Recent Posts

  • Episode 8: Digital Transformation

    The term "Fourth Industrial Revolution", or 4IR lacks a clear definition. Prof Barry describes 4 "Design Principles" that lie at the heart of Germany's Industrie 4.0 movement. He relates these to evolutionary and revolutionary digital transformation.

  • Episode 7: Rebuilding Skills Pyramid

    IT Skills are in short supply around the world. For decades the faster growing digital economies of the Northern Hemisphere have sucked IT skills out of the developing world. South Africa, with its very well established and sophisticated digital economy, has struggled to grow enough of its own skills to meet the every increasing demand for IT professionals. In this episode I talk about various initiatives that I and others have led to rebuild the local IT Skills Pyramid.

  • Episode 6: Tshimologong

    South Africa and Africa need to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship if they are to deal successfully with the Triple Challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Prof Barry speaks to Kerryn and Evan about how and why he set up Wits University's Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Braamfontein Johannesburg, and how he aims to create Africa's Silicon Valley on the doorstep of the University.

  • Episode 5: From ad hoc to Optimizing

    In the late 1990s a strategy for growing South Africa's IT Industry was developed. Although it offered a clear vision for the future of the Industry, very few of the recommendations were implemented. In this episode we discuss South Africa's IT Industry.

  • Episode 4: How to Slay a Werewolf

    Episode 4 of our podcast touches on some of the software concepts that gave rise to the “4th Industrial Revolution”. We discuss OOD, digital twins and robotics + AI. We then discusses Werewolves – and how to slay them. We use the metaphor of the Werewolf to talk about software engineering.

  • Episode 3: Grand Geek (pt.3)

    In this 3rd and final episode of "Becoming the Grand Geek", Prof Barry talks about how in the 1990's he and Alan Meyer ran a large research and development effort at Wits that created innovative design software used to support Eskom's efforts to connect 100's of thousands of homes to the national grid. He launched a startup to commercialise the CART software.