Kevin Slavin argues that we're living in a world designed for - and increasingly controlled by - algorithms. In this riveting talk from TEDGlobal, he shows how these complex computer programs determine: espionage tactics, stock prices, movie scripts, and architecture. And he warns that we are writing code we can't understand, with implications we can't control.
(Source: TED http://www.ted.com/ )
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Monday, 18 July 2011
TRAINING COURSE – PROCESS IMPROVEMENT & MANAGING CHANGE
Johannesburg, South Africa - 5 & 6 September 2011
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Process Improvement is a series of actions taken to identify, analyse and improve existing operational processes within any business or organisation to meet its goals and objectives. Such goals/objectives may include the need to reduce costs, achieve greater operational efficiency, the merging and simplification of existing processes etc.
Process improvement follows a specific methodology or strategy to create successful results. All operations whether back-office, middle-office or front-office are based on business processes. Often however, these Processes have been inherited from earlier times, and have been endlessly modified over time leading to a loss of their earlier efficiencies.
This applies equally to all businesses, organizations and their activities – from large modern-day corporations, through offices, factories, shops – and at all levels from businesses or organizations with thousands of staff right down to Mom ‘n Pop stores.
With Process Improvement comes change. Often too, these changes introduce a layer of uneasiness to the individuals that make up the business or organisation. Just as critical as improving your processes and benefitting from innovation, is getting your staff to accept change as beneficial. Change introduces elements of unease that push people out of their own comfort zones and can create resistance in even the best run organisations.
This course is designed for all people involved in business, services and other profit and non-profit organisations to introduce them to the world of Business and Organizational Processes – what they are and how they can be improved. It incorporates managing change, and how by coping with change, the changes themselves are strengthened and enhanced and beneficial instead of something to be feared. The course has also been specially designed to address the differing entry level knowledge of the participants.
How will you benefit from this course?
This course is aimed anybody in any business/ organisation who wishes to gain a clear understanding of business and operational processes, what they are, how they come about and how they can be improved in an organized logical way.
Managers, supervisors, senior and junior staff, from operational and administrative areas will all benefit from this straight forward, comprehensive course on Process Improvement. This course applies equally to staff of firms operating at the corporate level, in manufacturing, in services, in retail trade and in non-profit organisations.
For a fully descriptive brochure please send a blank e-mail to courses@citadeladvantage.com with PROCESS-JHB in the Subject line.
Process improvement follows a specific methodology or strategy to create successful results. All operations whether back-office, middle-office or front-office are based on business processes. Often however, these Processes have been inherited from earlier times, and have been endlessly modified over time leading to a loss of their earlier efficiencies.
This applies equally to all businesses, organizations and their activities – from large modern-day corporations, through offices, factories, shops – and at all levels from businesses or organizations with thousands of staff right down to Mom ‘n Pop stores.
With Process Improvement comes change. Often too, these changes introduce a layer of uneasiness to the individuals that make up the business or organisation. Just as critical as improving your processes and benefitting from innovation, is getting your staff to accept change as beneficial. Change introduces elements of unease that push people out of their own comfort zones and can create resistance in even the best run organisations.
This course is designed for all people involved in business, services and other profit and non-profit organisations to introduce them to the world of Business and Organizational Processes – what they are and how they can be improved. It incorporates managing change, and how by coping with change, the changes themselves are strengthened and enhanced and beneficial instead of something to be feared. The course has also been specially designed to address the differing entry level knowledge of the participants.
How will you benefit from this course?
- Understanding a Business Process—what it is and how it is mapped.
- Understand how business processes can be improved.
- Understanding change and our reactions to this.
- Understanding stress within the context of process reengineering and change.
- Successful approaches to planning, initiating and managing a successful process improvement project.
This course is aimed anybody in any business/ organisation who wishes to gain a clear understanding of business and operational processes, what they are, how they come about and how they can be improved in an organized logical way.
Managers, supervisors, senior and junior staff, from operational and administrative areas will all benefit from this straight forward, comprehensive course on Process Improvement. This course applies equally to staff of firms operating at the corporate level, in manufacturing, in services, in retail trade and in non-profit organisations.
