too bad
Inside the ambulance, his female colleague lay on a stretcher with a serious gunshot wound to her head after she was allegedly shot by Kwa-Thema hostel residents near Springs, east of Joburg, on Tuesday.
Residents erupted as Eskom officials arrived under police escort to disconnect illegal electricity connections from mains power boxes in the area.
As they were leaving, shots rang out from hostel windows.
Constable Nolwandle Moeti, who is in her 20s, was hit in the head during the shootout.
Police raided the hostel, ransacking rooms and body-searching residents.
"No firearms were found during the search but four suspects were taken into custody for questioning. We're still trying to establish who actually pulled the trigger," said police spokesperson Captain Enoch Dube.
Moeti, who was based at Kwa-Thema police station and worked for the Crime Prevention Unit, was in a critical but stable condition at a Joburg hospital.
Dube said Eskom had begun disconnecting after four people, including a nine-month-pregnant woman and a 3-year-old baby, were electrocuted because of the connections.
"These unsafe illegal connections are normally made carelessly from nearby schools and mains power boxes in the area.
Hostel residents told us they have been trying to get their councillors to sort out their electricity problems for more than 10 years, hence they made illegal connections," he said.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Albert Hofmann, father of the mind-altering drug LSD whose medical discovery grew into a notorious "problem child," died Tuesday. He was 102.
Hofmann died of a heart attack at his home in Basel, Switzerland, according to Rick Doblin, president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, in a statement posted on the association's Web site.
Hofmann's hallucinogen inspired -- and arguably corrupted -- millions in the 1960's hippie generation. For decades after LSD was banned in the late 1960s, Hofmann defended his invention.
"I produced the substance as a medicine. ... It's not my fault if people abused it," he said.
The Swiss chemist discovered lysergic acid diethylamide-25 in 1938 while studying the medicinal uses of a fungus found on wheat and other grains at the Sandoz pharmaceuticals firm in Basel.
He became the first human guinea pig of the drug when a tiny amount of the substance seeped onto his finger during a repeat of the laboratory experiment April 16, 1943.
"I had to leave work for home because I was suddenly hit by a sudden feeling of unease and mild dizziness," he wrote in a memo to company bosses.
"Everything I saw was distorted as in a warped mirror," he said, describing his bicycle ride home. "I had the impression I was rooted to the spot. But my assistant told me we were actually going very fast."
Three days later, Hofmann experimented with a larger dose. The result was a horror trip.
"The substance which I wanted to experiment with took over me. I was filled with an overwhelming fear that I would go crazy. I was transported to a different world, a different time," Hofmann wrote.
There was no answer at Hofmann's home Tuesday, and a person who answered the phone at Novartis, a former employer, said the company had no knowledge of his death.
Hofmann and his scientific colleagues hoped that LSD would make an important contribution to psychiatric research. The drug exaggerated inner problems and conflicts, and thus it was hoped that it might be used to recognize and treat mental illness like schizophrenia.
For a time, Sandoz sold LSD 25 under the name Delysid, encouraging doctors to try it themselves. It was one of the strongest drugs in medicine, with just one gram enough to drug an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people for 12 hours.
Hofmann discovered that the drug had a similar chemical structure to psychedelic mushrooms and herbs used in religious ceremonies by Mexican Indians.
LSD was elevated to international fame in the late 1950s and 1960s, thanks to Harvard professor Timothy Leary, who embraced the drug under the slogan "turn on, tune in, drop out." Actor Cary Grant and numerous rock musicians extolled its virtues in achieving true self discovery and enlightenment.
But away from the psychedelic trips and flower children, horror stories emerged about people going on murder sprees or jumping out of windows while hallucinating. Heavy users suffered permanent psychological damage.
The U.S. government banned LSD in 1966, and other countries followed suit.
Hofmann maintained that this was unfair, arguing that the drug was not addictive. He repeatedly said the ban should be lifted to allow LSD to be used in medical research.
He himself took the drug -- purportedly on an occasional basis and out of scientific interest -- for several decades.
"LSD can help open your eyes," he once said. "But there are other ways: meditation, dance, music, fasting."
Even so, the self-described "father" of LSD readily agreed that the drug was dangerous if in the wrong hands. This was reflected by the title of his 1979 book: "LSD: My Problem Child."
Hofmann retired from Sandoz in 1971. He devoted his time to travel, writing and lectures, which often reflected his growing interest with philosophy and religious questions.
