The Naked Truth

WITHIN the past ten years, smartphone sales accounted for the majority of cameras sold worldwide, meaning that we mostly carry a digital camera as part of our smartphone, instead of carrying a standalone camera. The company, Kodak, a pioneer and heavyweight in the camera industry for more than 100 years, fended off bankruptcy in 2013 to emerge as a much smaller company. Despite inventing the digital camera, Kodak didn’t capitalise on that technology.

All That Glitter

THERE are so many interesting aspects of the timeless story of Christmas, of the birth of Jesus Christ. Surrounding the central element of the Virgin Birth are many layers such as the foretelling by the prophet Isaiah, the visit by the angel Gabriel to Mary, the dream of Joseph, the Star of Bethelehem, the three Wise Men, and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The many surrounding elements provide a wrapping for the Christmas story. In a similar fashion, we typically prepare and wrap our gifts at Christmastime, except that the surrounding elements are usually discarded and thrown away.

Disability and Assistive Technology

HAVING recently celebrated another International Day for Persons with Disabilities on December 3rd, it is useful to recall the progress made since the last annual observance. According to the World Bank, one billion people or roughly 15% of the world population experience some form of disability, and the prevalence is higher in developing countries like ours. These staggering statistics should prompt us to take significant steps to address that situation in our society.

The Speed Is Not Enough

IT was surprising to watch the televised obituaries a few days ago, partly because there seemed no pause between one deceased person’s information before the next obituary started. While it was useful to have the obituaries shown in quick succession, it seemed too quick, even jarring to the senses. Definitely disrespectful to the dearly departed! Although the local TV station could be forgiven for shaving the time between successive obituaries, it raises the issue of appropriate speed. Specifically, when is speed not enough, and other factors should affect the display of information.