Features

To say that computer graphics matter is an understatement. They actually have become a critical part of any computer-based device, from smartphones all the way up to server machines, including smart TVs that in a way can also be considered today as computer-based hardware.

The demand for intensive, high quality graphics is unabated, covering all fields of application, from entertainment to medical imaging and everything in between. Image is everywhere. Regardless of the quality of the music, can you imagine a pop song to sell and be successful without a great video clip to go with it?

WhatsApp and similar applications are so popular because of their ability to channel photos. Smartphones are essentially judged by the size of their screen and the quality of the images they can display, be it still or moving images. As for YouTube and its planetary impact, it goes without saying…

Why does the consumer have to keep this in mind? Isn’t it enough just owning and using the devices?

The question matters a lot when it comes to buying a device, deciding on the amount and size of the memory it features, and whether it has a dedicated or an integrated graphics card, or adapter, or controller (different terms that mean the same thing).

You can cut corners on the various aspects and components of a computer-based machine, but not on graphics memory. Besides, we need more than just to display images; we often need to process them too. Did I say Photoshop?

Images use up, eat up, should I say, memory from your device — a lot of it. If your hardware does not have ample memory size, the part that will be taken for graphics will leave only a little to run applications, to retrieve data, to browse the web, to send emails, and so forth.

To address the question, the consumer has two options. The first is to get a machine with extra memory. If you think you need 4GB, get 8GB, if you think you need 8GB, get 12GB, etc... In short, make sure you have memory to spare. This will ensure that whatever the graphics part takes, there will always be enough left for the other “tasks” the machine is running.

A better solution, however, is to ensure you have a dedicated graphics card. This comes with memory that will be exclusively dedicated to images and will not affect the “main” memory or interfere in any way with it. There is an added advantage to this method. The type of memory that the graphics card would come with is also faster than the “main” memory and will perform much better.

There was a time when having a dedicated graphics card was a luxury, a feature that only hardcore gamers or graphic designers would use. It is not anymore the case. We all need good, dedicated graphics.

Such cards have become common staples and for JD40 to JD80, one can get a good graphics card, sporting 2GB or 4GB of dedicated memory. At the top of the range, prices can reach up to JD500, but few of us would really need such sophisticated, expensive hardware.

As for devices that come with built-in graphics controllers, and that leave you with few options to add hardware, just be sure to select equipment that has powerful graphics from the very start. This is the case for smartphones and tablets in particular. In general, buying a top-of-the-line iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone will do the trick, sparing you the trouble to search and make tough decisions.

NEW YORK — In just two seasons, Indonesian Muslim designer Anniesa Hasibuan has made the hijab her trademark — and dazzled New York Fashion Week’s catwalk this week by styling it with flowing, iridescent gowns fit for a princess.

Like in her New York show last fall — which cemented her status as a rising star — all of the models who showcased Hasibuan’s autumn/winter 2017 collection sported lustrous grey hijabs that sculpted the facial features while carefully covering the hair.

Other than the hijab, the traditional head and neck covering many Muslim women wear, the 30-year-old designer’s clothes evoked nothing of the “modest Muslim” style that sometimes stirs controversy and exacerbates anti-Muslim sentiment in western countries.

On the contrary, Hasibuan’s collection features shimmering, on-trend pleats, silver and golden ruffles, and long trains adorned with pearls, glitter or embroidery that recalled royalty of the Middle Ages.

The models were not chosen at random — the young designer held casting calls specifically seeking first- and second-generation immigrants, seeking to show that “fashion is for everybody”.

“There is beauty in diversity and differences — something we should not be afraid of” she told AFP, speaking through an interpreter. 

“I believe being a fashion designer can bring a lot of changes — and beautiful changes, of course.”

Growing fame

She unveiled her second New York collection amid controversy over US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on immigration, currently blocked by a US court, that bars refugees and migrants from seven Muslim-majority nations. The decree ignited mass protests and global condemnation.

Hasibuan, however, aims to keep her work, which is primarily geared towards Muslim women, “separate” from politics.

“I’m here bringing the beautiful voice of the Muslim women, the peace and the universal values that fashion can offer,” she said.

Her dream, she said, would be to dress Kate Middleton, whom the designer said is “like a queen”, adding that she admires the Duchess of Cambridge for “her elegance”. 

Hasibuan won worldwide praise for her fall collection in New York last September, the first to feature a hijab in every look. 

Since then she has opened new stores in her home country Indonesia as well as in Malaysia, Turkey and Abu Dhabi — proffering modern Islamic clothing dripping in glamour.

Chiara Sari, Indonesia’s vice consul in New York, donned a white hijab atop a black, velvet top and black pants to attend the show, pulling her contemporary look together with a statement necklace.

The hijab, Sari said, is Hasibuan’s “trademark, and I don’t think she will lose that”.

Since Trump’s contentious decree, Sari said she has spent significant time reassuring her fellow Indonesians in the United States, while also urging them to “avoid traveling abroad” to reduce the risk of not being able to re-enter.

