2016

Tools For The Job

May 17th, 2016 — Tim Honey | 2 comments

Tools

People often speak about how important it is to have the correct tools for the job.

This is usually true. Being able to complete a task successfully is much easier if you have the appropriate tools that can cope with what needs to be done. Specialist tools are designed for specific functions, so it makes sense. But there is also something to be said for the ability to improvise. Although improvisation might not give exactly the same result - finding alternative solutions can usually provide sufficient outcomes.

In the interest of helping to find those alternative solutions, I’ve put together a little visual presentation of how - when you don’t have the correct tools - the value of improvisation comes in to play.

Have a look here

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SARUA Open Access Conference 2016

May 11th, 2016 — Tim Honey | 1 comment

Africa, Cape Town, Cape Town International Convention Centre, Conference, CTICC, Learning, Magna Charta Observatory, OA, Open Access, Pam Andrews, SADC, SARUA, Services, South Africa, Southern African Regional Universities Association, Unesco, Universities, University and Update

About two weeks ago I had the opportunity to document another conference for SARUA (Southern African Universities Association). SARUA works to facilitate co-operation between the leadership of universities in SADC countries. You can check them out and get a better idea of exactly what they do on their web-site, here: SARUA
Working with SARUA gives me an insight into matters that relate to learning/education – one of my pet issues – at a level that I would not otherwise be exposed to. They’re also nice people, so I enjoy being (in some small way) part of what they do.

This conference was held as a pre-event to the Going Global conference which was to start later the same day – both at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). I’d only been to the CTICC twice before. The first time was in 2005 for the release party for then-Rhythm City actress Pam Andrews’ album Here We Go. Pam was pretty cool. Well, cool enough to have a shot of vodka with me at the bar after her performance. It may have been more than one shot, but I don’t really remember. Pam made another foray into music last year, but is now living in London. I hope it wasn’t something I said…
This is the video for Pam’s song from 2015 (which I’m pretty sure has nothing to do with anything I said):
(Please note: This bears no actual relevance to the conference, and is probably not suitable viewing for too-sensitive or discerning viewers)

My second visit to the CTICC was to pick someone up. I’m starting to think that – in the bigger scheme of things – the second occasion probably doesn’t carry much weight.

The aim of the conference was to expand dialog amongst the universities around the issue of Open Access. Open Access addresses the freeing up of access to published academic research on order to make it easier for students and researchers to utilize for the purposes of learning and reference in the production of further and related research. The way much of this knowledge is monopolised by a handful of publishers leads to universities having to pay exorbitant fees for access to published research – including that produced by their own researchers. Open Access also aims to help elevate the status of Universities and their researchers without them having to buy in to the costly corporate publishing structures.

Admittedly, I was not aware of the extent to which knowledge from academic research has become corporatised, so I was a little surprised. It seems that some progress is being made in the creation of systems that facilitate more affordable access to published research, but there is clearly still a lot of work to be done. The commoditisation and monopolisation of access to knowledge on such a large scale is surely a hindrance to our progress as humans, and when done purely for the financial gain, it seems criminal. Seems…? Obviously there are costs involved in producing, storing and distributing academic research, but when access to much of it is controlled by the amount of finance you have – as with any corporatisation – we seem to be missing the point.

Anyway, I won’t claim to be super knowledgeable on the topic, but I do believe that one should always strive to learn more. Knowledge certainly is power, and a practice of effectively withholding knowledge only defeats our progress. So do some of your own research, and if you’re privileged enough to be studying at reputable university – give it some extra thought. It may just be that the guy in the middle is not the true enemy.

