700 Tablets for East Kingston and Port Royal Primary Schools - Why Raspberry Pi Zero Great for Jamaican Secondary Schools

“I have decided to focus on primary schools because based on a pilot project we did, we realized that that's where we get the best results. There are some issues at the secondary level as we recognise that students are doing other things”

Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell speaking on his decision to focus on the Primary schools for the Table in School Program

The Government's Tablet in School Program is pushing ahead as planned.

This as seven hundred (700) more tablets are to be distributed in the New School Term in 2016 as noted in the article “Paulwell Reviews Tablets In Secondary Schools”, Published Friday December 4, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner. 

The following primary schools in East Kingston and Port Royal are earmarked for the seven hundred (700) more tablets as follows:

1.      225 for Windward Road Primary

2.      180 for Rollington Town Primary

3.      80 for Elletson Primary and Infant

4.      80 for Norman Gardens Primary

5.      80 for Junior High and Holy Rosary Primary

6.      27 for Port Royal Primary

These are the same tablet that had been promised in September 2015 via a JA$23.8 million back-to-school education programme under the CDF (constituency Developement Fund) as noted in the article “700 Tablets for Schools in East Kingston and Port Royal”, published September 2, 2015 by Chris Patterson, The Jamaica Information Service.

This announcement comes four months after the results of the audit on the Tablet in Schools program highlighted the problems as well as the benefits of the program as noted in my blog article entitled “Audit of Public Health Care System revealed - How the Minister of Health plans to correct these problems”.  

Minister Paulwell, who has perused a draft copy of the Audit, has declared that theft has been extraordinarily low, quote: “A draft of the audit being done was sent to me yesterday. Separate and apart from that, the level of stolen tablets was very low. Out of 25,000, I gather that a little over 100 have been stolen. A number of them have also been recovered. one was even traced back all the way to Russia”.

Folks, that less than 0.4%! But with theft levels so low, why the focus on Primary schools?

Minister Paulwell to focus on Primary Schools - Why Secondary School Students need the Raspberry Pi Zero to learn Programming

Apparently this as a result of the findings from the Tablet in Schools Pilot programs. Apparently they also noticed that the Primary schools seemed to show the best results.

According Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell, the tablet benefits the primary school boys and girls and improves attendance, with none of the negative effects quote: “Reading has improved tremendously in addition to attendance in primary schools, however, we are going to need some time to think things through in terms of how we deal with the high school students as they are preoccupied with pornography and other things”.

Those negative effects seem to be shown by the Secondary School students. These Secondary School students, instead of seeing the tablet as an opportunity to learn, use it to access pornography websites. 

For this reason, Minister Paulwell has declared that the Secondary schools will not be getting any more Tablets under the Table in Schools Program.

Instead, he'll soon be issuing a RFP (Request for Proposals) to address the issue of pornography usage among Secondary school students to quote Minister Paulwell: “As such, I don't believe that it would be wise to expand the programme. Instead, we have to see how best we can iron things out so as to allow a smooth process”.

My suggestion?

Instead of tablet, the US$5 Raspberry Pi Zero would be a good fit for the Secondary School students as described in my MICO Wars blog article entitled “Why the US$5 Raspberry Pi Zero is perfect Programmer’s Gift for New Year’s 2016” .

It has no screen, runs on Linux and can only go online via their HDMI capable screen or Display. It's mainly a tool to learn programming, making it perfect for teaching Computing and Information Technology courses but also any other subject.

This as it could give all students low cost access to the Internet.

Expect more Tablets in 2016 the Year of the Monkey, to be going to the Primary schools in 2016, as the Secondary School have been “monkeying” around on the wrong side of the Internet on Government owned Tablets! Perhaps it’s time they got a taste of the Raspberry Pi!!!

UTECH and Hydrogen as Cooking Gas – How Hydride Salts make Hydrogen Cooking Gas and Fuel Cells possible

Hydrogen Gas cylinders might be coming to a LPG Gas Retailer very soon.