For a fully descriptive brochure please send a blank e-mail to courses@citadeladvantage.com with PROCESS-JHB in the Subject line.
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Where will mobile payments be in the next five years?
Wells Fargo's Peter Ho speaks on where you'll be able to use your phone to pay in five years.
Mobile payments: Who needs NFC anyway?
Despite flurry of NFC interest, Starbucks is satisfied with success of barcode scanning technology.
Starbucks says it has done just fine using basic barcode scanning technology for its successful US smartphone payment system, which raises the question: Who really needs Near Field Communication wireless technology for mobile payments?
Get the full details HERE.
Starbucks says it has done just fine using basic barcode scanning technology for its successful US smartphone payment system, which raises the question: Who really needs Near Field Communication wireless technology for mobile payments?
Get the full details HERE.
Payments service Dwolla Hits $1 million transactions a week
Payment platform Dwolla is celebrating an important milestone this week; Hitting almost 1 million a week in payments on the service. This is rapid growth, as six months ago the startup was completing $50,000 in transactions a week. Only three months ago, it hit the $1 million transactions a month mark.
Co-founder Ben Milne says that this is notable because it was only a little over a year and a half ago that billion dollar startup Square crossed the exact same “$1 million a week” milestone.
With 20,000 users currently, Dwolla provides a free web based software platform which allows users to exchange funds with any other Dwolla user. Users who receive funds are charged 25 cents, versus PayPal’s 30 cents.
The company recently released their FiSync feature, and has thus far hooked up with 11 banks to provide the service to another potential 600,000 users. In addition Dwolla recently launched GRID, allowing third party platforms like Google Wallet and Mint to potentially access its API as well as Spots, a payments feature based on location checkins.
Co-founder Ben Milne writes, ” I can say this with a straight smile on my face, ‘Thank you Google.’ Since the announcement of the Google Wallet, we’ve seen outstanding interest and excitement in our cash-based network from merchants wanting to adopt our low-cost mobile payment platform. “
The payments space is definitely heating up.
Co-founder Ben Milne says that this is notable because it was only a little over a year and a half ago that billion dollar startup Square crossed the exact same “$1 million a week” milestone.
With 20,000 users currently, Dwolla provides a free web based software platform which allows users to exchange funds with any other Dwolla user. Users who receive funds are charged 25 cents, versus PayPal’s 30 cents.
The company recently released their FiSync feature, and has thus far hooked up with 11 banks to provide the service to another potential 600,000 users. In addition Dwolla recently launched GRID, allowing third party platforms like Google Wallet and Mint to potentially access its API as well as Spots, a payments feature based on location checkins.
Co-founder Ben Milne writes, ” I can say this with a straight smile on my face, ‘Thank you Google.’ Since the announcement of the Google Wallet, we’ve seen outstanding interest and excitement in our cash-based network from merchants wanting to adopt our low-cost mobile payment platform. “
The payments space is definitely heating up.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Mobile banking multiplies in South Africa
Africa's banking picture is changing, thanks to rising incomes and spreading use of mobile phones. In South Africa, Standard Bank is breaking from its main business in favor of a low-cost mobile phone model. WSJ's Peter Wonacott reports.
Friday, 10 June 2011
A whirlwind trip from Israel to Spain to attend “Whisky Live Madrid”
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| Richard at "Whisky Live Madrid" |
Richard recently spent a lighting 32 hours in a dash to Spain to attend “Whisky Live Madrid”.
Read about his lightening trip, the event and see all the photos HERE.
US Senators worried about Bitcoin and the possible link to the online drugs market
Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer virtual currency that was established in 2009 which bypasses regular banks and clearing houses.
Bitcoin has come under fire recently from US senators who are worried that it is being used to anonymously buy illegal drugs online.
The coins can be generated online by people running an application called a Bitcoin Miner and are then stored in the user's digital wallet and exchanged anonymously, using an electronic signature.
