MMS has evolved from the huge popularity of the SMS text service for GSM networks. It is a departure from the transport mechanism used for SMS (which is based on the GSM signalling channels) to the use of IP to transport messages within the MMS network. To this end MMS has similarities with Internet email and standard IETF protocols. As with any new technology it is difficult to accurately predict the position within the next 5 years, although based on previous experience with WAP and SMS it would be fair to say that these protocols will increase in usage over the next 5 years and become...

Paul Graham is a 40 year old man who lives in Edinburgh. He was born in Dundee in Scotland and lived in Arbroath until the age of six. At the age of twelve Paul sadly developed a condition called Hydrocephalus. The word comes from the Greek meaning 'watery head'. Hydrocephalus is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid inside the brain. Paul has two shunts in his head due to this condition and it has left him with some brain damage. On top of this Paul is totally blind. Paul enjoys playing guitar and writing songs and is a devoted fan of the late Elvis Presley. Paul is also a loyal...

In line with common efforts to measure the state of democracy in countries around the world, this study documents the results of a 'democratic audit' of South Africa. The survey was carried out by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), an independent, non-profit organisation, promoting democracy, governance, sustainability and social justice in South Africa. Some of the indicators used are: participation, elections, accountability, transparency, equality: socio-economic, civil and political rights; and human dignity. The statistical data is interspersed with a series of...

South African legislation, as well as international conventions like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child which have been ratified by South Africa, indicate shared and increasing acknowledgement of the importance of protecting and promoting children's rights. In South Africa these remain confined to principle and policy. In practice, poverty, unemployment, child labour, violence and abuse, inadequate policy support and serviced, ignorance and above all HIV/AIDS pose a real threat to the realisation and enjoyment of these...