If computers can beat humans at chess, does that make them smarter than us? Julia Grey reports MACHINE has finally conquered man: Garry Kasparov, world champion chess player, succumbed this week to IBM’s supercomputer, Deep Blue, in their six-game rematch. The outlandish vision of the science fiction world, seen in 2001: A Space Odyssey, where […]
herStoriA deputy editor DELIA ROTHNIE-JONES explores the rewards of literary prizes THE recent death of the CNA Literary Award means that another window of opportunity for writers has been boarded up. Soon we shall be left only with peep-holes into our country’s soul. Faced with this withering of literary activity, we are forced to ask […]
IF the writing was not on the wall for the Mobutu Sese Seko regime before, it was there last week in a cable sent to Washington by the United States embassy in Kinshasa. It reported that the newly appointed prime minister of Zaire, General Likulia Bolongo was preparing for “a speedy departure from Kinshasa with […]
De Kock was told to find evidence in support of Vlok’s claims.
CYCLING:Gustav Thiel SOUTH AFRICA’S cycling fraternity will receive what some term a belated wake-up call when the African continent hosts the first-ever World Cup event in this sport in Stellenbosch this weekend. The first leg of the prestigious Grundig UCI World Cup for mountain bikes in South Africa heralds the genesis, if event organiser Carinus […]
A CROWD of 200 quietly formed in a semi- circle around the main shack. They remained silent for about 45 minutes, apart from one woman’s exuberant cries of yebo when she heard something she really liked. They were listening to the interview with Agrinette Madwayi (40) and two other senior members of the residents’ committee. […]
Charl Blignaut ANYBODY out there love the Village People? Anybody, in those heady days, when disco inferno met queer lib, regard them as fabulous, fluffy-slut pop role models? Well darlings, shock and horror: not only did the Village People never sing their own songs, but only one of the six was even gay. In an […]
FRIDAY, 11.00AM The insider trading task group, chaired by Mervyn King, has recommended plea bargains, civil sanctions for malfactors of three times the amount gained through insider trading and fines of R2-million or 10 years in prison. The report was presented yesterday to the Policy Board for Financial Services and Regulations, appointed by the Finance […]
BOTH teams have Italian strikers – Chelsea have Gianfranco Zola while Middlesbrough boast the talents of Fabrizio Ravanelli. But there will be many other foreigners on display making Saturday’s FACup the most cosmopolitan ever staged, with 10 different nationalities represented in the expected starting line-ups. Italy will have the biggest overseas contingent, with four. Other […]
FRIDAY, 1.00PM PARLIAMENT’S communications committee convened a hasty meeting today (Friday) to be told that councillors were required to give three months notice. Only the president may dismiss a councillor for misconduct. But the committee resolved to accept the resignations and call for new applications for posts as speedily as possible. The IBA is unable […]