UTECH (University of Technology) recently held a conference on the use of Hydrogen gas on Tuesday November 3rd 2015 as reported in the article “International Hydrogen Conference Opens at UTech”, published November 4, 2015 By Denise Dennis, The Jamaica Information Service.

 

The International conference, the first of its kind in Jamaica, was held over a two (2) day period and was themed “The Hydrogen Economy: A Sustainable Energy Diversification Option for the Caribbean”. It’s not a simple talk shop; members from Europe, North America and the Caribbean were also in the conference to hear UTECH progress on Hydrogen usage as a replacement for Cooking Gas.

It marked the three (3) years since UTECH had received some JA$59 million worth of funding back in 2012 to do research into Hydrogen to replace LPG used in Cooking Gas cylinders as reported in my blog article entitled “Why UTECH, GOJ and UWI developing Hydrogen Cooking Gas Cylinders for Hydrogen-Electron Economy”. 

Those funds had been given to UTech’s Faculty of Engineering and Computing Energy Unit Research Team (CSEII) by the European Union (EU) Caribbean and Pacific Research Programme for Sustainable Development.

It was jointly conducted with assistance from the UWI (University of the West Indies) along with BSJ (Bureau of Standards Jamaica) who focused on creating a regulatory guideline for its use in Jamaica with United Kingdom-based Brunel University lending a hand with their research facilities.

Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell, spoke of the research being done to develope a practical replacement for an essential dinner time ritual and save us on our Oil bill to boot, quote: “We now have pride of place among the scientists mostly from developed countries, with well-resourced research facilities and long traditions of scientific inventions. This motivation is reinforced by the prohibitive cost of imported oil and its deleterious impact on the environment…It is within this context that the potential of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source, must be recognised and appreciated”.

So what's new since 2012?

UTECH and Hydrogen as Cooking Gas – How Hydride Salts can make Hydrogen Cooking Gas possible

They’ve clearly made some progress, as at the two (2) day conference, they had displays showing Hydrogen being used to cook food.

We still don't have Hydrogen for use as a replacement for LPG in Cooking Gas or even as a fuel for motor vehicles. Granted, the use of hydrogen would lower emissions of greenhouse gasses. It would also reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels and allow us to achieve the National Energy Policy target of 30% renewables by 2030.

As a fuel, Hydrogen is sustainable, as it’s easily extracted via electrolysis’ of water. The Problem is the energy used to split those bonds is considerably more than the energy produced as Hydrogen, which has a boiling point of -252.9 C, will gradually boil away no matter what type of tank it is stored in, mainly for safety reasons.

This must have been reflected in the cost-benefit analysis for the use of hydrogen for domestic cooking. Creating the necessary legislation required for use as Cooking Gas as well as electricity generation will take a while, as a means need to be developed to liberate Hydrogen on site and solve the Energy Transportation problem associated with this volatile gas.

They use PEM (Polymer electrolyte membrane) a technology developed by GM (General Motors) back in the 60's powered by solar energy. Because of the High current density and the very thin membrane, it has a large surface are that is able to produce Hydrogen and oxygen gas separately once solar or Wind Energy is used as the power source.

This means that if UTECH and their researchers have solved the production problem, then the Storage of Hydrogen should be the next problem that they must tackle, as Hydrogen cannot be stored as a Gas. It leaks too easily out of any container and as it burns with a colorless flame, it can easily be aflame and go unnoticed, possibly resulting in a massive explosion.

Thus converting Hydrogen to another form, such as a hydride salt and then reacting it to get water, would make more sense, as this would make it more concentrated and easier to store at Room Temperature safely. Examples of such Hydride salts include:

1.      Sodium borohydride (NaBH₄)

2.      Sodium silicate (Na₂O₃Si)

3.      Lithium hydride (LiH)

4.      Magnesium hydride (MgH₂)

These storage forms, especially the hydrides, are very reactive to water and liberate Hydrogen gas. This Hydrogen gas can then be run through a PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) to produce electricity, as in the case of Apple's patent for a Hydrogen fuel cell to power their Laptops and smartphones as reported in my blog article entitled “Apple files patent for Hydrogen Fuel cell – Why Portable Hydrogen Fuel Cells needed to cut the Analog Power Cord”. 

