holders of the keys to the electric kingdom

Evil Empire Road Trip: The Battle for Power

"The devil is in the details, my friends…"

"an epic sojourn across the dark continent, a journey of electric proportions, of palpitating drama, of triumph and of defeat"

… as we embark on a harrowing adventure, journeymen of the electric road, tentatively navigating the treacherous terrain, masters of the grid, where the mighty and the meek doth unite, to unite against the opposing forces of adversity.

The Insufferable Predicament of Jansenville

"As the sun rises high, like a behemoth from the land of the People’s Republic, with 23% left on the battery, our beloved BYD Seal, sans spark, refuses to cooperate, lies limp, a carcass on the side of the Jansenville highway"

… as the travails continue, the wretched 1.6kW outlet at the local service station serves as a cruel joke, a sacrificial lamb to the gods of progress, an anachronism, a relic of a bygone era, as the BYD team wallows in their own despair, doubt creeps, and, like the wretched howls of a pack of wolves, the tweets of despair bombard the ether.

Rock Bottom: The UnTenantable Unfungible Anomaly

"An incompatibility, a chasm, a void, an abyss, a Schrödinger’s cat, where 800V and 500V entangled in a mind-bending, quantum dance, defying comprehension, defying resolution"

… as, with thunderous roar, the Rubicon-built 150kW fast charger, a colossus, awaits, a haven, a panacea, a bolt of hope, salvation from the jaws of despair, salvation from the jaws of Sol.

The UnEDIFed Neurons of the BYD

"We enter the realm of the unknown, the non-existent, the suspended, the transformative… where the laws of physics no longer apply, where timelines bend, where memories blur, where reality dissolves… JOIN US ON THIS EPIC QUEST, AS WE STRUGGLE TO UPHOLD THE FABRIC OF TIME, AS WE BATTLE THE UNEXPECTED, AS WE SURVIVE THE UNUNIVERSAL"

and so the drama continues…

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Shocking Reality: Ride-Hailing Drivers Struggle to Make Ends Meet

Ride-hailing giant Bolt has taken a bold step to tackle the financial woes of its drivers by partnering with Liberty to provide them with expert financial advice. But the harsh reality is that many drivers are drowning in a sea of debt, with no clear direction on how to escape.

According to a recent report, South Africans spend a staggering 9% of their disposable income on debt repayments, with household debt accounting for a whopping 62% of overall income. The South African Reserve Bank’s Quarterly Bulletin for Q1 2024 paints a grim picture of a nation where people are sacrificing their financial future to service debt.

Bolt’s move to provide financial literacy and support to its drivers is a critical step towards empowering them to take control of their finances and build a better tomorrow. The company’s senior operations manager, Simo Kalajdzic, emphasizes that the goal is to "improve their current financial situation and create long-term benefits that extend to their families and communities."

But will this initiative be enough to stem the tide of financial despair among ride-hailing drivers? Or is it a drop in the ocean of a much larger problem? The clock is ticking, and only time will tell if Bolt’s bold move will have a lasting impact on the lives of its drivers.

The Full Story

Bolt’s initiative to provide financial support to its drivers is a response to the growing concern about the financial well-being of its driver-partners. The company has launched a series of workshops, the first of which took place in Johannesburg, in collaboration with Liberty.

The workshops aim to equip drivers with practical financial management knowledge and tools to help them plan for long-term financial stability. Liberty, a leading financial services provider, will offer debt counseling, consolidation, and credit monitoring, among other services.

Kicking off in Johannesburg, the workshops will eventually roll out to other cities across the country, with Bolt committing to offer them to its drivers free of charge. But will it be enough to make a difference? Only time will tell.

AMD Flings Gauntlet at Nvidia, Vows to Dethrone AI Chip Monopoly

The war for dominance in the AI chip market just got a whole lot more interesting. AMD CEO Lisa Su is poised to unleash her company’s latest missiles, the MI325X processors, which will take down Nvidia’s H100 and leave it reeling in the dust.

Sources close to the matter reveal that the new chips will be capable of outperforming Nvidia’s H100 in several areas, including AI software inference, a key area of competition. And with these new processors, AMD is aiming straight for the heart of Nvidia’s dominance, threatening to topple the king of AI chip makers.

But can AMD really deliver? The market seems skeptical, with shares falling more than 2% after Thursday’s presentation. And let’s not forget, Nvidia still has a sizeable lead in the market. Yet, AMD has been racking up the miles, surpassing Intel in market valuation under Su’s 10-year leadership.

Su’s vision for AI accelerators as the future of computing is ambitious, with estimates suggesting a $500 billion market by 2028. But can AMD make it happen? Only time will tell.

In other news, AMD is also set to release a new line of server processors based on its Turin technology, making a push into a market once dominated by Intel. The fifth-generation Epyc central processing units (CPUs) have as many as 192 processor cores and can outperform the latest Intel products, according to Su.

The company now holds 34% of the market share in this category, though Intel still reigns supreme. But AMD is gaining ground, and Su’s determination to take on the Goliath of Intel is admirable.

The battle for AI chip supremacy is heating up. Who will be the ultimate winner? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure – it’s going to be a wild ride.

"Regulatory Reckoning: Four Powerhouses Unite to Take on the Digital Frontier"

Revolution in Oversight: ICASA, Film and Publication Board, Information Regulator, and ZA Domain Name Authority Unite

A seismic shift in the world of regulation has unfolded in Pretoria, as the Information, Communication Technologies and Media Regulators Forum of South Africa was launched with a bang. This historic alliance brings together the mighty forces of ICASA, the Film and Publication Board, the Information Regulator, and the ZA Domain Name Authority, in a bold bid to conquer the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Regulatory Reboot: Setting the Stage for a New Era

At the helm of this regulatory juggernaut is Tshiamo Maluleka-Disemelo, CEO of ICASA and chairperson of the new forum. Speaking at the launch, she proclaimed that the partnership’s ultimate goal is to strengthen cooperation, reduce duplication, and create a more efficient regulatory framework to tackle the rapidly shifting ICT and media sectors.

"The Digital Age of Regulation: Where Lines are Blurring"

Maluleka-Disemelo emphasized that the boundaries between traditional ICT and the media space are increasingly indistinct, forcing a reassessment of regulatory frameworks. "The evolution of ICT has prompted a re-evaluation of regulatory frameworks, as traditional boundaries among various sectors and services have become increasingly indistinct in light of their growing presence on digital platforms."

Joining Forces: A Unified Front against Regulatory Overlap

The forum’s bark is worse than its bite, as it aims to identify and eliminate duplication of effort, identify potential synergies, and outline avenues for future cooperation to optimize an effective media regulatory framework in South Africa. "This collaboration aims to… identify and address duplication of effort, identify potential synergies, and outline avenues for future cooperation to optimize an effective media regulatory framework in South Africa that is attuned to the evolving landscape of the digital era," she emphasized.

Membership: The Future is Open-Ended

Maluleka-Disemelo revealed that membership is not limited to the four founding regulatory authorities, and that entities expressing interest in regulatory matters may be granted observer status. As the forum’s scope expands, it is poised to become a powerful force, driving cooperation and coordination across the regulatory landscape.

A New Era of Regulation: The Future of the Digital Frontier

This historic alliance signals a bold new era of regulation, where the boundaries between traditional sectors are being rewritten. Will this bold effort succeed in taming the digital beast, or will it falter in the face of an ever-changing landscape? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the stakes have never been higher, and the future of regulation has never been more complex.