Author: Trent Meikle

South Africa is in a pit – one that’ll cost R1.5 trillion (1,500,000,000,000 – that’s 12 0’s) to climb out of. It has already secured $8.5 billion from the world’s top countries to start moving away from coal. Still, it’s a far cry from the finish line. According to Barbara Creecy, South Africa’s Environment Minister, the country is once again in talks with more nations willing to help the cause. While discussing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET) at COP27, Creecy said “We’ve had some bilaterals where there’s been additional interest shown.” President Ramaphosa later added, “…we are now going…

NASA does a fly-by After months of trying (and failing) to get the Orion Rocketship out of Earth’s orbit, NASA finally managed it last week. Since then, “Orion has been performing great so far,” says NASA’s Vehicle Integration Manager, Jim Geffre. “All of the systems are exceeding expectations from a performance standpoint.” It’s going so well that NASA feels the time is nigh for a fly-by of the moon. See, the whole point of the Artemis 1 mission is to test Orion’s ability to safely carry humans to the Moon’s surface. To do that, it needs to actually get there.…

Another day, another load shedding headline. What’s new? For one, the country is currently in the clutches of stage 5 load shedding. For another, Eskom can’t afford to replenish diesel stocks at its Gourikwa and Ankerlig power stations. Diesel is essential to keep the stations’ open-cycle gas turbines turning. The absence of diesel leaves the country open to more severe load shedding over the coming weeks and months. Eskom first revealed its desperation for diesel on Friday, with Pravin Gordhan later holding a meeting between himself and the utility’s board of directors to discuss “serious concerns” surrounding the power utility.…

The Tecno Spark 8C knows exactly what it is – a budget Android smartphone. It looks and feels like a cheaper Samsung doing its best at replicating the higher-budget feel of newer flagships. For R3,000, you can’t expect the Spark to do much more than that. It makes calls, lets you watch YouTube, play Candy Crush, and take passable photos. What more could you ask for (besides a USB-C port)? Pretty in turquoise Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice on the Spark 8C is its rear panel. Where there’d usually be a glass finish, Tecno opts for a plastic back.…

It’s not just greater South Africa heading towards renewable energy as a primary source of power. Hyundai Automotive South Africa has introduced solar energy to its head offices in Bedfordview and dealerships around Gauteng to ease Eskom’s constant bouts of load shedding. Got the greenies? “Due to the frequency of power interruptions brought about by load shedding and the cost of running diesel-burning generators, we investigated the benefits of installing solar power,” said Stanley Anderson, director of sales and operations at Hyundai South Africa. The group has said it now has more than 240 solar panels on the roof of…

After a week or so of calm – if you can call Stage 2 ‘calm’ – Eskom is back to its old ways. Stage 4 load shedding has been implemented indefinitely following major breakdowns around the country in the early hours of Friday. “Breakdowns amounting to 17 056MW of generation capacity, low pumped storage dam levels and lack of diesel are the reasons for the increase in load shedding,” Eskom said. #LoadsheddingUpdate#Stage4 load shedding was implemented at 05:26 this morning until further notice. Breakdowns amounting to 17 056MW of generation capacity, low pumped storage dam levels and lack of diesel…

A short while ago Stuff published its Samsung Galaxy A53 review and we’re already seeing leaks about the follow-up – the Galaxy A54. The leaks were brought to light by 91Mobiles and Steve Hemmerstoffer (also known as OnLeaks), in the form of new 5K renders. These give us a pretty good idea of the design differences Samsung is opting for this time around – which is to say, not much. You know the drill Despite OnLeaks telling us otherwise, these leaked “renders” look mightily like Samsung’s own official press photos. Considering OnLeaks’ track record, we wouldn’t be wholly surprised if…

Is originality still a thing? It feels as if every big corporation has headed down the same path – squeezing out every drop from the NFT cash cow before it drops dead. PlayStation is the latest company worth over $100 billion to start shilling its own NFTs. Why? Money. It’s toyed with the idea before with PlayStation Stars – NFTs that aren’t “officially” NFTs. That could be changing soon, however. The patent was initially filed last year, though it was only published last week according to Video Game Chronicle. Titled ‘Tracking Unique In-Game Digital Assets Using Tokens on a Distributed…

With the pandemic out of almost everyone’s mind, this holiday season is expecting a massive surge in overseas travellers. That’s why Vodacom has chosen now to launch deals on international roaming bundles to “keep customers connected globally”. And to make a few extra bucks before the holiday season shuts down. Non-denominational season’s greetings The network operator has begun offering 1GB and 5GB bundles, usable in over 200 countries. To get the 1GB bundle, all the operator needs is R100, and you’re set (for seven days). If you, like most people, use your phone for more than checking emails, the 5GB…

Be careful out there – you’ll see far more South African police roadblocks on the road over the Christmas period. The warning comes directly from The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), so take heed. Cops will be keeping an extra eye out for damaged or unroadworthy vehicles that pass through their clutches. Should the police deem your car unroadworthy (or the bribe is not worthy enough), it runs the risk of being impounded on the spot. Pushes for more law enforcement on the roads have already begun on some major roads around the country. “Law enforcement operations are being stepped…