For Sari, Hasibuan’s growing fame is a gift. “Hopefully that will increase familiarity with Islam in general, especially now when it is getting a lot of bad press,” she said. 

I don’t know about you, but I seem to find no way to trump down my news-watching these days. I have become addicted to the various American news channels and switch between them rather frequently. Following what the 45th President of the United States might do next keeps me glued to the television screen.

One of the first ways a new president is able to exercise political power, in America, is through unilateral executive orders. While legislative efforts take time, a swipe of the pen from the White House can often enact broad changes in government policy and practice. And President Donald Trump has wasted little time in swiping a pen, so to speak, and putting his exclusive scribbly signature onto the documents that define his directives.

The most controversial one was the blanket move that banned citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days and suspended the admission of all refugees for 120 days. The implications of this travel ban reverberated worldwide, as chaos and confusion rippled through US airports and American law enforcement agencies tried to grasp Washington’s new policy.

Oblivious to the devastation it caused, Trump said the government was “totally prepared” for the ban. “You see it at the airports. You see it all over. It’s working out very nicely and we’re going to have a very, very strict ban,” he told reporters. I watched his facial expressions closely when he made this statement, looking for some sign of uncertainty. There was none. He actually believed what he was saying!

Soon, this executive order was halted by Seattle-based US District Court Judge James Robart, who issued a temporary restraining order blocking Trump’s order nationwide after the states of Washington and Minnesota sued. Deriding the ruling, Trump took to the social networking site and tweeted: “The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” But a federal appeals three-judge panel unanimously rejected his bid to reinstate the travel ban, suggesting that it showed no evidence that anyone from the seven nations — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen — had committed terrorist acts in the United States. Within minutes of the verdict, Mr Trump angrily vowed to fight it, presumably in an appeal to the Supreme Court. “See you in court, the security of our nation is at stake!” Trump wrote on Twitter in capital letters. 

Now, if such high drama is taking place in front of your very eyes, though via the idiot box I must confess, who can pull themselves away? 

Meanwhile, a story in the New York Times reported that “President Trump’s aides conferred in the dark because they could not figure out how to operate the light switches in the Cabinet room of the White House”. Ajit, a famous character-actor of Indian movies, usually played the role of a villain, and always told his assistant — who delivered the stolen diamonds or gold biscuits — to switch the lights of his car “on and off” as a secret code. The smuggler receiving the loot was to signal back, by switching the headlights of his vehicle “off and on”.

“Conferred in the dark? How?” I asked my husband. 

“They must have carried a lighter,” he answered. 

“Aha! Used coded messages?” I exclaimed. 

“Ajit style on-off, on-off, for yes,” I continued. 

“What?” he sounded confused. 

“And off-on, off-on, for no,” I concluded.

Perhaps the most defining model among Mercedes-Benz’ various model lines across the years, the E-Class sums up the brand’s luxurious yet unostentatious, sensibly practical yet established premium brand and elegant yet conservative appeal.

Possibly the most important of Mercedes models, the E-Class is probably the most popularly aspirational car in Jordan, and especially so in E200 guise, where it represents one of the safest investments in a premium car.

Launched last year, the latest incarnation is one of the most technologically advanced cars rolled out by the Stuttgart manufacturer.

Flowing and fluent

Designated the W213 according to Mercedes-Benz model codes, the latest E-Class is a curvier and more flowing design and succeeds the more overt, chunkier and edgier W212, circa 2009-2016. Styled according to Stuttgart’s currently prevailing Sensual Purity design ethos, the new executive segment E-Class sits between and bears a strong familial resemblance to the brand’s flagship S-Class and junior executive C-Class saloons.

With a snouty grille with pronounced frame and bonnet surfacing, bullet-like LED headlamp clusters, flowing ridge along its flank, arcing roofline and waistline trailing off to a tapered boot, the new E-Class strikes a distinctly elegant, smooth and fluent aesthetic.

Smooth and flowing, its design generates low aerodynamic drag for refinement and efficiency. Meanwhile, mixed material construction including greater use of high strength steel in the frame and lightweight aluminium for many body panels allows for a significant weight reduction of up to 100kg, depending on model, and which helps improve efficiency, performance, handling and comfort.

Slightly longer than its predecessor by 65mm, including 43mm at the wheelbase, the new E-Class, however, features a shorter front overhang, and is slightly narrower and lower. Driven in more assertive AMG Line styling specification, it features larger 48cm alloy wheels and bumper details.

Efficient and versatile

Powered by a turbocharged direct injection four-cylinder engine carried over from its predecessor — and employed in more powerful states of tune in E250 and E300 variants — the entry-level petrol E200 version develops 181BHP at 5500rpm and 221lb/ft torque 1200-4000rpm. Weighing in 1605kg and driven through Mercedes much improved new 9-speed automatic gearbox, the E200 accelerates through 0-100km/h in 7.7-seconds, tops out at 240km/h and returns frugal in-class 5.9l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency. 