A similar idea can be used for Cooking Gas Cylinders, with Ethyl Mercaptan (CH₃CH₂SH) being added to give it a distinct smell like Cooking Gas so as to avoid Hydrogen gas explosions. Gas stoves would have to be modified in order to burn Hydrogen, as well as the seals would have to be changed as it gas leaks easily through most valves.

Using these modifications both in Cooking Gas cylinders as well as in motor vehicles, we might soon be cooking with Hydrogen gas by 2020.

Here's the link:

UTech, Jamaica International Conference to Highlight Hydrogen as a Sustainable Domestic Fuel   

How Math, Sorrel Shortage of 2015, Dead Babies Scandal and Younger Voters stopped Jamaica's General Election 2015

The delay of the General Election came as quite a surprise to many Jamaicans.

On Sunday November 22^nd 2015, Prime Minister of Jamaica Portia Simpson-Miller during a campaign meeting in Black River, St Elizabeth, decided that Jamaica would not go to the polls as reported in the article “No 2015 Poll - Portia Opts Not To Call Election This Year”, Published Monday November 23, 2015 by Daraine Luton, The Jamaica Gleaner.

This after building up anticipation for quite awhile. Still she did say that Elections would not be called during the Christmas period, making Santa Clause (read Business people) fearful of Election violence interfering with their business quite happy.

However, this delay will cost Jamaica quite a bit, roughly about JA$20 million plus as noted by Director of Elections, Orrette Fisher in the article “ECJ Still Calculating Cost Of Delayed Announcement Of Elections”, Published Tuesday December 1, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.

The ECJ (Electoral Commission of Jamaica) was all revved up to go, training Election Day workers as setting up polling stations. So now with this snap announcement, all that activity has been halted basically saving Christmas, throwing the JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) off Track!

So why would the PNP (People's National Party) call it quits when the going was so good?

PM calls off General Elections - Why the Dead Babies Scandal of 2015 means General Elections now would be Political suicide

The answer is not politics but science!

The PNP is currently being inundated with scandal after scandal, most notable the death of some nineteen (19) out of the forty two (42) babies have died from Klebsiella and Serratia bacterial infection since June 2015 as noted in my blog article entitled “19 Babies now dead from Klebsiella and Serratia bacterial infections - How More Babies will Die as Drought continues”.

The Minister of Health Dr. Fenton Ferguson came under intense pressure from Public and Private Sector interest to resign as already managers at the UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies) have resigned as noted in my blog article entitled “Public pressure over 19 Baby deaths forces Minister of Health to release Health Audit - Why UHWI Legal Action for Ministry of Health Coverup is coming”.

On Friday November 6^th 2015, Prime Minister of Jamaica Portia Simpson-Miller reassigned Minister of Health Dr. Fenton Ferguson to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security as noted in the article “Prime Minister Strips Ferguson Of Health Portfolio”, published Friday November 6, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.

This basically relieves Derrick Kellier, the Minister of Labour and Social Security of his portfolio and gives him a full time role in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries which is still yet to launch a drone program to combat praedial Larceny both on land and at sea as noted in my blog article entitled “Jamaican Drone Contractors Testing Drones in Pedro Cays – Why Ministry of Agriculture needs Drones to catch Poachers in the Act”.

This strategy ensures that they keep the East St. Thomas constituency that Dr. Fenton Ferguson is in charge for almost five (5) terms, making him the longest serving MP as noted in the article “#ElectionJa – Meet Your MP: Dr Fenton Ferguson”, published  November 12, 2015 by diGJamaica.

So to fill the Ministry of Health Portfolio, she's drafted in Horace Dalley the minister with responsibility for the Public Service in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.