He lived in a small village in the Swiss Jura mountains and remained active until his early 90's.
[Johannesburg, 24 April 2008] - Value-added network service providers (VANS) wanting to self-provide national backhaul networks through an individual electronic communications network service (I-ECNS) licence face the same financial and social obligations as major telecoms operators.
This is according to Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) chairman Paris Mashile.
He spoke in response to a presentation by Uninet CFO Mulwell Rebelo, at the sixth annual Digital Africa Summit, in Sandton, this week.
The issue arose during a discussion on the High Court proceedings instituted by the Wireless Access Providers' Association (WAPA) asking for clarity on the right of VANS to self-provide networks.
WAPA believes VANS have held this right since 2006, but there has been conflicting messages on the issue, said Rebelo.
In response, Mashile said licences that ICASA issues to operators under the same group have to be similar in every respect.
This means that, in theory, VANs issued with I-ECNS licences have similar financial and social obligations as major players like Telkom, Neotel and the mobile network providers. “If there are differences, they must be justifiable,” he said.
Mashile also argued that the Electronic Communications (EC) Act already provided that VANS can self-provide networks through the class ECNS licence system.
A class ECNS licence allows telecoms providers to roll-out regional telecoms networks, but they cannot establish national backhaul infrastructure. “The terms and conditions are clear,” Mashile said.
No limit
ICASA previously argued that it is not trying to exclude VANS from gaining access to I-ECNS licences.
The regulator said it would convert current licences, and then ask VANS to present their business and technical plans to be considered for I-ECNS licences.
ICASA did not set a limit on the number of I-ECNS licences it would issue, said the official. The number of VANS gaining a licence will depend entirely on the number of VANS that qualify, he noted.
The Internet Service Providers Association of SA says it is watching the WAPA proceedings with interest. However, it neither approved nor disapproved of the legal action.
ICASA is also facing legal action from Altech Autopage Cellular on the issue of whether VANS have the right to self-provide networks.
The company launched an urgent application with the Transvaal High Court to interdict the ICASA process to convert licences to be in line with the EC Act.
The application also cites communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, Mashile and the 24 VANS that either participated, or indicated their willingness to participate, in the ICASA licence conversion hearings, as respondents.
ICASA says it is aware of media reports on the case, but would not comment further.
Telkom (JSE:TKG) this morning announced that it had declined an offer from Oger Telecoms as it was not in the interests of shareholders. It added that the disposal of the company "or its subsidiaries, joint ventures or any parts thereof will not be considered by Telkom without a compelling strategic rationale".
The company also announced the intention to invest in a fixed-wireless voice and data network as well as a mobile data network. It says it will unveil these plans in due course. Telkom spent R2,6bn last year on capital expenditure and is expected to spend R7bn during this year.
Previously the company's CEO Reuben September has repeatedly stated Telkom's intentions in the mobile space, saying that it wanted to "achieve a fixed-mobile service provider model across the fixed and mobile value chain". Speaking at the company's analyst day presentation today, September said that Telkom's core strategy of defending and growing profitable revenue "remains on track".
The company is continuing with its rollout of a WiMAX network, enabling consumers to connect to high-speed data services wirelessly. One would expect this to form the backbone of its planned network. The company said in June last year it planned to launch a voice service on WiMAX in the last quarter of this financial year (by March 2008), however this offering seems to have been delayed. Irnest Kaplan, MD of Kaplan Equity Analysts, says that he imagines the fixed-wireless deployment has "to do with using wireless to connect the last mile". Telkom is targeting the corporate market, townships and villages, gated communities and the youth/young adults with its wireless push. In its analyst presentation, the company says fixed-wireless solutions are cost-effective, scalable and a viable alternative when considering the effect of cable theft.
Telkom says that copper theft is responsible for 70% of the faults in its access network. This, the company says, causes "unacceptable delays in service provisioning, restoration" and "unacceptable contact centre queues and answer time". It says it will continue lobbying government to declare cable theft as sabotage and it will invest in the "alarming of cable routes and deploying armed response teams".
Its goal of investing in a mobile data network puts it head-to-head with 50% subsidiary Vodacom, which has spent billions on its 3G network. Data revenue from 3G and HSDPA services is still a small percentage of overall data revenue at mobile networks in South Africa, but this portion is growing. Neotel has also said it will offer fixed-wireless services. Telkom says it will offer a "3G interim service whilst ADSL is being installed". Telkom says it has access to GSM spectrum through the new Electronic Communications Act.
