For the past two years the actions of government and protesting studentshave slowly started squeezing South Africa’s universities into a shadow of their former selves. In his book “As by Fire” prominent educationalist Jonathan Jansen argues that South Africa is witnessing the end of its universities. He explains that this doesn’t mean the doors will close. Registration will […] … learn more→
Monthly Archives: October 2017
South Africa can’t afford to see its universities pitch over the precipice
The month of hell (TM)
I first saw the film of David Mamet’s play Glengarry Glen Ross(1992), as an undergraduate pursuing a degree in literature and film, around 2004. It chimed with my ideas about the sort of working future I didn’t want to have, and the meaninglessness of labour under capitalism, but otherwise I thought little more about it – […] … learn more→
Why it’s time to lay the stereotype of the ‘teen brain’ to rest
A deficit in the development of the teenage brain has been blamed for teens’ behavior in recent years, but it may be time to lay the stereotype of the wild teenage brain to rest. Brain deficits don’t make teens do risky things; lack of experience and a drive to explore the world are the real […] … learn more→
An AI professor explains: three concerns about granting citizenship to robot Sophia
I was surprised to hear that a robot named Sophia was granted citizenship by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The announcement last week followed the Kingdom’s commitment of US$500 billion to build a new city – Neom powered by robotics and renewables. One of the most honourable concepts for a human being, to be a citizen and all that […] … learn more→
8 Benefits of gaming rely on scientific research!
Nowadays, it’s easy to access video games because the gaming industry is growing fast as well as having a variety of devices that support the user. In particular, mobile games are a new trend in the world. There are many types of games, and this article will talk about games that can help you reduce […] … learn more→
The problem with “taking offense”
The notion that college student protesters are reacting to “offensive” speech has held outsized influence in national debates about free speech and student unrest on campus. The right’s preoccupation with the idea of the “offended” student—the “crybully,” the “snowflake,” the “little fascist”—is so integral to conservative political identity in the Trump era that it’s elevated […] … learn more→
How should Australia respond to China’s influence in our universities?
The federal government is concerned about Chinese influence in Australia, particularly on universities. While we don’t know exactly how deep this influence runs, we do know quite a bit. Financially, many Australian universities depend on international students from mainland China. It was recently suggested that 16% of the University of Sydney’s revenue comes from these students. Over the past two decades, this […] … learn more→
Middlebury College intimidated by students
Conservative speaker Ben Shapiro gave a “successful” talk at Berkeley recently. It’s a sad state of affairs that we now call a talk by a non-Leftist as “successful” if it satisfies the condition of “no Leftists rioted.” The secret to the success? Not telling the police to stand down. It’s a good start, but another […] … learn more→
Why choosing the right business software can increase productivity and performance
With a variety of business software becoming more and more vital to the business world, it’s essential for a business to use efficient software—because inefficient software has its drawbacks. From a user’s perspective, sub-optimal software hampers workflow and may generate a flawed output; and, from a business’ perspective, it increases operating costs because employees are […] … learn more→
Nearly 2/3rds of public U’s have become less accessible since 1990s
Since the late 1990s, nearly two-thirds of selective public universities have reduced the share of students they enroll who come from families in the bottom 40 percent of the income scale, according to a new report that New America released today. The report, Moving on Up?: What a Groundbreaking Study Tells Us about Access, Success, and […] … learn more→