Already he's showing a new strategy with dealing with the death of the (nineteen (19) babies by actually meeting with the mothers not to negotiate but to offer his condolences as noted in the article “Dalley to meet with mothers of dead babies tomorrow”, published Thursday, November 12, 2015 by Tanesha Mundle, The Jamaica Observer. 

He's also dealing with a slowly growing scandal relating to the burial of sixty five (65) stillborn babies to which Minister of Health Horace Dalley has called a halt as noted in the article “Halt To Baby Burials - Dalley Asks If Mothers Still Want State To Dispose Of Bodies”, Published Monday November 30, 2015 by Christopher Serju, The Jamaica Gleaner.

He has also called a meeting on Sunday November 29th 2015 with the KPH (Kingston Public hospital), VJH (Victoria Jubilee Hospital) and SERHA (South Regional Health Authority) to discuss the matter as noted in the article “Dalley calls meeting with hospital management, halts burial of babies”, published Sunday, November 29, 2015, The Jamaica Observer.

This as many Jamaicans, who are good at math as I am, suspect that the sixty five (65) stillborn babies is a cover-up for the death of more babies from Klebsiella and Serratia bacterial infection. After all, a total of forty two (42) other babies were infected, of which nineteen (19) have died.

It would be easy to hide the remaining twenty three (23) among the stillborn babies, as no autopsy would be done on babies declared stillborn. Luckily, due to our religious beliefs, Jamaica is still not a country that incinerates the dead or slices them up to be use for medical research, as babies are a source of placenta and Stem cells.

So you see, it’s not politics, its math!

The Jamaican Public is not sure what’s really going on with the remaining twenty three (23) babies infected with Klebsiella and Serratia bacterial infection. Too many Jamaicans, this may be the PNP covering up their deaths by mixing them in with the sixty five (65) allegedly stillborn babies.

PM and Christmas – How the Great Sorrel Shortage of 2015 ad general Elections are a bad idea

But there is another science reason why Prime Minister of Jamaica Portia Simpson-Miller did not call the General Elections in December 2015!

Especially as Chicken, Pork and Sorrel are already in short supply as note in my blog article entitled “Why Great Jamaica Sorrel Shortage of 2015 caused by increasing yearly demand - How Turner Innovations Sorrel picking machine might save Christmas 2015”.

The Representation of the People Act states that Nomination Day shall be at least five (5) days after the announcement of an Election, with Election Day to be at least sixteen (16) days, or not more than twenty three (23) days, after Nomination day.

This is clearly not possible, as to avoid the twelve (12) days of Christmas, they have to call Elections on Wednesday, November 25^th 2015, which has already pas. Had this occurred, then counting from that day Nomination day would be on Monday November 30^th 2015.

Sixteen (16) days after that would be Election Day which would be on Wednesday, December 16^th 2015 or on Wednesday, December 23^rd 2015, well clear of Friday December 25 2015, Christmas Day!!

So Science, specifically mathematics (and the Great Sorrel Shortage of 2015), strikes again!

PM awaiting the New ECJ Voter's List - Why Younger Voters may vote against the PNP

But that’s not the only price of math to consider. Turns out another reason for her calling off the General Election aside from the Dead Babies Scandal and the great Sorrel Shortage of 2015.

This s the addition of some 37,000 new voters at the end of November 2015 as noted in “No 2015 Poll - Portia Opts Not To Call Election This Year”, Published Monday November 23, 2015 by Daraine Luton, The Jamaica Gleaner.

The Statistical breakdown for the for the 34,907 new names added to the list make for interesting reading as noted in the article “Youth account for 72% of new additions to voters’ list – ECJ”, published Wednesday, December 02, 2015, The Jamaica Observer.

According to the ECJ (Electoral Commission of Jamaica) the total voter list as of November 30th 2015 is as follows:

1.      1,824,410, is the total number of voters

2.      1,793,039 names was on the previous list published in May 2015

Thus a total of 31,371 persons have been newly enumerated since May till November 2015 and may be a part of the newly enumerated being counted in the now newly published Voter's list!!

