December 2003
December 2003
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December 2003
The Evolution of Lusaka's Roads A Secret Oasis In The Heart Of Zambia
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News From Around Zambia
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Discover This The statistics in themselves are astonishing. But behind the statistics are even more remarkable accounts of the vision and ingenuity of human beings in pursuit of a goal. Many of the programmes on Discovery and National Geographic channels offer in-depth investigations of such topics as wind power, where one learns that there is much more involved than putting up a tower to hold a set of revolving blades. The precision required of the engineering is amazing, and the methods employed to ensure success are highly imaginative. The "Extreme Engineering" series gives the background to some of the most ambitious projects ever attempted, such as the proposed bridge across the straits of Gibraltar, which would provide a direct link between Africa and Europe. "Tunnelling through the Alps" is another project in this series. But perhaps the most exciting project of all is the "City within a Pyramid". Designed to be built in Tokyo Bay, this is an open pyramid consisting of linked hollow tubes that serve as a high speed transport system, around a complex of 24 eighty-storey high buildings among parks. The concept is that of Shimizu, which has been involved in road construction in Lusaka. It is planned to accommodate 750,000 people. Construction will require a newly discovered form of carbon for lightness and strength, and projected techniques that will allow the structure to practically build itself, woven by spider robots, and powered by algae, waves and wind. It is a dream that it may not be possible to build for another 100 years, but the concept itself provides a further push to technology. On similar lines is Discovery's "Engineering the Impossible", which showed us the planned Millennium Tower in Hong Kong - 800 metres high. It is designed to withstand the earthquakes that are fairly common in the region, but will it withstand a direct hit from a hi-jacked cargo plane? The series "Frontiers of Construction" (Discovery), "Frontlines of Construction" (National Geographic) and "Super Structures" are further testimonies to human ingenuity. I was disappointed to note however that a scheduled feature programme on the world's most luxurious hotel in Bahrain was cancelled without explanation, and replaced by something else. And I cringe when Discovery channel suddenly interjects its thunder and lightning logo. Not as loud as the real thing, which we need to get used to at this season, but certainly a shock when trying to enjoy a relaxing evening's viewing. The National Geographic Channel, on the other hand, can be irritating in the way it seems to have a love affair with sharks and crocodiles. At the other end of the timescale from the highly engineered superstructures, the two channels give us plenty of material on the development of our own species. "The Real Eve" and Before We Ruled the Earth" ("Hunt or be hunted" and "Mastering the Beasts") are programmes that help to explain where that human ingenuity comes from. And they give us insights into evolution which ought to be enough to convince those of us who still accept the idea of special creation - but unfortunately they will not. For those interested in the "period in between", there will be a new channel, the History Channel, which will be on channel no 68 on all three DStv services - at no extra cost! In addition, Multichoice will be launching another channel (hopefully on all platforms) by 1 January 2004, and they say this will be a very exciting addition to the African market. |
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