February 28, 2008
TED2008: Neil Turok, finding the African Einstein
The second prize winner this year is the remarkable scientist and
educator, Neil Turok. Turok is a cosmologist at Cambridge, but he’s
got an amazing side project - he’s built an amazing math academy in
Capetown that provides advanced training for the most promising young
African mathematicians.
Turok was born in South Africa. His father was imprisoned for
resisting the apartheid regime, and his family moved to the young
nations of Kenya and Tanzania. “We saw the wonders of the world,
Kilimanjaro, the Ulduvai Gorge…” He went to high school in London, but
came back as soon as he could, becoming a student teacher in Lesotho
when he was 17.
His students in Lesotho amazed him with their creativity. Asking
students to estimate the height of a building, he discovered a young
man measuring the height of a brick and counting bricks, getting an
extremely accurate measurement. The adults amazed him as well - the
poor miner who told him about his love of Shakespere. “If Africa is
going to get fixed, it’s these people, not us, who are going to fix
it.”
Turok talks briefly about his work in cosmology. “All we know in
physics can be expressed in a single equation.” Unfortunately, that
equation has 18 free parameters. In his work with Stephen Hawking,
Turok has attempted to understand the big bang - he tells us that he’s
still in regular tough with his primary school maths teacher, a
Scottish woman who taught him in Tanzania. She periodically asks him,
“What banged?”
Turok’s theory is that the big bang wasn’t a singularity - it was a
collision between two three-dimensional realities, which parallel each
other, separated by a tiny gap, a small fraction of the size of a
nucleus. If those two worlds intersect, “it looks a lot like the big
bang.” But if there’s a three-dimensional intersection of worlds,
there’s no singularity, and the equations don’t break down - we can
support all the data we have on background radiation. If this theory
is right, “we’ve had bangs in the past, and will hae bangs in the
future - we have an endless universe.”
Despite his success, Turok was haunted by the question, “What about
Africa?” He shows us some of the painful statistics of the continent,
visualized with maps from Worldmapper. Africa leads the world in
deaths from preventable causes, and deaths from war. It trails the
world in GDP. And it has huge limitations as far resources to solve
these problems - tiny populations of physicians, educators and
scientists. “As was very eloquently argued at TED Africa in Arusha,
aid has completely failed to put Africa on its own two feet.”
Turok’s parents were both elected to South Africa’s first post-
apartheid parliament - the only couple other than Nelson and Winnie
Mandela. Turok took a leave to visit South Africa in 2001 and realized
the nature of the desperate skill shortage. So he bought a derelict
hotel in Cape Town with 80 rooms, for $100,000, and he founded AIMS -
the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. He invited lecturers
from all over the world, and students from all over continent… and
they came. In part, it helped that the hotel was near the beach. It
also helps that Turok is an amazing and passionate man whose
enthusiasm is contagious.
In AIMS, the professors and students live together, which means that
there are impromptu tutorials at 1am. There’s a strong emphasis on
skills that are relavent to Africa, including epidemeology and
financial mathematics. He walks us through the life stories of a few
of his students - they’ve ended up in amazing places, many getting
Masters and PhDs around Africa, the US and Europe. He tells us that he
can educate five times as many students at AIMS for the money it takes
to send one student to the US or Europe.
Turok shares his dream: “that the next einstein will be African.” Not
just Einstein, but the next Gates, Brin and Page. To help this happen,
he wants to scale up AIMS, building 15 centers across Africa. Each
will be pan-African, and each will focus on a different aspect of
science. The centers will teach entrepreneurship and policy skills as
well, and build a network of graduates who will help transform the
continent. The next centers are slated for Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan,
Uganda and Madagascar.
> Neil Turok
> From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> On May 9, 2008 Mike Lazaridis announced that Turok would become the
> new Executive Director of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical
> Physics starting on October 1, 2008.
Die Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics se
stigter is Mike Lazarides, een van die twee CEO's van
Research in Motion (RIM) die makers van die
blackberry. Hy het 'n paar jaar gelede $100 miljoen van
sy eie geld gebruik om die Instituut te begin in
Waterloo, in Ontario. Die idee is om dit finansieel
aantreklik te maak vir die beste Fisika-wetenskaplikes
van die wêreld om in Waterloo te kom werk. Lazarides
wil die vrugbare teelaarde skep vir die ontwikkeling van
'n toekomstige Einstein.
