Johan Grobler's Blog

World Radio Day

It is World Radio Day today (13 February). In July 1969 Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. Imagine going to the moon without Radio communication. I was laying in bed listening to the radio as the moon landing happened. Shortly after that in December 1970 I build my first radio. It was a medium wave crystal set. You could faintly hear the music and speech with earphones in a quiet environment! (Photo of the crystal set)

Today it is possible to listen to radio via the internet, mobile phones. High quality broadcasts is now being done digitally.

I had the privilege to be interviewed several times on the radio. The first time I spoke live on radio was around 1998 on Radio Tygerberg. I was with the Western Cape Homeschooling Association at that stage. It seemed as if everybody heard the interview! It proved and convinced me of the power of radio.

Recently I have spoken on RSG and Radio Pulpit on MegaVoice and its audio Bibles. It is not uncommon to be contacted one year later by somebody that heard the interview on the radio!

Let us pray for Christian Radio Today. This reminds me of a recent conference on the role of Radio in Missions. There were speakers from Trans World Radio, FEBA Radio and Radio Chiuanjota in Mozambique. You can download the audio presentations at http://bit.ly/J2EnJp

Pray for the presenters and technical teams. Pray for those selecting and deciding on programs. May the Holy Spirit guide them and lead them.

Organisations that comes to mind (This a small selection!):

TWR www.twrafrica.org
FEBA Radio www.febaradio.co.za
Radio Pulpit www.radiopulpit.co.za
Radio Chiuanjota, Radio Nuru in Mozambique
Galcom International www.galcom.org
MegaVoice www.megavoice.com or www.facebook.com/MegaVoiceSA
Radio Tyberberg www.radiotygerberg.co.za
CCFM www.ccfm.org.za
HCJB World Radio www.hcjb.org

Let’s get involved by praying, giving and going.

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The Privilege of Living in the Light

We often don't realise and appreciate our privileges! The South African economy is currently in the situation where there is labour unrest. Our currency the Rand has depreciated against all major currencies. Lives have been lost at our mines during recent strikes. There are forces causing tension between different race, cultural, religious and gender groups.

Lights in Pretoria / Tshwane 10 October 2012

About a week ago large areas of Pretoria / Tshwane did not have power for several hours! The cause of the power failure was a fire under transmission lines. Tonight as I was walking in our suburb I suddenly realized that all the streetlights are working! The houses have power and there are lights all over as can be seen in the photo. It is such a privilege! There are millions in Africa and all over the world that do not have the privilege of running water, electricity and light!

There is also a spiritual light. God’s Word says in Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” In His light you will see a bright eternal future. You life will have purpose and meaning. Without His light the economic situation, your family, your marriage, your employment, the political situation, the level of corruption will let you stumble in darkness.

May you be encouraged to look up to Him who has life’s answers. His Word is the owner’s manual for us - the human race. Read it, listen to it, study it, and apply it to your life and you will be transformed!

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Tribute to Paul Kapaya my taxi driver in Dar es Salaam for several years.

I met Paul Kapaya several years ago in Dar es Salaam. Selecting a taxi driver is important in most countries and especially in Africa. It is as if Paul was given to me. During the first trip I knew that we could work together!

Prior to meeting Paul I remember a driver we contracted for the day, being missing after the first meeting. We had to get another taxi. Our day was fully booked. Later this taxi driver that absconded insisted on 50% of the day’s fee! He could not understand why it was important to keep the bargain and be available as soon as our meeting was over. Many drivers change their mobile numbers, drive reckless or have horrible music (my interpretation of their preferences).

JD Buys, Leon Roux and Paul Kapaya at Dar es Salaam International Airport 18 July 2010

Paul was most punctual and a very safe driver. He knew Dar es Salaam very well and could communicate well in English. His general knowledge and insight made it a pleasure to talk to him when I did not have to prepare for a meeting while travelling. He was most courteous as to giving other drivers way when needed and possible. He had a small English – Swahili dictionary. Something I have not seen elsewhere.

Paul told me how he obtained a driver’s licence at the age of 17 in 1963. He drove on the road from the airport to Dar es Salaam and was fined because the road was blocked for the president to pass. It is something that happens often in Africa that the roads are blocked for dignitaries’ to travel fast and without any traffic on the road! He noticed that the road was deserted, but did not gave thought as to the reason. He had to appear in court. The magistrate gave him a fine, but also asked the traffic officer if he could drive well. After the officer responded that he drove well, the magistrate ordered that he be given a driver’s license.

On many occasions we spoke about business, the economy and why he could not own the car. The problem is he started with nothing and had to use a car belonging to somebody else. Most taxi drivers do not own the cars they drive. It is owned by wealthier people who earn an income by providing the capital for the industry. Paul always wanted to buy a car but as he put it “we are living from the hand to the mouth”. There is no chance of saving money to buy a car. In Africa there is also very limited access to credit. The end result is that he never owned a car.

Paul is my senior by 9 years and I noticed that his health was not good. About a year ago he was complaining and visiting the public hospital and doctors. About 4 months ago I was very concerned for his health and it crossed my mind that he may have to retire.

Retiring is not an option for a taxi driver in Dar es Salaam. There is NO pension or savings. How will he and his wife earn a living? Their children are grown-ups with their own lives and responsibilities.

In December I visited Dar es Salaam and to my surprise he was much better and everything seemed to be improving.

On Sunday night Paul did not wait outside the airport terminal on my arrival. I called and he was very apologetic. Today he came to say goodbye. The owner decided to take his car away since he is not earning much lately due to his health taking a turn for the worse.