In conversation before the start of the conference
Nan Wagner, Project Manager of the Intellectual Property Unit at UCT, Prof Primrose Karusha, Vice Chancellor of Zimbabwe Open University and Dr Sijbolt Noorda of Magna Charta Obsevatory. Nan had kindly supplied me with a coffee earlier.
The corner with the AV desk.
AV technicians behind at table with Prof Samson Sibanda, Vice Chancellor of the University of Science & Technology in Zimbabwe, and unidentified delegate and Dr Carol Nonkwelo, Executive Director of Research & Postgraduate Studies at the University of Johannesburg.
Running late.
SARUA Director Botha Kruger explaining a slight delay to the start of proceedings.
Welcome Address
SARUA Chairperson Dr Primrose Kurusha welcomes delegates.
Research values in a changing world
Prof Zeblon Vilakazi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research & Postgraduate Studies at Wits started his address by paying tribute to seven of the university’s students who had lost their lives in a motor vehicle accident the preceding weekend. He was visibly moved by that event, but went on to deliver an impassioned address.
Questions
Prof Narend Baijnath, CEO of the Council of Higher Education in South Africa.
Making notes
Various delegates from UCT
Responses from Senegal
Dr Williams Nwagwu, Head of CODESRIA from Senegal with Dr Leti Kleyn, Manager of Open Scholarship & Digitisation Programmes at University of Pretoria paying close attention.
Dutch Perspective
Dr Sijbolt Noorda of Magna Charta Observatory. I had to figure out how to use his iPhone to take a photo for him earlier…
Insight from Latin America
Brazilian Bianca Amaro de Melo, Coordinator for Instituto Brasileiro addressing delegates.
Trying to speed up the pace
A lighter moment with Bianca Amaro de Melo enjoying Dr Andoh Pascal Hoba’s attempt to get delegates to use less time.
Next
Dr Andoh Pascal Hoba of Malawi’s UbuntuNet Alliance about to introduce Eve Gray, Open Access Programme Facilitator at the IP Unit, UCT.
On Fire
Eve Gray is clearly not happy about corporate monopolies. One of her concerns related to how the high cost of access to published academic research could lead to the death of the academic publishing industry due to the threat of piracy, and drew a comparison to the music industry. I’m not sure that I agree completely that piracy was the main cause of the death of the music industry, but it was interesting to hear the issue come up. Having spent much time in the music industry, and having eventually been culled from it due to corporate greed, this issue is still close to my heart.
The Convert
Garry Rosenberg from Essential Books has insight into the other side. He awkwardly confesses having worked for one of the big publishers, where margins take precedence over consequence.
Making Movies
Dr Lidia Borrell-Damain, Director for Research & Innovation for the European Universities Association, delivers her address via USB stick.
A Busy Man
Dr Hoba eventually taking the podium for his own address dealing with benefits of direct inter-African internet networks, and making a point of adhering to the adjusted time allowed for speaking.
Gotta go
Prof Caroline Ncube of the Department of Commercial Law at UCT didn’t have to make excuses for rushing through her presentation. She had another appointment she had to get to after her address, and offered legal help to the OA movement.
Emphasizing brevity
Dr Noorda listening to Prof Crain Soudien, CEO of the Human Sciences Research Council provide a summary after the conclusion of all the speakers’ contributions, and then attempting to insist on keeping questions and discussions to the point.
A Life to Learn
Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo, Deputy Director of UNESCO’s Institute for Life-Long Learning had a lot to offer due to her vast experience, both as an educator, and in various organisations promoting education as a form of empowerment.
The French Contingent
I think this is one of the delegates for Universite de Lubumbashi in the DRC. I may be completely mistaken. Help me if you know.
Important Questions
Prof Stephanie Burton, Vice-Principal of Research & Academic Studies at University of Pretoria.
Grateful Response
Piyushi Kotecha, CEO of SARUA responds to Prof Burton’s concerns.
More pariticipation
Judy Favish, Director of Institutional Planning at UCT.
And more
Gwenda Thomas from UCT Libraries.
Raising concerns
Prof Samson Sibanda, Vice-Chancellor of Zimbabwe’s National University of Science & Technology.
More from the French-speaking delegates
Prof Jean Paul Segihoba Bigira, Vice-Chancellor of the Universite de Goma in the DRC with an attentive Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo.
Offering to share knowledge
Bianca Amaro de Melo offers to share knowledge gained from Instituto Brasileiro’s experience with Open Access to see if it is relevant for the African scenario.
Contributions from my home town
Ellen Tise, Senior Director of Library Services at Stellenbosch University offers to help with co-ordination of further action.
Contributing from the floor, too
Dr Hoba has a lot on his mind - and his plate - having played roles as Chairperson, Speaker and general participant.
DRC
Rector of the Universite de Lubumbashi, Prof Gilbert Kishiba Fitula.
Emphasizing the importance of urgency, cohesion and commitment
Wrapping up the discussion, Dr Noorda made it clear that the only way to succeed is if there is a common goal without the distractions of differences in matters that are of no consequence to achieving that goal.
In Closing
Prof Primrose Kurasha ended the formal proceedings with her closing remarks.
Where it all starts
Dr Hoba connects with Prof Jean Paul Segihoba Bigira and other delegates. It’s seems to me that much of the value of conferences is in what happens after formal proceedings end. You make your friends over tea and a ham croissant…
The UNESCO Effect
Delegates were quite keen to connect with Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo.
Will you please...
The first semi-formal group photo.
Just wait...
And the second. And the last.