Recently, the currency was in the news after the Gawker blog network posted a story claiming it was the only way users can buy drugs on Silk Road, an online marketplace accessible through the annonymising network Tor.
Democratic senators Charles Schumer of New York and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have now written to Attorney General Eric Holder and Drug Enforcement Administration head Michele Leonhart expressing their fears about both the Silk Road and Bitcoin.
The senators say they "urge you to take immediate action and shut down the Silk Road network" but this would be an extremely difficult task, prompting speculation that the site's currency, Bitcoin, could be targeted instead.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA spokeswoman) Dawn Dearden told Reuters that the agency is concerned about Bitcoin and similar digital currencies, adding: "The DEA is constantly evaluating and analysing new technologies and schemes perpetrated by drug trafficking networks."
What is Bitcoin? Well follow the outfit’s own video.
Bitcoin has come under fire recently from US senators who are worried that it is being used to anonymously buy illegal drugs online.
The coins can be generated online by people running an application called a Bitcoin Miner and are then stored in the user's digital wallet and exchanged anonymously, using an electronic signature.
Recently, the currency was in the news after the Gawker blog network posted a story claiming it was the only way users can buy drugs on Silk Road, an online marketplace accessible through the annonymising network Tor.
Democratic senators Charles Schumer of New York and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have now written to Attorney General Eric Holder and Drug Enforcement Administration head Michele Leonhart expressing their fears about both the Silk Road and Bitcoin.
The senators say they "urge you to take immediate action and shut down the Silk Road network" but this would be an extremely difficult task, prompting speculation that the site's currency, Bitcoin, could be targeted instead.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA spokeswoman) Dawn Dearden told Reuters that the agency is concerned about Bitcoin and similar digital currencies, adding: "The DEA is constantly evaluating and analysing new technologies and schemes perpetrated by drug trafficking networks."
What is Bitcoin? Well follow the outfit’s own video.
Monday, 6 June 2011
What will Apple announce at WWDC 2011?
From Apple’s pre-announcement last week we already know that the company will unveil Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud at WWDC 2011 (Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference) later today.
But what about new features? What can we expect Steve Jobs to unveil?
According to folk in the know we can expect to see features like Universal Remote Computer Access, Music Stream via iCloud and Wireless Syncing.
One particular interesting prediction revolves around Siri and Nuance.
In April 2010, Apple acquired Siri, an artificial intelligence technology that turns your iPhone into a personal assistant. Voice inquiries are quickly turned into mapping directions, restaurant reservations and movie reviews.
At the same time, Apple is rumored to be working on a licensing deal with Nuance, which provides some of the most powerful speech recognition technology on the market. Siri actually uses Nuance technology already.
With a deeper integration in iOS 5 though, Siri and Nuance could transform the iPhone from a mobile computer to a smart device with the capability to assisting you in almost any situation. Chat with your iPhone, and it comes back with the exact answer to your question or hooks you up with a list of sushi restaurants to visit on your next business trip.
The following video demonstrates some of the possibilities.
It may not be long until you start talking to your phone like you would your best friend.
But what about new features? What can we expect Steve Jobs to unveil?
According to folk in the know we can expect to see features like Universal Remote Computer Access, Music Stream via iCloud and Wireless Syncing.
One particular interesting prediction revolves around Siri and Nuance.
In April 2010, Apple acquired Siri, an artificial intelligence technology that turns your iPhone into a personal assistant. Voice inquiries are quickly turned into mapping directions, restaurant reservations and movie reviews.
At the same time, Apple is rumored to be working on a licensing deal with Nuance, which provides some of the most powerful speech recognition technology on the market. Siri actually uses Nuance technology already.
With a deeper integration in iOS 5 though, Siri and Nuance could transform the iPhone from a mobile computer to a smart device with the capability to assisting you in almost any situation. Chat with your iPhone, and it comes back with the exact answer to your question or hooks you up with a list of sushi restaurants to visit on your next business trip.
The following video demonstrates some of the possibilities.
It may not be long until you start talking to your phone like you would your best friend.
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