Pretoria Catholic

Forecasting is often regarded as both an art and a science. Science in the sense that econometric techniques help create equations that predict the future, but an art in the sense that "judgement" needs to be imposed on a model that cannot always be explained by an equation. So forecasting is the business of predicting the uncertain future. Forecasts help decision-makers (in my case, the government) to make informed decisions around fiscal planning today that will influence the future. There is no such thing as a "good" forecast when predicting the future, as the future is uncertain.  Holy Family Art by Cassandra Joel  A key driver of an objective forecast is based on the quality of the assumptions. An assumption is defined as "something accepted as true" and can be regarded as a fact or statement. Obviously, poor or weak assumptions can be hopelessly wrong and far from the truth!  Outside of the world of forecasting, we would lose track of how many assump...

The one thing I find most frustrating is poor instruction guides, or it could be that I simply overcomplicate things?! I recently assembled a bookcase for my son's room. The diagram that accompanied the product was not very helpful. I spent a good half-hour figuring out the missing steps. The bookcase is simple and relatively easy to assemble. Still, the shelves are designed to fit together abstractly so that each frame has a different shape. That is where it gets tricky to get the structure to fit together as an off-centre cross.  Bookcase fully assembled Each shelf fits into the other using a dual support system: a set of dowel pins and screws. When the bookcase is assembled, the dowel pins are hidden, strengthen, and support the bond between the planks of wood. These dowel pins keep the structure aligned and ensure a tight fit. The bond between the shelves is strengthened by those tiny dowel pins, yet it is not visible to the eye once assembled.  I am convinced the action o...