Paul Kapaya with his grandson and his daughter at her home on the way from Dar es Salaam to Bagamoyo on 25 July 2010

I have some empathy with him as I am in the process of closing our office in Dar es Salaam. His complete business was taken away. His health is failing.

What we all can take along from this story is that heroes sometimes have insignificant positions in life. We need to plan for the future and plan for our eternal destiny.

I pray for Paul and his family. His service to me was most outstanding.

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A Laymans' case studies in Security - Security Centre, Confidentiality, Phising, Hacking and Online Security Measures Part 1

Introduction

In this series I would like to address security issues. It is such a wide subject that it cannot be addressed in one short posting. My layman's definition of a security problem or incident is:

A security incident is when somebody or something take or access something without permission or authority.

It is a very short and possibly not accurate enough definition but, it will suffice for now.

The problems caused by security incidents range from trespassing to loosing assets or data. In serious cases it may cause physical or mental harm to human beings.

In this series I would like to focus on Online Security. The world changed from off-line prior to 1990 to on-line after 1990 with the advent of the Internet. (Purists may debate the date but let's not go there now.) With the ease of connection, transactions and access came risks, because the human being is and was never perfect. Man is corrupt and self-centerred.

Locks, code words and secret languages have been developed as counter measures to prevent security incidents.

We are now al used to identities and password to access on-line systems and services. Way back in about 1997 I did a survey of voice mail users in Cape Town. To my surprise about 90% of users used the default PIN which was 11111! A small percentage used simple PINs like 12345, or a birth day etc. Only a few would use a proper random PIN. I believe, to some extent it is still the case today.

Incident One - Hackers accessed a friend's e-mail

Yesterday I received a very nasty immoral e-mail from a friend who would never send such material. It turned out that his account was hacked!   I tell the story as warning and learning experience for us all.

The question is how did the hacker get hold of his user ID and Password?   In this case it was a type of phishing scam. He went to an online service who professes to provide information on motor cars. Since he is a motor enthusiast, he subscribed to the service. When he tried to get access to the system he was told that he entered his information incorrectly. By mistake he entered his Gmail account details which the hacker captured. The hacker is most likely an employee or associated with the online motor information service. The hacker then accessed his e-mail account and sent the imoral e-mails to everybody on the address book.

It is such an easy mistake that can lead to serious damage. Imagine the consequences if he had confidential information like bank ID's and PINs in his e-mail history!

Conclusion

My advice is to use strong passwords and NEVER use the same password for two or more services. It is very tempting to use the same password for example your Yahoo mail as well as your Gmail.   A strong password needs to consist of an absolute minimum of 6 characters and must contain alpha an numeric characters.

We will discuss more issues and solutions in the next issues on this blog.

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Disclaimer: Information is offered in good faith; you do not have to use this information., Any decisions you make - and their consequences - are your own. Under NO circumstances will you hold the author liable for any actions that you take. This does not constitue legal advice or a warranty. The material contained in this blog and on our websites is for general informational
purposes only. You should not rely upon it as advice about specific legal problems. It does not constitute the rendering of legal advice and does not create any attorney-client relationship. If you need legal or other professional advice, you should consult with appropriate legal counsel familiar with your particular facts and circumstances.

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Reflecting on 2010

The year had its ups and downs. There are the events outside human control and then there events caused and influenced by humans.

We acquired new customers in Tanzania and South Africa. The new customers are in the education and retail sectors. We serve customers in several countries in Africa. Apart from our largest customer, based in Nigeria, customers generally paid on time. The customer has a history of being a bad payer in spite of changing ownership several times in the past five years. Good corporate governance and business practise is always relevant. We lost a competitive bid and as a result a supplier due to unfair practises.

In this year we submitted several large tenders for amongst others Call Centre, IVR and Service Desk solutions.

Our technical team developed skills in Lotus Foundations, Lotus Connections and Tivoli Service Manger, to mention a few. Internally we migrated to Lotus Notes as messaging platform.

The VPN and VoIP telephony between our office in Tanzania and South Africa is improving productivity beyond expectation.

Appointing BE Agency as media consultants is paying dividends. Social media like Twitter and blogs are being used more and more. IBM’s co-funded marketing strategy is used to compliment our own initiatives with success.

In this year new people joined on the sales and marketing side. Leon in South Africa has already contributed significantly in acquiring new business. Sumitra recently joined ICMA in Dar es Salaam.

On a personal level I lost my son in law, Pieter, which reminded us all of the brevity of life. It is now 10 years ago that my son Andre drowned in the sea. At that time I was in Egypt on an IVR project. On the brighter side, my first grandson was born in May. It is a real delight. These events underline that we all have diverse dimensions comprising the whole.

The outlook for 2011 is positive. We have a good base to work from. It will not be easy as we live in an imperfect world, but let’s take the challenge and run to the best of our ability. May you all have a successful 2011 and remember that on Friday 11 November 2011 at 11h11 it will be a day of ones.

Johan Grobler

C.a.T.S. Pty Ltd (Computer Assisted Telephony Systems (Pty) Ltd), www.ivr.co.za
ICMA Ltd (Information Communication Mid Africa Limited), www.icma.co.tz

Mentoring an Entrepreneur

I saw Jan Matseke close to our office with his chainsaw advertising his services by being there. Having started some businesses myself. I realize that marketing is extremely important. I then decided to adopt Jan and assist him in advertising his services. Business cards was the first step. The next step is to print a vinyl banner.

My suggestion is that all entrepreneurs that have gone the way adopt a up coming entrepreneur and mentor him / her. I will report more soon.

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