Slick and smooth, its new 9-speed automatic is an improvement on the previous 7-speed, with better shift responses and a wider range of ratios for improved acceleration, on-the-move flexibility, refinement and fuel efficiency.

Smooth and refined but with a faint four-cylinder chatter at idle, the E200 is responsive off-the-line with little by way of turbo lag. Spooling up swiftly, it settles into it generous and broad peak torque rev range, on-the-move progress and flexibility is responsive and confident.

At its best when exploiting its versatile mid-range in town and on highway, the E200 is also happy to be revved hard and high into its rev range through snaking switchbacks or winding hill claims, which it dispatches with confident consistency, if not the same muscularity as 208BHP and 242BHP e250 and E300 versions of the same engine would.

Reassuring comfort

Highly stable and reassuring at speed as such that premium German executive saloon is expected to be, the E200 is smooth, refined and comfortable. Riding on multi-link suspension with adaptive Agility Control system to loosen its dampers for suppleness or to make them tauter for greater body control through corners, the E200 manages to mostly keep one unruffled and comfortable, despite its sticky optional low profile tyres. Aesthetically appealing and lending the E200 a more grounded, assertive and sporting flavour, it optional tyres would seem to be a preference for many customers. On rougher Jordanian they can feel slightly and occasionally feel firmer than idea for such a large comfortable car.

With quick and clinically precise steering that nevertheless retains good directional stability at speed, the E200 is eager and tidy into corners, with its optional 245/40R19 front tyres gripping well. With well-controlled weight shift through corners for a large and luxurious car, balanced and predictable chassis and handling, the E200’s relatively long wheelbase and wide low profile 275/35R19 rear tyres provide reassuring road-holding through corners when leaned on. 

However, and like other Mercedes saloons in recent years, suspension tuning seems to favour agile turn-in, while mechanical rear grip is looser at lower speeds, with permanently active electric stability control intervening sometimes subtly, and other times more noticeably to sort things out.

Advanced and luxurious

Smooth and settled, the E200 felt buttoned down on rebound, while comfort levels are generally high, one feels that more forgiving non-AMG Line wheels and tyres with a slimmer tread and taller provide would add fluency and suppleness over some of Jordan’s rougher road surfaces. Highly comfortable inside with terrific driving position adjustability and control layouts, the E-class also benefits from good visibility, tight turning circle and rear view monitor for agile manoeuvrability in tight confines, belying its large size. Seating and luggage room are accommodatingly generous in all directions, but based on anecdotal evidence, one felt that the previous E-Class, with its taller and less sloping roof provided better headroom.

A satisfyingly refined, comfortable, quiet spacious and indulgent car to drive, the new E-Class’ cabin is a more luxuriously appointed, aesthetically pleasing and elegant environment than its predecessors. Kitted in classy Avantegard spec with brown leather and wood trim as driven, the E200 features a horizontal emphasis with a wide centre console, four round centre air vents and a wide and cowled single instrument display and infotainment housing, able to accommodate two optional 12.3-inch screens. 

Specified with plenty of convenience, luxury and safety systems including steering mounted touch pad controllers and blind spot and braking assistance, the E-Class can also optionally be had with Mercedes’ most advanced semi-automated driver assistance systems.  

Such optional systems include Intelligent Pilot, which can negotiate bends on highways while maintaining distance from the car ahead, and Steering Pilot, which maintains lane discipline even in the absence of lane markings. Other systems include car-to-car communication, Evasive Steering assistance and numerous other features.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, turbocharged, in-line 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 83 x 92mm

Compression ratio: 9.8:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, variable timing, direct injection

Gearbox: 9-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive

Ratios: 1st 5.35; 2nd 3.24; 3rd 2.25; 4th 1.64; 5th 1.21; 6th 1; 7th 0.86; 8th 0.72; 9th 0.6

Reverse/final drive ratios: 4.8/3.07

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 181 (184) [135] @5500rpm

Specific power: 90.9BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 112.7BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 221 (300) @1200-4000rpm

Specific torque: 150.6Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 186.9Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 7.7-seconds

Top speed: 240km/h

Fuel economy, urban/extra-urban/combined:

7.6-/4.9-/5.9-litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 132g/km

Fuel capacity: 66-litres

Length: 4923mm

Width: 1852mm

Height: 1468mm

Wheelbase: 2939mm

Track: 1619mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficient: 0.26

Headroom, F/R: 1051/971mm

Boot capacity: 540-litres

Unladen weight: 1605kg

Suspension: Multi-link

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning circle: 11.6-metres

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres, F/R: 245/40R19/275/35R19 (optional)

The Queue

Basma Abdel Aziz

Translated by Elisabeth Jaquette

Brooklyn-London: Melville House, 2016

Pp. 217

First published in Arabic (Cairo, 2013), this novel is both charming and horrifying. Charming because it centres on a triangle of friends who are so pure in their intentions and so loyal to each other. Though the author, Basma Abdel Aziz, describes them in a minimal way, they somehow come alive and make the reader care about them. Yet, in equal degree, the novel is horrifying because it describes a faceless dictatorship which seeps into and controls literally every aspect of citizens’ lives, always to their detriment.