There was quite lot of participation from delegates, and in order to be relatively representative, I have included quite a lot of photographs. You can see larger images here

On a technical note; Lighting in the venue was slightly deceptive. The ceiling is high, and is practically a huge lighting grid. This makes for even lighting, but because there’s light everywhere, the effect is rather bland. When the lights were set to the requirements of the event – with kind consideration for what I had to do – the space appeared to be much brighter than it actually was. I ended up using a bounced and flash to add a little light to the room. I’m not a great fan of the flash, so it was set to produce a very low output - mostly avoiding being too intrusive and distracting. In retrospect, I probably could have pushed the capabilities my tools a little further, but as it was – I just had to work a little harder. Next time…

Link to where some of this work has been used:
Magna Charta Observatory
Links to where previous work has been used:
Higher Education Management Africa
ConsultBrain
SARUA

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Mother’s Day Grain

May 9th, 2016 — Tim Honey | 1 comment

Blue Daisey, Cape Town, Clouds, Felicia amelloides, Fern, Garden, Hawthorn, Lightning, Mother’s Day, Nature, Parents, Robinia, Sky, South Africa, Stellenbosch, Swamp Cypress, Table Mountain, Thunder and Update

Just not from me…

I was (sort of) hoping to be awake early today (it’s still Sunday, the 8th of May, 2016 - and Mother’s Day in South Africa - as I’m starting to write this, so I’m sticking with ‘today’), but – as it usually happens – I couldn’t get to sleep last night. It wasn’t for lack of trying – I just can’t fall asleep before I am really sleepy, and that usually only happens at around 03h00. Go figure. I need my sleep in order to keep my heart from going into over-drive, so my final waking time depends on whether I have appointments, or whether I’ve had a sufficient amount of sleep.

But I woke up at about 05h00, had a glass of water and went back to bed and fell asleep. I missed the dawn sky over the Stellenbosch mountains I’ve so often half-heartedly planned to photograph again. It turns out the sky was clear anyway, so I wasn’t too concerned. Clear sky is not as interesting to me as cloudy sky.

I was already running slightly late for a Mother’s Day lunch in Stellenbosch when my Kombi refused to start. Not a cough. Not a splutter. Not even a whisper of a turn of an engine. Niks. I’m assuming it was a combination of a couple of things, because after emptying the last drops of spare fuel from my jerry can into the tank, fiddling with wires, brushing cement dust away from connections, and tapping stuff (like the coil and starter motor) with the handle end of a large screwdriver – she started – as if nothing had ever been the matter. After chipping some dried cement chunks off my windscreen while getting more fuel for the trip at the closest petrol station – I was off.

Seriously, what’s with this cement? – you ask.
There have been builders on the premises where I live that have been busy doing renovations and structural maintenance. Much of this involves cement. – I answer.

