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Monday 1 March 2010
By Andy on Monday 1 March 2010, 12:47 - Computers
Kiwix, an offline wikipedia selection, is installed at Kwena Malapo school.
Friday 4 December 2009
By Andy on Friday 4 December 2009, 16:23
The Copenhagen Climate Change conference opens next week. It is
the 15th major meeting since the start at the Earth Summit in
1992 in Rio de Janeiro. Along the way we had the Kyoto Protocol
in 1997 and an attempt to extend the Kyoto Protocol at the Earth Summit in
Montreal in 2005.
Wednesday 25 November 2009
By Andy on Wednesday 25 November 2009, 09:23 - Computers
I have been involved for a
number of years with Hilton Theunissen and the Shuttleworth Foundation and
their efforts to bring computers to township schools. A part of that software
suite was an offline copy of wikipedia.
Thursday 25 June 2009
By Andy on Thursday 25 June 2009, 17:31
The African Institute for Mathematical
Sciences held the graduation dinner for the class of 2009 at the Muizenberg Pavilion on June 25, 2009. Present were
Vice-Chancellors from three of Cape Town's Universities, and the Kenyan
Ambassador Tom Amolo.
Sunday 7 December 2008
By Andy on Sunday 7 December 2008, 15:08
The Ministry of Home Affairs, Zimbabwe is position in the Zimbabwean government is
currently subject to a tussle of control between Zanu-PF and MDC. However it is
overshadowed by the Provincial administration in the communal areas, which
largely controls food distribution.
Monday 9 June 2008
By Andy on Monday 9 June 2008, 15:36
Today, I visited two schools in
Abuja, Nigeria, both of
which were pilot schools for the new low cost laptops targeted at schools in
the third world. One Laptop per Child started
in Galadima Junior school, in Abuja Model Village,
and Intel launched 'One
laptop per teacher and child' at Jabi Junior Secondary school, in Jabi
district, Abuja.
Sunday 11 May 2008
By Andy on Sunday 11 May 2008, 15:10
On May
11, the African Institute for
Mathematical Sciences opened its Research Centre. Present were a host of
dignitaries, led by Stephen Hawking, Michael
Griffin, the current administrator of NASA, and Nobel prize-winners
David
Gross and George Smoot. A lineup indeed.
Thursday 20 March 2008
By Andy on Thursday 20 March 2008, 16:09
Habeni Primary school is in
Zululand, and has recently acquired a computer lab. Courtesy of Kelsey Wood and Wizzy Digital Courier, it also has
Internet.
Tuesday 23 October 2007
By Andy on Tuesday 23 October 2007, 14:44
Wikipedia has started its regular fund drive with a video from the founder, Jimmy Wales. He starts by expounding the knowledge-for-everyone mantra of wikipedia, and in particular promoting wikipedias in third world languages like Swahili.
The video finishes up with clips of people around the world talking about wikipedia, how it has benefited them, and how they contribute, including people typing articles in on cellphones ..
There is a clip of me, at Lavender Hill Secondary school (at a township close to Muizenberg more renowned for its gangs) talking about my placement of a complete copy of wikipedia down at schools that have no daytime internet access, and also the Lab administrator Shanaaz talking about her wish for more content on the Afrikaans wikipedia.
Check it out, at the Wikimedia foundation or the Youtube mirror.
Tuesday 9 October 2007
By Andy on Tuesday 9 October 2007, 16:42
As an update on the Wizzy
project, a fair bit has been happening. 
Tuesday 15 May 2007
By Andy on Tuesday 15 May 2007, 00:47
I have been working at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences since December 2006. It is a pleasant work environment, the work I do has direct applicability to the work I do with Wizzy, and I get to listen to some really great lecturers from universities around the world. I have taken an interest in Cosmology and Quantum mechanics, a field that has changed so drastically in the last 10 years that I can happily forget most of what I knew before ..