Yehya was wounded in a protest demonstration. The bullet is still lodged in his stomach, causing internal bleeding and sapping his strength. Without an operation to remove it, he is doomed. His close friends, Nagy and Amani, will do anything to help him but at every attempt, they discover how powerless they are. Between them and the faceless authority is Tarek, a doctor of good conscience, who initially treated Yehya’s wounds: “Yehya had come straight to him, the first of the arrivals, his body a map of the battle”. (p. 25)

Then Yehya was inexplicably taken to the state hospital and released without further treatment.

Tarek is haunted by Yehya’s case, studying his file daily, knowing he will die unless operated on. He wants to do the operation, but is afraid as Yehya’s file is stamped with the words: “Suspended Pending Approval by the Gate”. Entries in the file are changed regularly without Dr Tarek knowing who is altering it. In fact, medical records are being falsified en masse, removing any reference to bullets to pretend that no protesters were shot by the police. Yehya has no choice but to wait in the queue that leads to the Gate. 

The background for this situation is a popular uprising which would have overthrown a hated ruler, had it not split, with various factions turning against each other. Soon after, the Gate appeared. “As the ruler faded from the public eye, it was the Gate that increasingly began to regulate procedures… soon it was the singular source of all regulations and decrees… it controlled absolutely everything”. (p. 31)

New security forces appeared. Citizens had to obtain permission for the most commonplace things. Anyone suspected of dissent must stand in the queue to apply for a Certificate of True Citizenship if they wanted to keep their job. 

The trick is that the Gate never opens, though the queue keeps getting longer until it becomes a world of its own. Needy persons sell tea and coffee to fellow waiters. So many people are required to wait that normal life grinds to a halt; shops close, people stay away from work, students do not attend school regularly, clinics are closed. The only official largesse is the free phones being given away — all from the same company — tools for surveillance and mind control. The sole newspaper available is ironically titled “The Truth”. 

Doublespeak is rampant, claiming that all the inconveniences and injustices being perpetrated are for the citizens’ own good. People begin to argue with each other in the queue; rumours are spread to divide them against each other. Some disappear mysteriously and never come back.

Nagy, the most analytical of the three friends, wonders “what made people so attached to their new lives of spinning in orbit around the queue, unable to venture beyond it. People hadn’t been idiots before they came to the Gate with their paperwork.” Yet, here they are, all sorts of people, with “the same look about them, the same lethargy. Now they were all starting to think the same way.” (p. 90)

The big question posed by the novel is who will muster the courage to challenge the Gate, and whether they can succeed.

Abdel Aziz is an Egyptian journalist and psychiatrist who has treated many torture victims. Here, she describes a system of mass torture by remote control — the victims never see their torturers but nonetheless suffer horribly. While the events in “The Queue” are imaginary, the themes are not. Rather, they reflect the author’s perceptions of the world around her: the murder of protesters during the Arab uprisings, regimes that wield unlimited power without accountability and the Israeli system of permits, closures, walls, checkpoints and border crossings where Palestinians wait for hours, even days, to do whatever. The passages on “The Truth” newspaper and the alteration of records predict the “alternative facts” being propagated recently across the Atlantic. 

This is a protest novel against bureaucracy which claims to facilitate citizens’ lives but actually wastes their time, and strangles their potential and very humanity. It exposes the dangers of unchecked power, and the injustice and cruelty it engenders. It is also a warning to people not to let themselves be manipulated and divided. “The Queue” is available at Books@Cafe.

WASHINGTON — When you browse online for a new pair of shoes, pick a movie to stream on Netflix or apply for a car loan, an algorithm likely has its word to say on the outcome.

The complex mathematical formulas are playing a growing role in all walks of life: from detecting skin cancers to suggesting new Facebook friends, deciding who gets a job, how police resources are deployed, who gets insurance at what cost, or who is on a “no fly” list.

Algorithms are being used — experimentally — to write news articles from raw data, while Donald Trump’s presidential campaign was helped by behavioural marketers who used an algorithm to locate the highest concentrations of “persuadable voters”.

But while such automated tools can inject a measure of objectivity into erstwhile subjective decisions, fears are rising over the lack of transparency algorithms can entail, with pressure growing to apply standards of ethics or “accountability”.

Data scientist Cathy O’Neil cautions about “blindly trusting” formulas to determine a fair outcome.

“Algorithms are not inherently fair, because the person who builds the model defines success,” she said.

Amplifying disadvantages

O’Neil argues that while some algorithms may be helpful, others can be nefarious. In her 2016 book, “Weapons of Math Destruction”, she cites some troubling examples in the United States:

— Public schools in Washington DC in 2010 fired more than 200 teachers — including several well-respected instructors — based on scores in an algorithmic formula which evaluated performance.