While driving along the N1 to Stellenbosch I saw a flash of lightning in the distance – straight ahead, so more-or-less to the East. I only saw one flash – and this brings me back to Saturday night/Sunday morning, and probably part of the reason I couldn’t get to sleep. At some point during last month, a trusty weather service had forecast thunderstorms around Cape Town for the next day. I’ve been pretty keen to photograph lightning again and planned to take a trip down the Peninsula to chase it - so I was quite excited! This is what happened the last time I photographed lightning - about three and a half years ago:

Lightning Strike over Claremont 2012 [16006]

But those forecasts disappeared as the day broke. Gone. Soos mis voor die môre son.
For the next three weeks I watched weather forecasts with much hope – but no luck. Then – out of the blue on Saturday night: a thunder-clap right over my neighbourhood! I quickly set up my gear – excited as a little Christian child on Christmas morning. Disappointment wasn’t an option. My moment had arrived. This. Was. It.

When I got outside the sky showed no signs of a thunderstorm. The cloud cover was frail and high, and there was a chill in the air. Nothing like a sky about to erupt with the force of anything that would have 52 days of the year named after it. It was still and rather drab. At least for about an hour – when there was another blast. But again… It might as well have been a back-firing Cortina from the adjacent block of flats. No further signs of thunder. Until, after another long delay, there was another strike. But by that time I was already in bed.

But I digress…

Lunch with most of the family was good. I haven’t been east for a while, and Peet always makes a good meal. Afterwards I went to my parents’ home – for another espresso, and just to catch up with them. My parents – and when we still lived ‘at home’, sometimes the rest of us (the children) – have spent much time cultivating a beautiful garden in which, today, I photographed this:

Felicia amelloides [12006]

Felicia amelloides [09007]

Fern [02001]

Hawthorn [36001]

Swamp Cypress [33001]

Robinia [37004]

Robinia [43005]

I left Stellenbosch just before sunset, and was on the Annandale road just after. The sky over the Hottentots-Holland Mountain Range and towards Cape Town was spectacular, with some rays of the already-set sun still catching the higher edges of a varied array of cloud formations. This was great – my missed dawn had come to meet me at dusk. But it was actually already a little too dark, I was a little too excited, and too blindingly preoccupied with some exploratory technical experimentation that I’d also been waiting to do, that I wasn’t concentrating sufficiently on the outcomes. I pushed my ISO speed beyond reason for the moment. I got still enough (hand-held) photographs that looked very nice on a small scale, but I’ve deleted them.

I couldn’t live with the converted grain.

Happy Mother’s Day.

View larger photographs here

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A View of Table Mountain during Winter.

May 6th, 2016 — Tim Honey | 6 comments

Bird, Cape Town, Cinnyris chalybeus, Lesser Double-Collared Sunbird, Nature, South Africa, Southern Double-Collared Sunbird, Sunbird, Table Mountain, Update and Winter

Winter is still my fourth favourite season. One of the many reasons for this is the unendurable task of drying washed clothes.
If you’re old-school - or poor - you’ll know exactly what I mean.

This afternoon, while hanging another bit of clothing out to dry in the sun on a clothes-drying rack on my balcony, I noticed a Southern Double-collared Sunbird in the tree that graciously blocks my would-be numbing view of Table Mountain through a stretch of electrical cables. When out in public, sunbirds usually dart about from flower to flower collecting nectar, or chasing after insects, so I thought I’d just watch it for the brief moment it was to be in view before fluttering off, and then carry on with my day.

By the time I finished hanging the washing he was still there. So I watched him a little longer.

I’d had my moment of observing, then thought I may as well fetch my camera – knowing that he would certainly be gone by the time I got back to the balcony, but satisfied that I had managed to spend some time enjoying his presence - therefore countering the disappointment of missing the moment.

So I went inside, swapped lenses, and when I got back he was still there! Calmly hopping from branch to branch as if inspecting the neighborhood as a potential home turf.

The area inside the tree was relatively dark, and I had to shoot through layers of branches to get where he was sitting making mental notes.