The ECJ Monday November 30th 2015 voters’ list is composed as thus:

1.         34, 907 new names added to the list

2.         24, 964 of them fell within the 18 to 24 age group.

3.         72% fell within the 18 to 24 age group.

4.         18,589 of the 24,964 enumerated are between the ages of 18 and 19 years 

The newly enumerated added to the Voter's list are decidedly getting younger too:

1.      8,896 between 25 and 64 years of age

2.      1,047 people over 65 years 

Most of the newly enumerated across all age ranges came from specific constituencies:

1.         965 from St Catherine Southern

2.         864 Westmoreland Central

Voter apathy is at an all time high. The enumeration number indicating a younger voting public.

With the Great Sorrel Shortage of 2015 plus Pork and Chicken Shortages looming and the Baby Death Scandal so close, Science, specifically Mathematics, and not Politics, is dictating when the General Elections is to be called! With this much heat, cancelling the General Elections makes logical sense, especially when one considers the electorate, which is getting younger and more in JLP’s favour.

Granted, I don’t have the breakdown in terms of age groups across the entire voter's list. But if this is representative of the entire voter's list, the PNP would have lost for certain, as Health, Education and Work are universal concerns for Jamaicans from all walks of life!

Hopefully, it'll be called before St. Valentine's Day or Carnival, as those are Jamaican holidays as well!!!

OfCom say Wi-Fi messes Christmas Lights and Fiber Optic Lights reduce EMI and Electricity Bill

Turns out that regular Christmas lights don't used use up a lot of electrical current, being as they are mostly mini incandescent bulbs.

They also may be interfering with the performance of your Wi-Fi signal this Christmas according to research done by Telecom Regulator OfCom as reported in the article “Want faster Wi-Fi? You may want to get rid of your Christmas lights”, published December 1, 2015 By Lulu Chang, DigitalTrends.

Their research points to the fact that interference with Wi-Fi signals is caused by electromagnetic Interference (EMI) generated by current running through the wires in your Christmas lights and other household appliances.

This creates electronic “noise” that interferes with the transmission of Digital Data over Wi-Fi their study claims in the article “Ofcom launches Wi-Fi checker”, published 01 December 2015, Ofcom.

You can check this by downloading OfCom’s handy Wi-Fi Checker app, which is available on the Apple iTunes Store as well as the Google Play Store as noted in the article “Ofcom’s mobile Wi-Fi checker will tell you about problems with your connection”, published 01-12-2015 by Ben Woods, TWN.

This video might help make things a bit clearer.

Of course almost every gadget in your home that has an electrical plug will create EMI. But this become more apparent during the Christmas season when we are more prone to string up Christmas lights all over out house, increasing the amount of wires that can generate an EMI and thus interfere with our Wi-Fi.

So what can the typical homeowner do about this?

OfCom say Christmas Lights interfere with Wi-Fi – Why Fiber Optic Lights Christmas reduce EMI and Electricity Bill

The solution I'm recommending? Fiber Optic Christmas lights.

From November 3, 2015

One wire run in one location and the rest of the Christmas lights is really just a string of plastic fibers that carry the light from a pack of LED stored salary in one location to crystalline illuminators at the ends.  Thus it’s one short wire, hardly large enough to cause any EMI interference due to the low energy consumption of Fiber Optic Christmas lights.

Not only are they are reduced fire hazard, but they are also more energy efficient as noted in my blog article entitled my blog article entitled “Why Jamaicans Purchasing Fiber Optic Christmas Tree makes sense - Save on your Electricity Bill this Christmas”  as will be reflected on your energy bill come the Year of the Monkey 2016.

So don't be a chimp this Christmas is basically what Telecom Regulator OfCom is saying; be a champ and buy Fiber optic Christmas lights instead and save the Wi-Fi...and your Electricity Bill!!!  

Here’s the link:

OfCom Wi-Fi Checker on Google Play

OfCom Wi-Fi Checker on Apple iTunes Store