Sven Littkowski | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Sven Littkowski May 2, 1968 |
| Occupation | IT Engineer / Managing Director |
| Years active | 1992–present |
Sven Littkowski (born May 2nd, 1968) is a German IT engineer and managing director, known in Jamaica through his TV presence at CVM TV and support of national events, such as the Denbigh Agricultural Show in 2003. Througfh his own company Jamaica Focus MediaStream he develops and hosts websites and online databases. His websites differ from common websites by the fact, that the title area and the link area always remain on the screen for easy access and strong branding, even while the contents are being scrolled.
Early Life
editLittkowski was born in the center of Berlin, in the district Tempelhof. He is of distant Polish descent (his family moved from Poland to German at the end of the 19th century) and was raised in an open-minded and tolerant way by his parents. They moved to Rudow, another district of Berlin, when he was eight years old. Already in a young age, Sven traveleld to various countries with his parents. With his parents, he traveleld to Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Danmark, and repeated times to Austria. It was there where the young Sven learned to ski (alpine) at the age of 4 years. Later, as a student at Clay Secondary School in 1981, he participated a course for theater playing. He liked to be on a stage, a passion he should never lose again. Littkowski went to the Oberstufenzentrum Wrangelstraße where he studied marketing, accounting and information technology. After graduating, Littkowski pursued a career in the field of information technology.
Career
editDuring his time in Germany, he worked for a number of companies. He undertook two extended world travels, the first in 1990 (Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Hungary, Italy) and the second in 1992 (Mauritius and a brief stop in Kenya, USA, Canada, Jamaica, and others). Littkowski was becoming a member-of-honor of the Savannah United e.V., an African cultural group in Germany due to his engagement for African culture in Berlin.
In 1999, Littkowski moved to Jamaica. He opened there his own IT company, in which he works until today as managing director and chief developer in the fields of software development for Windows, website development, online database development, e-commerce development, streaming broadcast development and graphic design as well as video editing and the production of computer animations. He developed early the first website for the Jamaican newspapers Sunday Herald (Kingston), North Coast Times (Ocho Rios) and Western Mirror (Montego Bay). In 2000, he also worked oocasionally in the desktop publishing department of the Sunday Herald, and interacted with the Jamaica Observer newspaper, in times the Sunday Herald used the printing machines of the Observer. The Jamaica Gleaner's early IT manager mark Zarzati (name not sure but can be researched at the Gleaner) offered Littkowski the position as new IT manager due the fact that Zarzati would move to Germany (Düsseldorf). But Sven Littkowski would had to give up his own business, and therefore declined.
He became a friend of the "McKenzie family". Eric McKenzie, a painter, often invited him to the home of his family where Sven often would cook German and international, or historical, dishes for them. Eric's brother, Ralston McKenzie, is a famous show host in Jamaica with his radio show "Sunday Contact on RJR". In 2009, Sven was asked by Ralston McKenzie to become a director for Ralston's own company "Jamaica Contact". Sven agreed and is now director for the IT segment of Jamaica Contact.
In 2009, Littkowski was seen as guest in the Jamaican Sport Show on the morning of the last Sunday of the athletic games in his home town Berlin, called in Jamaica "Battle in Berlin" (the entire interview can be found on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bch8SVSN0KE) and on his Facebook profile).
Historical Witness: The Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989
editAs Littkowski is a living historical witness of the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, he spoke on TV about this event. Following the wishes of many, here is the entire report of Littkowski, in full length:
It was way back, in 1989. I remember, I was very sick - I got a bad flu and was at home, on the couch, and had a lot of fever. I watched a movie on TV. It was already dark outside, as usual for early times during winter in Europe. And then, suddenly, there were these subtitles below the movie. They were been shown repeatedly and requested everyone to be staying tuned to the TV stations, as in a few minutes the running programme would be interrupted with a news show of big importance. This wasn't the regular thing in Germany, to interrupt a running TV programme, and especially not a movie at the best TV watching time. I didn't assign too much importance to it, still, but because the movie was good I continued to watch, of course.
And then, maybe a three minutes later, they indeed interrupted the movie, and I remember that nervous news speaker. They are usually pretty cool, well-prepared, but not this time. The person was nervous, and obviously the entire news was really put together within a very short time. The speaker was reading more often from a sheet with information than usual. But looked also into the camera, here and then, for some time. The eyes. I remember the eyes of that person. Kind of more open than usual. But it was the news which were been shocking more: they reported, that at - I believe to remember - three different locations in Berlin, the Berlin Wall was about to crumble due destruction from the other side. Any moment. We were not prepared for that. Since weeks and months, maybe, they had a lot of demonstrations in the Eastern parts of Berlin and Germany - those parts which had the communist system and the assignment to the Soviet Union. But now the wall breaking apart? Wow.