While the move may have surprised some, Kaplan says "the little players must never underestimate the incumbent's power". He adds that its obvious Telkom is "going to take the data side" of its business "more aggressively".
As to the mechanics of how Telkom aims to "selectively" roll out a fixed-wireless and a mobile network, it says it will consider existing co-location synergies and network sharing/roaming arrangements with mobile operators. One could naturally expect Telkom and Vodacom to work closely in this regard.
As to the future of its 50% stake in Vodacom, Telkom says the "disposal of Vodacom will be considered but only if compelling strategic rationale convinces" it to do so. It will measure all alternatives "against the full value of Vodacom". However, Telkom says it is pragmatic about its interest in Vodacom and that it has "identified a number of attractive alternative opportunities".
Telkom also said it will "substantially reduce its investment in Telkom Media". The company says peak funding of 100% of Telkom Media will now be R5,3bn. Telkom had planned to invest R7,5bn in Telkom Media.
After Telkom and MTN called off talks regarding a possible buyout in November 2007, Citigroup analysts suggested Telkom's "plan to enter the pay-TV market in South Africa should be scrapped because Naspers's Multichoice unit is well established". Other analysts were also opposed to the sizable investment in pay-TV which Telkom said it would make. Irnest Kaplan says this move comes because of "massive analyst criticism".
One analyst, who declined to be named, said that the changing economic environment in South Africa with higher interest rates and lower consumer demand could be one of the reasons for Telkom seemingly abandoning its pay-TV effort. Telkom, however, still maintains the Telkom Media "business model is sound". The analyst wondered whether with Telkom's reduced investment, the venture would be viable at all.
Telkom also offered guidance for its two African operations: Multi-Links in Nigeria and ISP-business Africa Online.
Multi-Links holds almost a quarter of the Nigerian CDMA market. It also has no restriction on the choice of technology used, plus the use of an international gateway. Telkom aims to invest heavily in marketing this operation (R105m in 2008/2009), and expects the number of CDMA subscribers to jump from around 800 000 to 3,5m. It also expects growth of in the leased line (data) as well as corporate and wholesale internet segments. Telkom also notes that the "data market in Nigeria is virtually green-fields". It will lay 3 100km fibre during 2008/09.
Telkom will build a landing station in 2008/09 financial year as well as a national network operations centre. When comparing this strategy to MTN's entry into the Nigerian market, the similarities are clear. MTN knew how to run a mobile network and it applied this knowledge to its entry. Telkom knows how to run a fixed-line network, especially a next generation network which it has been busy building in SA. It targets revenue of $1,5bn by 2010/11, with an EBITDA margin in excess of 20% (currently below 20%).
Africa Online, under the leadership of John Joseph, will double dial-up and wireless subscribers this year (15 000 to 34 000), and it will double that number again next year (to 67 400). This business is targeting revenue of $70m by 2009/2010 (currently slightly under $20m) and Telkom says Africa Online will be cash flow positive in the 2009/10 financial year.
[itweb]
[Johannesburg, 4 October 2007] - Internet Solutions (IS) will upgrade its international bandwidth to 2Gbps to cater for growing capacity demand.
Alan Bacher, business unit manager of access solutions at IS, says: “We are showing growth in the amount of bandwidth customers are using, as well as in the number of clients we have.”
He says IS's client base in the DSL space has grown from around 22 000 to 40 000 clients, an increase of just under 50% over the last financial year.
“Having increased our international bandwidth by 843Mbps over the last 12 months, and with current bandwidth at over 1.7Gbps, we need to keep ahead of demand.”
According to Bacher, the increased capacity should reach the 2Gbps mark by the end of November.
Bacher says the company is looking at various tenders that will see it connecting to several other international backbone links over the next few months.
“This will up the capacity even more, which is an ongoing process for IS.”
Broadband boom
MyADSL founder Rudolph Muller says there has been a significant increase in the number of broadband users across the country. “We are currently looking at around 600 000 broadband users in SA. I predict this number to grow to 700 000 over the next few months.”
He says increases in international bandwidth should be and are continuous for all providers.
To accommodate the increase, IS has started to upgrade its international transit links to 1Gbps, and its links between London and New York to 4 x 155Mbps, says Bacher.