Waterloo is omtrent honderd kilometers noord-
wes van Toronto. Dis nie 'n groot plek nie. Die
Universiteit van Waterloo is eers in die sestigerjare
geskep deur die regering van Ontario, toe die
babyboomers deur die universiteite gegaan het en
Ontario drasties universiteitsplekke vir die baby-
boomers moes voorsien. Dis die enigste universiteit
in die wêreld wat 'n Fakulteit van Wiskunde het,
en waar die departemente almal verskillende
soorte Wiskundige wetenskappe verteenwoordig.
( Daar is dus nie 'n Dekaan van Wetenskap nie,
maar 'n dekaan van Wiskunde.) Hulle departement
van Rekenaarswetenskap is ook van die beste in
die wêreld. Hulle sê dat Bill Gates, wanneer hy
Kanada besoek, nie kom jag nie, maar na die
Universiteit van Waterloo kom om werknemers
te kom soek.
Die Universiteit van Waterloo is ook
bekend vir sy Mennonite Studies. Die Mennonites
is 'n Christelike groep wat uit Europa gevlug het
omdat hulle pasifiste is en nie onder die regerings
van Europa wou veg 'n paar eeue gelede nie.
Baie van hulle weier om in motorkarre te ry en
ry in klein swart kapkarretjies. As die meer
progressiewes van hulle 'n motor koop, is dit
gewoonlik 'n groot swarte. Hulle is baie na
verwant aan die Pennsylvania Dutch in die
VSA.
Neil Turok is veronderstel om 'n baie
groot vonds te wees vir die Perimeter Institute.
Dit was vir my interessant om uit te vind dat
hy oorspronklik van SA is.
Uit die vorige 2 poste van my is dit redelik duidelik dat dit ongelooflik
maklik is om die Bybel anders te verstaan en te interpreteer as die ou langs
jou. Torreke en Jim dink ek is altwee opgeleide dominees as ek dit nie mis
het nie, of het minstens 'n paar jaar teologie ge-swot. Tog verskil hulle
van mekaar tov sekere goed, en elkeen bevestig sy standpunt met 'n paar
bybelverse.
Hoeveel te meer is dit nie vir ons gewone ouens moeilik om dan die Bybel te
verstaan nie. Wat my by die vraag bring. Hoe weet jy jou interpretasie is
die regte een.
Roete-aanwysings vanaf Pretoria : Neem N4 na Witbank tot by _Cullinan/
Rayton/Bapsfontein-afrit /draai na regs/in rigting Bapsfontein/. 3
km vanaf snelweg, ons groen en wit kennisgewingbord links, nog 1 km
grondpad ; ons is 'n groot grasdakhuis.
Uitstallings van verskillende alternatiewe kragbronne- en toestelle
Produkte kan ook gekoop word
Die klem val veral op toestelle wat in gewone huishoudings,
kleinhoewes, plase en kleiner besighede gebruik kan word
Enkele eksperimentele prototipes/gedagtes en teorieë ook
Praatjies deur kundiges en vervaardigers
Biertuin en Teetuin
Formele program:
Uitstallings beskikbaar vanaf 9.00
10.00 - 12.00: Praatjies en verduidelikings _
10.00 - Hennie Bester van BBTRONICS en OMEGA Kommunikasies oor LED
Nood - en alternatiewe beligting
10.30 - Mark Tiepelt van Omnibus Engineering oor sonkrag-stelsels :
o.a.waar dit reeds werk op groot en klein skaal.
11.00 - Frans Joubert, argitek oor Windlaaiers e.a. alternatiewe
bronne
11.30 - Joshua Olivier oor sy uiters effektiewe Jel-stoof en oond
12.00 - Alet Murray oor sonstowe en hoe om dit te gebruik asook ander
planne om kragonafhanklik te wees
Verder is daar verskeie ander uitstallers o.a ook iemand wat 'n
interessante konsep het oor seegolfkragopwekking
Daar is ook verversings beskikbaar: 'n Biertuin en Teetuin wat ook
ligte etes beskikbaar sal hê
Vir meer inligting skakel asb Alida of Hendrik Verwoerd by 083
2585239 / 012 7362154 (Lg is onderhewig aan Telkom se effektiwiteit op
die oomblik - as daar nie antw is nie bel die sel)
Wie oplettend lees, sou gemerk het dat ek praat van "Roomse Kerk" en nie van
"Katolieke Kerk" of "Rooms Katolieke Kerk" nie.
Die Roomse Kerk eien vir homself wederregtelik die naam "katoliek" voor.
Die woord "katoliek" beteken "algemeen" soos in "heilige, algemene,
Christelike kerk".
Die Roomse maak verkeerdelik daarop aanspraak dat hulle die enigste
saligmakende kerk is - dat hulle en net hulle die "algemene" kerk is! - en
dat daar buite die Roomse geen saligheid is nie.
