ALKHOBAR, 31 March — First, we’ve got an update from Karachi on the Shafquat sisters, who are diligently working to break as many information technology world records as possible. Last year, Afsah Shafquat became the world’s youngest Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) at the age of 12 years, four months and two days. Now her sister, Afrah, has broken that record. On Feb. 14, Afrah became the world’s youngest SCJP at the age of 11 years, five months and 19 days, passing the exam on her first attempt. Afsah and Afrah’s elder sister, Isbah Shafquat, is also a SCJP, passing the exam back on Nov. 17 at the age of 14 years, 10 months and 17 days. All three sisters are students of Pakistan’s Operation Badar, which aims to utilize IT education facilities in off peak hours to provide IT learning to the general community.

So now Afsah has lost one of her world records, but please, don’t feel too sorry for her. Afsah is still the world’s youngest Sun Certified Web Component Developer (SCWCD) and we’ve just heard that she has a new certificate to hang on her wall. On Feb. 27, her 13th birthday, Afsah took IBM’s Object Oriented Analysis and Design Examination for the second time. About two weeks before, she had failed this exam, scoring 56 percent. Back again for a second try, she passed with a score of 70 percent.

IBM’s Object Oriented Analysis and Design Examination is difficult to pass. Many software developers with extensive experience and other qualifications often fail the exam, as it requires a considerable amount of abstract thinking and intuitive knowledge. To get a taste of Afsah’s achievement take a sample exam free of charge at http://www-1.ibm.com/certify/tests/sam486.shtml.

Afsah has now been appointed as a software developer in Badarsoft Health Care Solutions. After finishing her eighth class exam on March 21, she began working for the Badarsoft client, Ziauddin University Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Pakistan. There’s only one thing left to say: Go girls!

Our next item is the announcement by Intel of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Abu Dhabi based CERT, the Center of Excellence for Applied Research and Training, to jointly establish and operate an Energy Competency Center, the first of its kind worldwide. John Davies, vice president, e-Business Solutions, Intel Corporation, said that the Energy Competency Center will specialize in IT solutions for the oil and gas industry.

"This is the first of its kind for Intel, and we are proud that this UAE-based Energy Competency Center will see the first global application of Intel’s sophisticated solutions capabilities in the energy sector. The Arab world has 65 percent of the world’s known oil reserves, and we anticipate that this pioneering center will be followed by similar facilities in other centers around the world," stated Davies.

The Energy Competency Center will combine Intel’s recognized technology and industry leadership with all the advanced oil and gas technical capabilities of this region. In addition, the center will provide the environment necessary for the fostering of the growth of the IT ecosystem around the oil and gas sector.

"The energy sector has IT requirements similar to all other businesses but in addition has the demands of high performance computing as represented by seismic simulation and reservoir mapping," commented Davies. "Intel continues to drive the performance of our processors from desktop PCs and workstations to networks and servers including our 64-bit Itanium processor family. We will use the center to apply low-cost and high-performance solutions enabled by Intel architecture to meet the business challenges faced by the oil and gas industry."

The center will be part of the Technology Park in Abu Dhabi operated by CERT, the commercial arm of the Higher Colleges of Technology, and will provide corporations and professionals within the oil and gas industry with the environment to develop, showcase and test solutions using the Intel architecture platform. It is expected that exploration and development companies and their solution providers will be the first to benefit from the facility and will use it to further expand IT competency in the energy sector.

Intel has worked together with market leaders to establish a series of solution centers worldwide in key industry growth sectors including telecommunications, finance and manufacturing, amongst others. These solution centers aim to accelerate the development and deployment of both 32-bit and 64-bit Intel architecture based solutions, and at the same time will minimize the associated risk.

The new Energy Competency Center is a big win for CERT and they are to be congratulated. In discussions after the press conference, Gordon Graylish, Intel’s director, e-Business Solutions, EMEA, described the new center as a "focal point for excellence," and said that he hoped the center would "help hold talent in the region."

This is all wonderful, but it was terribly shocking that with the largest proven oil and gas reserves and the world’s largest oil company, Saudi Arabia wasn’t chosen as the location for such a center.

When asked about the decision, Graylish explained politely but clearly that Intel needed a partner who was interested and fully committed, and CERT had aggressively pursued the project. In a matter of months, the Energy Competency Center went from being an idea to a reality.

Graylish’s comments were hard to take, but I knew he was speaking the truth. Higher education and its associated fields such as R&D are big business. In the Kingdom we just haven’t learned how to effectively compete in these areas. The establishment of the Energy Competency Center is a huge step forward for the UAE because it will help them become producers of technology instead of just consumers. That’s something every country in the region needs to learn how to do — produce more, not simply consume.

Some companies in the Kingdom are trying to be not only producers but also exporters of finished goods. Al-Zamil Air Conditioners is one of them. ZAC has exported over 50 percent of its production for years now and the company has been an aggressive and early adopter of information technology.

It was no surprise then to see that ZAC stood out above the crowd at the Middle East Economic Digest’s Awards for Business Excellence. At the awards ceremony in Dubai, ZAC was recognized for its modern management techniques and principles, winning the "business-to-business product manufacturer" category. Congratulations to the Zamil Group of Companies.

The last order of business today is to tell everyone about Acer’s Care Camp initiative, which is being conducted in cooperation with Acer’s Authorized Service Provider in Saudi Arabia, Al-Alamiah Electronics. It will last for three days, from April 1-3, 2002.

Under this new program, Acer’s end-users can take their PC units, regardless of warranty status, to Al-Alamiah Electronics for a host of service options. These offers include: diagnosing hardware problems, addressing software cases related to pre-loaded operating systems, consultation on virus prevention, plus many other free services. Acer will also provide spare parts at concessional prices during this program.

According to Suhas Bartar, director, Customer Services Division, Acer Computer (M.E.) Ltd., the Acer Care Camp initiative will bring users in the Saudi market the benefits of expert consultations from Acer’s professional staff, free professional services to remedy existing problems, and Acer original spare parts.

So there you have it folks. Take that old Acer PC, which has been gathering dust in the closet, and go get it refurbished. If, once it’s fixed up, you don’t have a need for the machine — donate it to a school’s computer club where it can shared among students who otherwise might not have the opportunity to use information technology on a daily basis.