— A man diagnosed with bipolar disorder was rejected for employment at seven major retailers after a third-party “personality” test deemed him a high risk based on its algorithmic classification.

— Many jurisdictions are using “predictive policing” to shift resources to likely “hot spots.” O’Neill says that depending on how data is fed into the system, this could lead to discovery of more minor crimes and a “feedback loop” which stigmatises poor communities.

— Some courts rely on computer-ranked formulas to determine jail sentences and parole, which may discriminate against minorities by taking into account “risk” factors such as their neighbourhoods and friend or family links to crime.

— In the world of finance, brokers “scrape” data from online and other sources in new ways to make decisions on credit or insurance. This too often amplifies prejudice against the disadvantaged, O’Neil argues.

Her findings were echoed in a White House report last year warning that algorithmic systems “are not infallible — they rely on the imperfect inputs, logic, probability, and people who design them”.

The report noted that data systems can ideally help weed out human bias but warned against algorithms “systematically disadvantaging certain groups”.

Digital crumbs

Zeynep Tufekci, a University of North Carolina professor, who studies technology and society, said automated decisions are often based on data collected about people, sometimes without their knowledge.

“These computational systems can infer all sorts of things about you from your digital crumbs,” Tufekci said in a recent TED lecture.

“They can infer your sexual orientation, your personality traits, your political leanings. They have predictive power with high levels of accuracy.”

Such insights may be useful in certain contexts — such as helping medical professionals diagnose postpartum depression — but unfair in others, she said.

Part of the problem, she said, stems from asking computers to answer questions that have no single right answer.

“They are subjective, open-ended and value-laden questions, asking who should the company hire, which update from which friend should you be shown, which convict is more likely to reoffend.”

The EU model?

Frank Pasquale, a University of Maryland law professor and author of “The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money and Information”, shares the same concerns.

He suggests one way to remedy unfair effects may be to enforce existing laws on consumer protection or deceptive practices.

Pasquale points at the European Union’s data protection law, set from next year to create a “right of explanation” when consumers are impacted by an algorithmic decision, as a model that could be expanded.

This would “either force transparency or it will stop algorithms from being used in certain contexts”, he said.

Alethea Lange, a policy analyst at the Centre for Democracy and Technology, said the EU plan “sounds good” but “is really burdensome” and risked proving unworkable in practice.

She believes education and discussion may be more important than enforcement in developing fairer algorithms.

Lange said her organisation worked with Facebook, for example, to modify a much-criticised formula that allowed advertisers to use “ethnic affinity” in their targeting.

Scapegoat

Others meanwhile caution that algorithms should not be made a scapegoat for societal ills.

“People get angry and they are looking for something to blame,” said Daniel Castro, vice president at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

“We are concerned about bias, accountability and ethical decisions but those exist whether you are using algorithms or not.”

LOS ANGELES — Streaming has rapidly transformed the music industry and if there is to be a single moment to confirm the format’s arrival, it may be the Grammy Awards.

The music industry’s most prestigious awards, which take place Sunday in a star-studded gala in Los Angeles, this year for the first time considered releases that were only streamed online.

The biggest beneficiary has been Chance the Rapper, whose “Coloring Book” came out in May only by streaming — first through Apple Music and then on other services including the most popular one, Spotify.

The 23-year-old, known for incorporating gospel elements into hip-hop, is in the running for seven Grammys, including Best New Artist.

The Chicago artist insists he does not plan ever to sell his songs. His music giveaways have become part of a social media strategy, with touring his primary source of revenue.

“There’s so many ways that music moves around now. I feel like trying to fit it into a for-sale album is kind of obsolete now,” he told television host Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show”.

“It gives me more space to create and put out stuff,” he said.

Streaming has brought new optimism to executives of the music industry, which has witnessed its first healthy growth figures since the start of the Internet era.

In the United States, the world’s biggest music market, subscriptions to music streaming services more than doubled in 2016 alone, according to analytical firm BuzzAngle Music.

Larry Miller, director of the music business programme at New York University’s Steinhardt School, said the change by the Recording Academy, the tradition-bound institution that administers the Grammys, would likely lead to more streaming exclusives in the future.

“It’s certainly not the first and probably not the last, but it is perhaps one of the most important validating statements about the emergence, and maybe domination, of streaming as the way that many, if not most, people are finding and listening to music,” he said.

The three top-selling albums last year in the United States, which are all up for the prestigious Album of the Year Grammy, show the diversity of strategies on streaming.

Beyonce, who leads the Grammys with nine nominations, sprung her previously unannounced album “Lemonade” onto Tidal, the upstart streaming service led by her husband Jay Z.

Beyonce started selling “Lemonade” on iTunes a day later and within two weeks put it out on CD — but has not streamed it on Tidal’s rivals.

Toronto rapper Drake released “Views” through Apple for a two-week exclusive period — a triumph for the tech giant as it promotes its young streaming service — before sharing it with other platforms.

However, English balladeer Adele released “25” — the top-selling album in recent years — only through CDs, vinyl and digital downloads. It started streaming seven months later.

