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Non-lethal? Not necessarily so. With a resurgence of civil unrest in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in the US, has come an exacerbated re-employment of varying levels of nonlethal crowd control and protest dispersion methods. With police brutality taking centre stage as part of the reasoning behind the world wide protests, the irony of the police retaliating with varying degrees of nonlethal weapon usage is rife. In essence, nonlethal weapons consist of stun guns, water cannons, flash bangs, pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets. And while these are all deemed nonlethal, if used incorrectly or with enough force, they certainly challenge their ‘nonlethal’ status by doing a lot of damage. Rubber bullets can cause massive blunt force trauma if [...]

Up, Up & Away for the SpaceX Dragon SpaceX, more formally known as Space Exploration Technology Corp., is Elon Musk’s brain-child and was founded in 2002 in order to “revolutionise space technology” through the provision and manufacturing of advanced spacecraft and rockets. One of Musk’s goals is to ‘commercialise’ space travel through the Commercial Crew model, in essence the idea is that anyone with enough cash to flash could buy a ticket to orbit into the lower stratosphere. According to Benji Reed, the director of crew mission management at SpaceX: “We want to send all kinds of people to space. Everything we’re doing is to open that new chapter in the space age.” On the 29th of May, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket [...]

The fuss about 5G First it was 2G the OG (‘Original Gangster’ / ‘Day One’) followed by 3G, then 4G arrived on the scene and now we have 5G – expected to be the ‘Fast & Furious’ equivalent of a mobile network, which sounds great in theory – but what does it actually all mean, where can we get it, and perhaps most importantly right now – what’s it going to cost us? Well, first things first let’s break down exactly what 5G means and why it makes a difference. 5G is an abbreviation for fifth-generation wireless and is the latest “iteration” of cellular technology. This next generation of wireless technology is designed and engineered to be bigger and better than its predecessors [...]

Finding pandemic clues in poo A new method of disease detection may be in the works for COVID-19, and from an unlikely source, as it involves getting down and dirty. Researchers at the Australian National University have discovered that traces of COVID-19 can be detected through an infected person’s excrement before they start to exhibit other, more definitive flu-like symptoms. This provides an interesting alternative method of early detection that does not necessarily entail getting up close and personal with a potentially infected person, but rather shifts the focus to the rougher end of the stick. The idea behind this detection method is to establish areas or communities that have a high prevalence of the virus and a sustainable method of monitoring the [...]

Zooming In on the social network of the pandemic The digital transformation has unarguably been amplified by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has necessitated the fast-paced development, updates and upgrades of new and existing digital technology. With a large percentage of the world currently under lockdown, curfew or restricted movement – many people are now working from home (#WFH), with children being home-schooled and students participating in online lectures and seminars, there has never been a greater need for digital technology to ensure that all of the above is possible and sustainable. With people spending hours and hours in front of a screen, whether it be a mobile, desktop or television screen, the daily routines and hours in the day [...]

A Pangolin Pandemic With the ensuing COVID-19 chaos, and with the virus permeating every form of news and media outlet, it’s become impossible to ignore. With the advent of any new disease or virus, an in-depth investigation needs to be carried out in order to effectively treat it, not only on a symptomatic level but a vaccination need to be developed too – which entails a certain level of understanding about the origins of the virus too. As has been largely publicised, COVID-19 is what is known as a coronavirus which by definition is a zoonotic virus. This in turn means that the virus’ origins lie in pathogens found on animals that are then passed onto humans in various ways. Pangolins are some [...]