Dis twak!!! Dis nie die kerk wat mens salig maak nie, dis geloof in Jesus
Christus. Die "algemene" kerk omvat all ware gelowiges, ongeag aan watter
kerk hulle behoort, en nie net die lidmate van een bepaalde kerk nie.
Op voetspoor van al die gereformeerde vaders weier ek om aan die Roomse die
erkenning te gee waarop hulle wederregtlik aanspraak maak.
Dis "Roomse Kerk" net "Roomse Kerk" en niks anders as "Roomse Kerk" nie.
"Dave" skryf in boodskap news:0nvm149cqhnj0lsf1lvjhmnh3vbiv77foi@4ax.com...
>
>
> Two 'robbers' killed
> 2 May 2008, 17:39
>
> Related Articles
>
> * Two arrested for burglary
> * Fight-back farmer kills midnight attacker
>
> Two robbers were shot dead by their intended victims in a house in
> Lenasia South on Friday morning, said Johannesburg police.
>
> Inspector Mpho Kgasoane said the men struck at about 3am, confronted a
> couple, their in-laws and five children.
>
> "The men demanded jewellery, money and cellphones," she said.
>
> "The owner of the house and his father-in-law were tied up, while the
> wife and mother-in-law were taken to the kitchen in an attempt to rape
> them."
>
> Kgasoane said the home owner untied himself and his father-in-law and
> they fetched their firearms.
>
> "They shot randomly at the robbers and both died on the scene.
>
> "The father-in-law was accidentally injured by one of the shots and
> was taken to hospital in a stable condition," she said.
>
> Police were investigating cases of house robbery and murder. - Sapa
>
Spytig dat dit nie elke keer so afloop nie!
NO TRESPASSING VIOLATERS WILL BE SHOT SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT AGAIN
De set van Marco Borsato's film Wit Licht, in de Zuid-Afrikaanse stad
Pretoria is overvallen. Dat vertelde producent Chris Brouwer maandagavond in
het radioprogramma Met Het Oog Op Morgen. De volkszanger bleef ongedeerd.
De overvallers hadden het gemunt op een huis in Zuid-Afrika waar
crewleden van de productie sliepen. Sinds de overval, die aan het begin van
de draaiperiode plaatsvond, lopen op de set doorlopend extra bewakers rond.
Of er ook daadwerkelijk iets buit gemaakt is, wilde Brouwer niet zeggen.
For all you scientists out there and for all the students who
have a hard time convincing these people regarding the truth of the Bible,
here's something that shows God's awesome creation and shows that He's still
in control.
Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been
called "myth" in the Bible is true? Mr. Harold Hill. President of the Curtis
Engine Company in Baltimore Maryland and a consultant in the space program
relates the following development:
I think one of the most amazing things that God has for us
today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green
Belt, Maryland
They were checking the position of the sun, moon, and planets out in space
where they would be 100 years and 1000 years from now. We have to know this
so we won't send a satellite up, and have it bump into something later on
its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the
satellite, and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog
down.
They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the
centuries and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red
signal, which meant that there was something wrong either with the
information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards.
They called in the service department to check it out and they said.
What's wrong?" Well, they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed
time. They scratched their heads and tore their hair.
There was no answer.
Finally a Christian man on the team said. "You know, one time I was in
Sunday school and they talked about the sun standing still".
While they didn't believe him they didn't have an answer either.
So they said, Show us".
He got a Bible and went back to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty
ridiculous statement for any one with "Common sense".
There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, "Fear them not. I have delivered
them into thy hand: there shall not a man of them stand before thee". Joshua
was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy if darkness fell they
would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still!
That's right - "The sun stood still and the moon stayed---and
hasted not to go down about a whole day!"
The astronauts and scientists said. "There is the missing day!"
They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found
it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back
Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes - not a whole day.
They read the Bible and there it was "about (approximately) a day"
These little words in the Bible are important. But they were
still in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes you'll still
be in trouble 1 000 years from now.
Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over
in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered
somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went
BACKWARDS.
The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book
and read these words in 2 Kings. Hezekiah, on his deathbed, was visited by
the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked
for a sign as proof.
Isaiah said "Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?"
Hezekiah said it is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the
Shadow return backward 10 degrees." Isaiah spoke to the Lord and the Lord
brought the shadow 10 degrees BACKWARD! Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes!
Twenty three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus
40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe!
Isn't it amazing? Our God is rubbing their noses in His Truth!
References: Joshua 10:8 and 12.13; 2 Kings 20:9-11
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