Miller said Adele’s move made commercial sense for a singer of her broad popularity.

“But that is not a release strategy that can be undertaken by more than a couple of artists who have enormous global, older and moneyed fan bases,” he said.

Pop superstar Taylor Swift, whose “1989” is the reigning Album of the Year, also resisted streaming initially and waged a campaign against Spotify.

She is not alone in her criticism. While the number of artists to boycott streaming has dwindled, many complain that the payback is paltry except for mega-stars.

Some artists have seen streaming’s possibilities and experienced its pitfalls. Acclaimed hip-hop artist Frank Ocean fulfilled a label contract when he streamed a loosely defined visual work on Apple Music — and a day later, independently, released his long-awaited second studio album, “Blonde”.

The audacious move reportedly outraged Lucian Grainge, head of the largest music label group Universal, who was said to ban future exclusives.

Kanye West, who is up for eight Grammys, declared “The Life of Pablo” to be a new type of release — a “living album” — which he fine-tuned even after its release on Tidal.

But Tidal did not report its data, meaning “The Life of Pablo” only entered the charts once the celebrity rapper released it more widely.

In a rather unexpected twist, people are looking again for music on audio cassette tapes. Yes, that rather flawed recording media that we thought was completely defunct since the early 1990s.

We already knew that analogue vinyl records were never really dead, that CDs and digital music never pushed them out completely. Indeed, there’s a special aura around vinyl records, for until today, some purists, this special breed of extremely refined audiophiles, whether right or wrong, consider that analogue records bring warmth of sound that digital simply cannot match.

But why audio cassettes? For everyone knows that their sound quality has always been poor, or average in the best case. That their shelf life is limited, that handling them is cumbersome, and so forth.

I could not believe it when last week I watched a documentary on a French TV channel showing the comeback of the audio cassette tape, albeit with a very limited part of the population, understandably.

So I immediately went on amazon.com and tried to look for audio cassettes to buy, very sceptical about the chance to find any there. I was in for a surprise. Amazon has in store blank tapes as well as recorded ones! It put me in a puzzled, wondering state of mind.

There’s something in the human mind that makes it uncomfortable with the virtual, the abstract, with all that is impalpable. It’s the same notion that makes most people fear advanced mathematics; it’s too much of a mind game, not a tangible one at all.

The fact is that digital data is part of this world that we cannot physically touch, and it makes us feel uneasy. It’s like talking about distant galaxies, black holes and time warp; it’s scary, too distant.

If for most of the digital world there’s little choice, music — on the other hand — still can find its way to the heart of the human race on analogue media like tapes and records. Call it weakness, call it sentimental, passé, retrograde or old — this is how some still feel. You cannot explain or argue with feelings.

They want to hold the media in their hands, to relate to it, to better feel it, not to click an MP3 file on a cold computer’s hard disk; it’s just too abstract for them.

Seeing a collection of tapes or vinyl records before your eyes is different from looking at a set of files on a hard disk, a smartphone or a tablet. It seems that we have a biological need to see and touch. 

It is the same notion that makes us enjoy a live concert — as opposed to recorded music. Despite the imperfections of any live performance (poor sound, musicians’ mistakes, noisy audience…), seeing the artists before your very eyes makes a huge difference and brings something unique, something that recorded media cannot bring, or replace.

The current crave for audio cassettes is probably touching an insignificant part of the population. It must be in the range of one per thousand and perhaps even much less. It is anything but a general trend, for the advantages of digital music files are overwhelming. I for one cannot imagine for a second inserting a cassette tape in a player ever again. Or inserting a pencil in the cassette reel’s hub and turning it manually so as to take up the slack!

I confess, however, that for sentimental reasons — yes, sentiments again — I have kept my good old three-head, three-motor, hi-fi Tascam cassette deck from 1992. 

It sits on a shelf in my living room. I look at it wistfully, but I definitely play music from my laptop; from pristine quality, high definition digital audio files. I am not going back. Besides, the software player I use always displays the cover and the photo of the album or music that is playing back,  which does bring some kind of warmth to the experience.

Launched in recent months and taking aim squarely at the Toyota Prius, the Hyundai Ioniq is the Korean giant’s first purpose-built, petrol-electric hybrid car, and builds on lessons learnt from previous hybrid versions of existing Hyundai models. 

Well-engineered, designed and executed for the most part, the Ioniq is also priced keenly and promises frugal fuel efficiency. 

Rightly expected to perform well in Jordan’s hybrid-friendly automotive market by the local importer, the Ioniq’s JD19,750 price is highly competitive with its main hybrid rival. 

However, this puts the Ioniq in competition with Hyundai’s own similarly-sized non-hybrid Elantra, which — starting at JD18,500 — is the brand’s highly popular and best-selling Jordanian model.

Purpose built

Seeming to share certain similarities with its more conventional Elantra sister, the Ioniq is however designed specifically as a hybrid and electric vehicle. 

As such, the Ioniq’s electric motors, batteries and hybrid components are well-integrated and positioned for better weight distribution than would be the case for a model converted for a hybrid driveline. 

Using light Lithium-ion batteries with efficient charge and discharge qualities, the Ioniq’s electric motor is also compact. 

Meanwhile, the Ioniq employs a greater use of lightweight aluminium to reduce fuel consumption and help improve ride and handling.

Employing aluminium bonnet and tailgate, and other weight-saving components, the Ioniq’s increased use of “advanced” high strength steel construction further improves weight reduction and increased body rigidity for improved efficiency, refinement, safety, dynamics and comfort. 

A more handsome and futuristic styling relation to the Elantra, the Ioniq’s black and broad hexagonal grille is better integrated with squinting headlights, while its smoothly arcing hatchback body style has a more fluent and aesthetic appearance. 

More importantly, its soft curvatures, sharper rear bumper surfacing, front wheel air curtains, side sills, closed wheel design, rear spoiler and diffuser, under-body covering and active grille shutters allow for low CD0.24 aerodynamic drag co-efficiency.

Big on torque

Powered by a relatively low-revving 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine with high thermal efficiency developing 103BHP and 108lb/ft, and an electric motor producing 43BHP and 125lb/ft, the Ioniq Hybrid’s combined system output is 139BHP at 5,700rpm and 195lb/ft at 4,000rpm. 

Driven by a combination of both petrol and electric motors or either one depending on conditions, throttle input and battery charge, the Ioniq is quicker and more responsive than its headline power figure suggests. 

Instead, it relies more on its electric motor’s generous torque output, available in healthy doses throughout the rev range. Flexible and responsive in urban driving, the Ioniq accelerates through 0-100km/h in 11.1 seconds — with 17-inch wheels as tested — and tops out at 185km/h. 

Best in the city or highway cruising, the Ioniq’s hybrid system integration is much smoother than previous Hyundai hybrids with improved throttle lift-off response. 

Mostly refined and quiet, the petrol engine sounds strained only at top end. Meanwhile, battery charge and discharge times are impressive, and allow for longer and higher speed electric-only driving than expected — up to 125km/h during test drive. 

Its hybrid system also allows for confident heavy throttle driving on sustained inclines for longer periods than similar systems.

Losing some of its verve when batteries are fully depleted and the petrol engine is driving solo on such inclines, the Ioniq however quickly recovers its charge on descent from the petrol engine and regenerative braking system.

Returning 3.4l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency with 15-inch wheels and 4l/100km with 17-inch wheels — as tested and available in Jordan — according to published Hyundai figures, the Ioniq’s real world efficiency was very impressively not far off from such ideal test condition values. 

Driven on demanding Jordanian roads and conditions several months after its global launch but soon after its local launch late last year, the Ioniq managed 4.6l/100km fuel efficiency (average calculated from trip computer and manual measurement figures) in real world conditions. 

Though not a scientific test and not within any particular set parameters, this figure was remarkably achieved over approximately 500km driving, with widely varying conditions and driving styles.

Firmly frugal

Riding on MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension and driven over demanding and imperfect local road conditions, the Ioniq’s rigid construction counted in its favour for ride and handling. 

Riding firm but smooth and comfortable in most conditions, the Ioniq’s Jordanian spec 225/45R17 tyres provided good grip, but on some rougher roads, including certain highway segments south of the airport, felt firmer than ideal. 

Fitted with 17-inch alloy wheels for prevailing customer aesthetic preferences, one feels the Ioniq’s ride quality would nevertheless have been more supple, with the base 15-inch alloy wheels’ more forgiving sidewalls and absorption, while the thinner tread would have further improved acceleration and already impressive fuel efficiency. 

With its relatively long wheelbase, the Ioniq is stable at speed and through sweeping corners, with good grip. 

Through winding roads, the Ioniq’s turn-in feels tidy, with positive and quick 2.66-turn steering and good self-centring that is precise, if not layered with texture and road feel. 

Pushed hard off the line, there is mild torque-steer at full throttle as to be expected for its generous twisting force and driven front wheels. 

However, when pushed hard into corners, under-steer was pleasantly adjustable with a light dab of mid-corner braking to tighten its line, while rearwards weight shifts were predictable. 

Hiding its hybrid system’s weighting well, the Ioniq leans slightly through corners but felt well controlled.

Refined and practical

A refined and smooth drive, the Ioniq’s rebound control is considerably improved over some other popular Hyundai models driven in recent years. 

Meanwhile, vertical pitch over crests and dips was slightly more pronounced, and one felt that slightly firmer dampers with slightly more supple tyres might have been an improvement. 

At its best performing at 80 per cent of its ability, the Ioniq is happy to be hustled through switchbacks, with good composure, comfort and handling, as well as flexible performance and battery charge recovery. 

Brakes felt somewhat imprecise at low speeds owing to their regenerative function, but as speed picks up, pedal feel improves, while on sustained descents felt consistent and reassuring. 

The Ioniq’s use of a quick and slick six-speed automated dual clutch gearbox allows for more driver involvement.

User friendly, logically laid out and well-equipped inside, the Ioniq’s cabin features pleasant designs and trendy materials. 

Featuring leatherette seats and steering with multi-function controls, driving position is comfortable, adjustable and supportive. 

Front visibility is good, but with its stylishly rakish roofline, hatchback and three rear headrests, rear and side-rear visibility — and rear headroom — is slightly obstructed, as is the case for many modern cars. 

The demo model driven, however, featured blind spot warning and rearview monitor, but this is not a standard feature on Jordanian models. 

Spacious in front and with good door swing angles for easy-access front and rear, the Ioniq’s rear legroom is commendable and boot space generous.

Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid 

Engine: petrol/electric hybrid, 1.6-litre, transverse, 4 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 72 x 97mm

Compression ratio: 13:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 6-speed automated dual clutch, front-wheel-drive

Power – petrol engine, BHP (PS) [kW]: 103.5 (105) [77.2] @5,700rpm

Power – electric motor, BHP (PS) [kW]: 42.9 (43.5) [32]

Power – combined, BHP (PS) [kW]: 139 (141) [104] @5,700rpm

Torque – petrol engine, lb/ft (Nm): 108 (147) @4,000rpm

Torque – electric motor, lb/ft (Nm): 125 (170)

Torque – combined, lb/ft (Nm): 195 (265) @4,000rpm

Battery type, capacity, voltage: Lithium-ion polymer, 1.56kwh, 240v

0-100km/h: 11.1 seconds

Top speed: 185km/h

Fuel consumption, city / highway / combined: 3.88/3.92/4 litres/100km

CO2 emissions: 92g/km

Fuel capacity: 45 litres

Length: 4,470mm

Width: 1,820mm

Height: 1,450mm

Wheelbase: 2,700mm

Track, F/R: 1,549/1,563mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficient: 0.24

Headroom, F/R: 993/950mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,071/906mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,425/1,397mm

Cargo volume, min/max: 443/1,505 litres

Unladen weight: 1,370-1,477kg

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts / multi-link

Steering: Electric-assisted, rack and pinion

Lock-to-lock: 2.66 turns

Turning circle: 10.6 metres

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs / discs, regenerative braking

Tyres: 225/45R17

Price, starting from: JD19,750 (on-the-road)

Nowadays, we have CCTV cameras to keep watch over buildings and offices, but long ago, a night watchman did this job. He was hired to guard a house, community or locality during nighttime and keep it safe from robbers, thieves and other unwanted intruders. 

In cricketing terms, a nightwatchman is an inferior batsman sent in to bat when a wicket falls just before the end of a day’s play, to avoid the dismissal of a better one in adverse conditions. 

Incidentally, the Urban Dictionary — an online collection of slang words and phrases along with their definitions — has a rather crude description of the phrase “night watchman”, the meaning of which my readers can discover at their own peril. 

The night watchmen that were employed by my father when I was small were all men in their mid to late fifties.

They came with little or no training, other than a willingness to stay awake at night, for a regular wage. 

The company that supplied them gave them a dark green uniform to wear, which was a kind of coat and trouser set. They did not provide shoes, so most of these men wore rubber slippers, but what they were all handed was one long bamboo rod, each. 

They used the wooden bar to strike the floor with a loud crashing sound and yelled out “stay alert” every 20 to 25 minutes throughout the night. Actually, what they shouted was “jaagtey raho” in Hindi, which literally meant “carry on being awake”. However I’m not sure whether that sharp cry was to scare the criminals away, or to prevent themselves from nodding off. 

And nod off they did — at the most precarious of times. But when confronted with the truth, they always denied it and insisted they were fully awake. 

My father felt sorry when one of them was found sleeping on a chair, and got a blanket to cover him up. He also rescued the bamboo baton, which had fallen to one side, and placed it in our living room. The next morning the poor chap pleaded with our mother to get his wooden stick back. 

Life came full circle when we moved to Tanzania and were assigned a night watchman. 

His name was Jumma and he had an uncanny resemblance to the security guard of my childhood. It was impossible to count the number of times he slept on the job. 

My husband would pick up his baton when he was snoring loudly, and bring it indoors. I had to return it the next day after listening to his lengthy justifications. I did not wish to get him fired, you see, because he was an excellent tailor. 

What I did not know, till it was time to leave the country, was that he was also an outstanding writer. The letter he handdelivered to me, in beautiful cursive, was an all time classic. 

“Bye Bye Malik family” was the subject of the missive. “I’m hereby saying goodbye as I have heard that you are on your way to somewhere. From today I’m on my annual leave and going to my village so it would be hard to meet with all of you again…” it went on. 

“On your way to somewhere?” our daughter laughed, reading aloud. 

“He’s never been out of Tanzania, bless him!” I exclaimed. 

“Who will do your tailoring? What will you do now?” she asked. 

“First, I will get his farewell note framed,” I stated.