IS uses the undersea SAT3, SAT2 and SAFE cables, together with satellite access mediums, to connect to its international points of presence.
“We are looking at buying into a new undersea cable. All ISPs [Internet service providers] will need to in order to compete fairly with Telkom,” he notes.
SCO files for bankruptcy - The Unix company, now more famous for suing IBM over Linux, filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday, as the threat of big payments to Novell, mounting legal costs and a diving share price threatened to overwhelm the business. [tectonic]
Brevard (NC) - A 14-year-old boy was knocked unconscious and sent to the hospital as a result of trying to cool off his Xbox 360 over the weekend.
According to a local news report, the teen's console would repeatedly shut off every five minutes. His mother told reporters that he thought the problem was likely linked to overheating. He reportedly tried to fix it on his own based on tips he found online.
"When I left to go next door he was playing a game but when I got back he was laying on his back on the floor and unconscious," said the boy's mother.
Local media reports suggest that the teenager took the power supply, wrapped it in plastic and tape, and submerged it into a bowl of water while it was still plugged in. This caused an electrical shock and knocked the boy unconscious.
His mother called 911 and paramedics rushed him to Transylvania Community Hospital in Brevard, North Carolina. He spent the night there and was treated for minor burns to his right hand and foot.
A MELBOURNE schoolboy has cracked the Federal Government's new $84 million internet porn filter in minutes.
Tom Wood, 16, said it took him just over 30 minutes to bypass the Government's filter, released on Tuesday.
Tom, a year 10 student at a southeast Melbourne private school, showed the Herald Sun how to deactivate the filter in a handful of clicks.
Parents easily fooled
His technique ensures the software's toolbar icon is not deleted, leaving parents under the impression the filter is still working.
A former cyber bullying victim, Tom feared a computer-savvy child could work out the bypass and put it on the Internet for others to use.
Tom, who spoke to Communications Minister Helen Coonan about cyber safety during a forum in May, said the Federal Government should have developed a better Australian made filter.
"It's a horrible waste of money," he said.
"They could get a much better filter for a few million dollars made here rather than paying overseas companies for an ineffective one."
Cracks replacement filter
In response to the Herald Sun's inquiries, the Government added an Australian designed filter, Integard, to the website on Friday, which Tom cracked within 40 minutes.
Senator Coonan said the Government had anticipated children would try and find ways to get around the NetAlert filters, and suppliers were contracted to provided continuing updates.
"The vendor is investigating the matter as a priority," Senator Coonan said.
"Unfortunately, no single measure can protect children from online harm and ... traditional parenting skills have never been more important."
Family First Senator Steve Fielding, a long-time campaigner for cyber safety, said cracking the software showed the need for compulsory filtering by Internet providers.
"You need both. You need it at the ISP and at the PC level," Senator Fielding said.
"The Government has not listened to common sense and it leaves kids exposed."
The filters are designed to stop access to sites on a national blacklist, bar use of chat rooms, and can be tailored by parents to stop access to sites.
Filters 'don't address bigger issues'
Tom stressed the filters were missing the mark by a long way regardless of how easy they were to break.
"Filters aren't addressing the bigger issues anyway," he said.
"Cyber bullying, educating children on how to protect themselves and their privacy are the first problems I'd fix.
"They really need to develop a youth-involved forum to discuss some of these problems and ideas for fixing them."
The $189 million NetAlert scheme includes $84.4 million for the National Filter Scheme, plus funding for online policing, a help line, and education programs.
The Government will also offer the option of filtering by internet service providers.
Under its filter program, households can download the filter from netalert.gov.au or have it sent out on to them.
Brief: Facebook founders sued for "stolen" site - Facebook founders sued for "stolen" site [security news]
Selling ads against search - it seemed like such a simple thing. But while CEO Terry Semel fumbled and bumbled, Google pulled ahead.
By Fred Vogelstein
Terry Semel was pissed. The Yahoo CEO had offered to buy Google for roughly $3 billion, but the young Internet search firm wasn't interested. Once upon a time, Google's founders had come to Yahoo for an infusion of cash; now they were turning up their noses at what Semel believed was a perfectly reasonable offer. Worse, Semel's lieutenants were telling him that, in fact, Google was probably worth at least $5 billion.
This was way back in the summer of 2002, two years before Google went public. An age before Google's stock soared above $500 a share, giving the company a market value of $147 billion -- right behind Chevron and just ahead of Intel.
