Charlene Carroll

You must have noticed by now that IT devices are getting more and more aesthetically pleasing. PCs, cellphones and personal devices are starting to take a shape of their own. Cellphones sport "waistlines", PCs come in a range of your favourite colours and shapes with see-through keyboards and colour-coded mouses.

When I asked my significant other what bothered him most about computers, his reply was, "The size of the keyboard." He went on to say that his biggest frustration is the learning curve computers impose if they were previously inaccessible to you. But that generation is starting to disappear and, although its legacy remains with us, the technological world is evolving at a rapid rate.

For almost five years the government has been on a major drive to streamline the services it delivers to the public through the intelligent use of computers and IT.
The latest development was the launch of the South African government services website last week. What the site currently lacks in content, aesthetic value and navigational adeptness it makes up for in concept.

Risk management is by no means a new concept, but the way it is implemented these days has changed dramatically. In the 1970s and much of the 1980s, businesses simply insured themselves financially against risk. But what happens when enterprises are built (as they are today) on data warehouses of information?

"One of the perks of my job is the delivery of gadgets and gizmos to my office (unfortunately, I do eventually have to give them back to the suppliers). Enter three products — all apparently designed to empower me to run my business from the local coffee shop or, even more appealingly, from a beach home in Plettenberg Bay, " writes Charlene Carroll.

The long break since you last saw Domain content may have had you wondering if we would ever return. But it takes more than a month’s rest to shake off the shackles of technology. Can you hear it bleeping around you as we speak? Is that your cellphone beeping an SMS through, the power-supply fan on your PC making that whirring noise? And did your fridge really just order takeout?

If someone shouts "Truce!", it means a temporary cessation of hostilities. But be sure that when it’s over the war will go on. Thus the "truce" called by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), in conjunction with the Department of Trade and Industry, in the war on software pirates.

Checking flight arrival and departure times or the status of your bank account has never been easier. With the advent of speech-recognition software, and its more advanced application, you are now able to avoid the call-centre loop and get the information you require by speaking directly to the telephone.

Black economic empowerment has become the core business strategy for companies going forward and the information, communications and technology (ICT) industry is no different. In fact, with the ICT charter scheduled for finalisation in April next year, companies are starting to scrabble to get their houses in order.

Dell sells its PCs over the Internet, over the phone and, occasionally, through a sales consultant. So how, when the odds were stacked against it, has this company managed to make a success of its business? Simple — outsource your risk.

The much-advertised "Give One Minute of Your Life to Stop Aids" <i>46664</i> music concert, to be held in Cape Town on November 29, will urge the meeting of technology and music like never before.

Last week saw the fourth year of the Forge Ahead information communications technology (ICT) industry African Achievers Awards held at the Sandton Convention Centre. Here are the winners: