Disney+ is expanding rapidly in a bid to fiercely compete with its rival Netflix. The Walt Disney-owned streaming platform launched its services officially in South Africa on May 18, 2022. Read our guide on how to watch Disney Plus in South Africa, in case you still can’t access it. 

The content showcase revealed what Disney+ has to offer for South African viewers and it really lived up to the hype. The virtual event was hosted by Christine Service, Senior Vice President & General Manager of The Walt Disney Company in Africa, along with TVSA.

In this article, we will recap the 10 things to remember from the Disney+ South Africa upfronts.

1. Users can subscribe and log in through a cellular phone number. Alternatively, an e-mail address can also be used but it’s not compulsory. Your mobile phone number will suffice while accessing your Disney+ account anywhere, any time.

For security reasons, a temporary code is sent to you by Disney+ while signing up for the service and logging in. That keeps you away from the hassle of remembering passwords. This feature also means that to access your account by friends or family, they will need to get the code from you. So, you are in full control of the Disney+ account. 

Unless you forget or change your phone number, this feature is a welcome addition for those who don’t fancy remembering login details and passwords.

2. Even if you haven’t subscribed to Disney+ yet, you can easily browse the content available on the streaming platform. The streaming platform is compatible with all the major devices, including PCs, Windows, Macbooks, internet browsers, Apple TV, iOS, Android devices, Smart TVs, Chromecast, and other streaming devices. 

3. A single subscription allows access to four screens simultaneously, meaning that four users can separately watch their preferred TV shows or films at the same time. The app also lets you download unlimited content on a maximum of 10 smartphones or tablets, making sure that you have enough supplies of content while you are on the go.

4. The service also offers enough parental controls. It offers users the option to make pin-protected dedicated profiles, allowing the parents to have more checks and balances on what their kids can watch. Simply go to the profile you want to apply the parental controls and set the content rating you want a specific profile to have.

5. Episodes of TV shows are mainly released weekly with the show’s premiere having double bills. After the debut, one episode is released each week. The benefit of having TV shows without a binge-able format is to prevent spoilers for viewers who like to watch episodes on a weekly basis. Still, there are a few TV series that are dropped at once with a complete set of episodes.

6. Disney has plans to develop, source, and produce around 60 local productions by 2024 from countries around the world, which also includes South Africa. Countries that have their own localized productions until now include France and Italy.

7. Disney+ was launched with ten local short animated movies in South Africa. Also Iwájú, the African animated show will also be in its new releases line-up once the release date is confirmed.

It is an under-work co-production between Kugali, which is a pan-African entertainment company, and Disney. The movie is based on a comic book series of a similar name. The story is set in a modern and futuristic setting and the themes of the story deal with social class, identity, and challenges to the status quos.

8. Films and TV series are cataloged based on the following six content heads: 

The Marvel catalog houses all the Marvel films and TV series exclusively. The Star Wars pivot hosts all of the Star Wars flicks and TV shows while the Star section holds a heap of adult-oriented TV shows and movies, new and classic, comprising:

• Each episode of The Simpsons
• The TV series Queens, a series about a 90s girl clan with an aim to regain their fame and swagger
• The resuscitated Kartrashians
• Pam and Tommy, the real-life scandalous story of the leaked sex tape of Pamela Anderson and her husband
• Comey series Atlanta Season 3
• Ridley Scott’s Death on the Nile, featuring Gal Gadot and Tom Bateman

9. If being a South-African resident this question raises in your mind, ‘Will this have any impact on the National Geographic channel DStv? Well, the answer to that is no! 

According to Christine, The Walt Disney Company’s General Manager and Senior Vice President in Africa, the channel will stay the same as it always has been and these parallel channels will keep getting new content as well as Disney+. 

10. Last but not least, the ultimate takeaway to remember from this is that if you have not already utilized it, you can watch it 24/7. Like literally, we have done it to test and streamed it 24 hours a day. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your popcorn bucket and start streaming!

Every day, traffic accidents occur, and while some may be inevitable, many of them may be avoided. In fact, more than 90% of car accidents are preventable. What can you do, therefore, to prevent a vehicle accident? You can help to make the roadways a safer place by following the rules, resisting the urge to drink and drive, and being a more attentive driver. In other words, the solution is pretty straightforward: apply common sense and observe the fundamental traffic laws. 

Know the traffic rules

The most important thing when it comes to driving safely is high-quality driver training, where traffic rules are mastered in detail. However, over time, it happens that drivers forget some rules. In that sense, it is a good idea for drivers to refresh the materials that they may have forgotten if they do not drive for a long period of time. Likewise, it is important to stay updated on car crash stories as this will keep you alert and won’t let you become negligent. The more you know about the importance of safety on the road, the more responsible you will be!

Obey the traffic rules

On the other hand, no matter how many responsibilities you have, breaking the law will only get you to your destination five minutes faster while endangering you and other road users.

Respect the speed restrictions: When you’re behind the wheel, remember that your automobile is a powerful machine. Drive carefully and within the established limits. When you drive too quickly, you lose control of the vehicle. It is more difficult to stop a fast-moving automobile in a split second, and there are times when just a split second is enough to cause an accident. Similarly, failing to use turn signals is one of the ways to cause uncertainty on the road. Therefore, while changing lanes, be careful to utilize your turn signal. By doing this, you not only let the cars around you know what you’re going to do but also how much space you need.

Ship Your Car When Moving Long-Distance

There are many reasons why you should consider shipping your car when making a long-distance move. Driving for long periods of time can be tiring, and if you’re not used to it, it can be dangerous. In addition, the cost of gasoline and other expenses add up quickly when you’re on the road. Shipping your car is a convenient and cost-effective alternative that will allow you to relax and enjoy your move.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when shipping your car:

– Choose the right shipping company: Make sure you do your research and choose a reputable car shipping company like Montway Auto Transport or Amerifreight. An inexperienced auto transporter may damage your car during transit.

– Get quotes from several companies and compare rates: Be sure to get quotes from multiple companies so that you can compare rates and services.

– Make sure your car is insured: Be sure to check with your insurance company to see if your car is covered during transport.

– Prepare your car: Before shipping your car, make sure it is clean and in good working condition. Remove all personal items from the interior and check for any fluid leaks.

– Ship your car early: It’s best to ship your car a few days before your move, so you don’t have to worry about it on moving day. This will also give you time to make arrangements for transportation from the shipping terminal to your new home.

Take a break if you are too tired

According to some studies, tiredness and decreased focus are some of the main contributors to traffic accidents. In that way, to avoid a bad driving outcome, we recommend not driving when you are tired and sleep-deprived. On the other hand, during driving, especially on long distances, you should take breaks as often as possible. In addition, make sure you stop by a restaurant and get some drinking water and sweets to restore concentration in moments of fatigue.

Avoid driving in bad weather conditions

One of the main factors contributing to traffic accidents is fog and poor visibility on the road. Winter weather conditions, including snow, rain, and ice, call for extra gear as well as extreme caution because operating a motor vehicle in such weather conditions takes a lot of practice. Due to insufficient signaling, there are several areas on our roads that are particularly difficult to drive in snow or fog and should be avoided.

By the same token, it is preferable to avoid driving at night. This is because your range of vision is substantially decreased at night, and an approaching car’s headlights might temporarily blind you, which could result in an accident with serious consequences.

When driving, do not use your phone

Recently, using a phone while driving has become a more frequent cause of accidents. It’s important to realize that the road is your primary concern when you’re driving. So, avoid tampering with your phone and avoid situations that require you to glance at the screen. Instead, activate your Bluetooth so that any critical calls or information may be passed via your hearing aid. Your senses won’t be completely focused on what is going on around you, even if you use a hands-free set. A split-second of inattention is all it takes to endanger and kill someone. 

Do not drink and drive

Drinking in an intoxicated state can lead to devastating consequences for you and other drivers. This is because alcohol (mis)use is known to substantially decrease cognitive abilities such as concentration and focus – the two key components in the act of driving.

Keep your distance safely

When driving and stopping at a light, you need to be sure that you maintain a safe distance in front of you. It is probable that you will rear-end the person in front of you if you maintain this gap. Likewise, maintaining enough distance from the vehicle in front of you while driving will give you time to react if they suddenly slam on the brakes. 

Although safe driving habits may seem so obvious to drivers, in today’s busy driving environment, they are sometimes forgotten, neglected, or just plain disregarded. Exercising this knowledge can help make the roads safer for everyone.

An email has been a simple yet effective source of communication for a long time in the past. Instead of writing to your potential customers on paper, you can rely on emails for the same. However, there are a lot of marketing emails that end up in the junk box. To make sure that a person opens that email and reads it, you shall get the best email marketing services in NZ. Below discussed are some of the major benefits of email marketing that can help you boost your business.

1. Personalized Communication:

When we get an email from a brand that was exclusively sent for us, we feel special. This drags us forward to read and go through the entire email. When things like your full name or any personal information are involved in an email, the chances of people following that email get increased. Email is an exclusive source of marketing communication that allows you to communicate with people on a personal level. You can even send personalized birthday wishes to your customers to strengthen the bond and improve relations with them. Sending emails can help you connect closely and hence can assist you to boost the business.

2. Lesser Cost:

To send an email to a person sitting in any corner of the world, you do not require money! Thus, email marketing becomes effective when you are running out of budget for marketing. All you need is some basic amount to get the content as well as strategy ready. After you get it ready, you can send it to thousands of potential customers. With this benefit, you can run several campaigns in a month and can stay connected to your potential customers through email.

3. Values Time:

Do you have a deal to offer your customers that would not last for a long time? Then you need to communicate the same within a short span of time. In such cases, you can rely on email marketing. When the content is ready, the email will be in their inboxes as soon as you hit that send button. Your offer and deal will be in front of people within a fraction of a second. You will not have to wait for people to be part of your digital marketing strategy. Being time effective is one of the major benefits of email marketing and can help you boost the business in multiple ways.

4. Increases Website Traffic:

Apart from all other information in the email, the most important ones are your brand name and website. If people find your email engaging and interesting, they will be attracted to your website. This is the reason why email marketing has been so effective in increasing website traffic. People will not only get to know your online brand but will also increase the number of purchases they make. You can also include links to your social media accounts in your email to increase your engagement there as well.

We are fast approaching a technological era when quantum computing will become part and parcel of our daily lives. If you think about it, we’ll soon find ourselves sunk in the tech so deep that we won’t even imagine a world where it never existed. 

The same happened with the internet. We practically do everything online. Rather than sending texts, we use messaging apps like WhatsApp, shop online on Amazon instead of going to the physical store and even use ride-hailing services such as Uber instead of waiting for a bus or taxi. Likewise, in countries like Japan, where there are currently no in-person casinos, players prefer playing on online casino Japan platforms instead of planning tedious and expensive tips to Macao or Singapore. 

No doubt, if the internet is taken out of the equation today, life becomes intolerable because it has become a basic day-to-day tool. And soon enough, the same will be the case for quantum computing. Heck, with a global internet penetration rate of 63%, most of the world’s population has access to a computing device – which can be considered a bridge to the quantum computing realm. However, before we dive into the question of mainstream quantum computing adoption, we’ll take a few steps back and get to understand what it entails.

What is Quantum Computing?

To grasp how quantum computing works, you need first to understand how normal computing works. A digital computer is an arithmetic machine designed to perform cheap mathematical calculations. Of course, as technology has advanced, there has been a gradual rise of software programs designed to perform more complicated tasks. 

As such, everywhere you go today, you will come across a computer performing a task that may seem mundane but has been made possible with a set of highly complicated software. Tasks such as dry-cleaning, loading gas on your vehicle, using your dishwasher or even adjusting your AC, wouldn’t be possible without computing power.

Quantum computing, however, takes things all to a whole new level. It is a new generation of technology that makes use of computers said to be 158 million times more powerful than what we are used to. As you can imagine, there’s insane potential for what a machine running on quantum technology can do. It essentially makes standard computers seem like glorified calculators in this context. So, how exactly does quantum computing work?

The Functioning of Quantum Computing

All the computers in the world work in a pre-defined manner such that they process and store information in the form of binary digits called bits. The bits can only exist in two values that is zero and one. Using these numbers, a computer can then create a binary code that the computer reads to carry out a specific task. 

Quantum computing, on the other hand, borrows heavily from the quantum theory in physics, from which its name is derived. In a nutshell, the quantum theory deals with atoms and the smaller sub-particles inside them. And as you dig deeper into the subject, the world of quantum particles is very different from what we are used to. For instance, quantum particles can exist in several states simultaneously. This is sort of the same theory that quantum computing uses. 

So, while regular computers can only use zero and one to create a binary code, a quantum computer makes use of both at the same time. Therefore, a quantum computer doesn’t need one process to end to begin another. For example, imagine you are trying to solve two equations at a go. A standard computer would try and solve one before going to another one. Instead, a Quantum computer would try to solve both at a go. This is what makes them exclusively faster than traditional computers.

How Soon Can We Expect Quantum Tech to hit Mainstream Channels?

Quantum computing is still in its infancy stages. However, it is anticipated that industries like finance will undoubtedly have a big boost and will start using it around 2025. Goldman Sachs, a global investment company, recently announced that they’d be able to introduce quantum algorithms to price financial instruments within the next 5 years. 

Similarly, according to a recent report dubbed ‘The Next Tech Revolution: Quantum Computing’ from McKinsey & Company, we’ll see the widespread use of quantum computing strategies by 2026. McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm that has been in operation since 1926.

Let’s Prep for Quantum in the Meantime

When commercialized, the quantum tech will mean a different ball game altogether. The digital machines we are used to cannot get close to doing the things that quantum computing will be able to achieve. Rightly so, when quantum technology becomes the norm, the Harvard Business Review anticipates ground-breaking advances in the following fields:

• Chemical and biological engineering
• Cybersecurity
• Artificial intelligence
• Complex manufacturing
• Financial services.

That said, companies like Goldman Sachs need to lay a proper foundation to reap these gains. And as is the case with adopting any new commercial tech, the anticipated initial costs will likely be high. However, looking at the gains to be made, the investments will almost certainly be worth every penny in the long run.