual, is his belief in the future generation of science. Technology is advancing to such an extent that more of these kinds of finds are certainly possible in the near-future. We just have to harness that power that technology provides us in order to steer in the right direction of discovery.

    Berger went on to explain that, yes, in the past few hundred years we have certainly managed to navigate most of our planet. But the critical point is, have we really seen the planet? Have we understood it? Australopithecus sediba lay unnoticed in the dry South African sand for hundreds of years, and nobody found it. Perhaps it was because the scientists working the area became so familiar with the it that they didn’t really think to explore the area further – look properly again and again. Because Planet Earth has many hidden treasures, many hidden surprises just waiting behind the next unturned rock.

    Prime examples of the development in technology is social networking. The propounding of a free, shared environment where information can thrive is set to bring up a whole generation of scientists and inquisitive thinkers who will not be afraid to collaborate across wide distances, and utilize advanced and connected tools in order to speed-up the process of discovery, whilst at the same time having a better, more well-rounded and holistic insight into future breakthroughs.

    The future of science is certainly looking bright. I’m extremely excited about what the next 10 years bring in advancements; inroads into string theory, coupled with these kinds of paleo-anthropological findings will be able to answer thousands of our philosophical questions on the existence of our race. The way forward is certainly to see and understand our world; then only can we begin to make major advancements into critical scientific fields.

    Oh, and by the way, according to Professor Berger, a 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine might just publish artist renditions of what the hominids looked like, complete with skin texture and muscle fibre reconstruction. Look out for it – I know I certainly will!

  • iPod Classic: So Long, and Thanks for All the Tunes

    Apple’s iPod-focussed media event, an annual gathering hosted by the iPod-maker, will be held this Wednesday, September 1st.

    While the rumour-mill is churning out reports of a smaller iPod nano, a 3G iPod touch with front-facing FaceTime camera and a new iLife package, the one product not mentioned in most of these blog posts is the fate of the iPod Classic.

    Now, while many people across the globe have fallen to the charms and gadgetry of the iPod touch, or the so-called convenience and “cuteness” factor of the Nano, I have remained a devout Classic fan. In fact, my first (and only) iPod, and introduction to the Apple family, was a 5th generation iPod video.

    There’s just something about the iPod Classic that resonates with me. Perhaps it’s the media powerhouse’s distinct design that just says “iPod” – an iconic landmark of the 21st-century, it’s amazing capacity (even though it’s a physical hard disk, and not solid-state), or that famous click wheel. The iPod Classic has always been the iPod for me.

    And now, I fear, its time has come. Ever-decreasing iPod sales, Apple’s continuous focus and push of the iOS platform, the release of the iPad and the success of the AppStore all point to one thing: a discontinuation of the iPod Classic line. It’s a sad prospect, really. It marks the end of an era in digital music.

    And I sincerely hope that the void created by this move will be filled by something that truly honours the legendary greatness of the Classic – and not some wannabe gadget like the Touch. Sorry, but that’s just the way I see it: the Touch cannot live up to the iconic feel and solidness that is the iPod Classic.

    Yes, the Touch may have fancy bragging facilities like a multi-touch interface, humorous apps, and iBooks, but the Classic does what an iPod was originally meant to do, and it does it exceptionally well: allow you to carry your entire media collection with you, and access it with stylish ease.

    So, that’s my take on what this all means if the iPod Classic were to be cancelled on Wednesday. What’s your opinion of it? Share your ideas in the comments section below!

  • A Refreshed Look

    I’ve been meaning to work on a refreshed look for Life in Pixels. Seeing as I’m going to be spending more time here soon (more on this a little into the future – bit too early to talk about now!), I’ve decided that I need a good space to work in.

    I’m a great admirer of minimalist design. I always enjoy visiting a uncluttered, clean yet stylish-looking blog or website, and while my old theme (a desk-style theme) was awesome, I’ve decided that its time to go for a more professional look.

    The theme I’m currently using is called Handgloves. It’s by George Wiscombe. It really makes a blog, especially one of this nature, look very stylish.

    However, there were some uphill battles to be fought when configuring the theme for my site. The sidebar is of particular frustration, as it doesn’t allow for drag-and-drop widget implementation via the WordPress interface. So I had to dig through the theme’s PHP code to edit everything to my liking. I’ve also had to cut some elements from the sidebar such as the Goodreads box of my “read” books. But in the end, it all goes down to simplifying and de-cluttering the site so that content becomes paramount.

    I’ll be monitoring the development of the Handgloves theme to see when a newer version that allows for better widget support is available.

    For the meantime, though, I’m very happy with this theme.

    What are your thoughts on the new look? Share them in the comments below!