Just one minute later, the phone was ringing. It was Oliver, my best friend. He asked me if I would go with him to one of the three suspected locations, the Brandenburg Gate, in the heart of Berlin. I was really sick, I remember that, down with a heavy flu, but still, I said "Yes", and got ready. A very short time after (he must have been driving like hunted by the devil), Oliver was downstairs and picked me up. Together we drove the kilometers to the Brandenburg Gate. We spoke a lot, but when we came close, we didn't say a word but were caught by a deep suspension. When we reached that location, it was really hard to find a parking lot close enough. Finally we found a lot, parked, and walked now the remaining kilometer to the Gate.
And while we walked, we recognized that at this late time, despite all darkness and ice on the roads and walk ways, we were not been alone. There were ... thousands... of other walkers. Thousands. And it got even worse, the closer we came to that big oen plaza. Imagine a big wide open plaza, just having an immense gate building (classicle architecture) in the centre, and that ugly Berlin Wall dividing the one side of the plaza from the other side, with the Gate in the middle. And our side was cramped. Not anymore thousands. But ten thousands. But even stranger - everything was so silent. All these ten thousands of people, and no loud sound. A quiet, patient waiting, that is how it felt. A strange atmosphere was that!
And then, from a distance but close to the right side of the Gate, we heard some "Ahhh"'s and "Ohhh"'s, and more and more of it. Some clapping of hands. More of everything. Oliver and me, we were drawn to the point were these sounds came from, because now everyone moved, wanted to see what happens, wanted to be there. You couldn't walk against the stream of silent or whispering people, it was like a river. So we were pushed, but gently. We saw a tall niche in the wall. And then, suddenly everything became very loud when the first persons from the East entered Western ground. Their faces. I remember, that their faces were disbelieving, like saying or asking "Did WE do this?" or "Did we just left the ground of the German Democratic Republic?", but some smiled, laughed loudly and out of control. And at first a few came, slowly, probing. And then more. And more and more. A real stream. They came to all of us, and to everyone of us. And now it was very loud, too! Persons, who never knew each other, strangers, divided by a death-bringing wall for decades, suddenly hugged each other like good old friends, and smiled at each other, laughed, or wept heartly. Some continued to walk alone like dream walkers, some linked up immediatly, and some others, oh my gosh, I remember that now, too, some of them asked and tried to find long lost parents or brothers. There was that middle-aged woman who came to me, and asked me for a location, how to reach it, her parents would live there. She got separated as a young child on a morning, when her parents send her to a bakery and suddenly the East German soldiers blocked her from her way home, ebcause they started to build the wall. Since that time she tried to contact her parents, but could never. But when she told me the address where her parents were living, I had to subpress a weeping - since over ten years, that area was transformed into an industrial zone! No more private housing there. I couldn't tell her, so I said, that I didn't knew that address...
During all that time, I heard church bells giving their sounds. For hours. Just hours later on TV, I learned that on this historical winter night of 1989 all church bells of Berlin were ringing. On that night, all restaurants and bars had a special offer: show us your East German passport, and you get free beer!
On that very night, a ten thousand new friendships were been established. Thousands found back their long missed family members or friends or lovers. And other thousands had their hearts broken by finding out that they came too late. This night was full of tears. Tears of incredible joy, and tears of bitter sadness.
During that night, my own parents went to the same location, but I never knew in time. They made spontaneously friends with a number of couples from the East. During the next days, we visited each other. Nice people.
Professionality
editSven is one of the IT developers of the first hour. He developes websites since around 1992. All his certificates are issued in Germany, not in Jamaica, and attest him good or very good performances. Sven does software development (those old days for the DOS operating system, today for Windows), computer animations, photo and video editing, and some things more...
- 1985 - 1986 - Training on Computer Systems - National Library of Germany (Staatsbibliothek Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz SPK)
- 1987 - 1988 - Training on Typesetting Computer Systems and Personal Computer Systems - Technical Draft Office Mahrous (Technisches Zeichenbüro Mahrous)
- 1989 - 1992 - Studies in Software Development
- 1989 - 1992 - Studies in Graphic Design
- 1992 - 1999 - Employment, dealing with Product Display and Client Interaction
- 1998 - 1999 - Prperation and Move to Jamaica
- 2004 - 2004 - Registration of an own company in Jamaica: Jamaica Focus MediaStream Corporation
- 2006 - 2006 - Studies in Development of Websites, Databases, Scripts
- 2008 - 2008 - Elected Director of the SBAJ (Small Business Association of Jamaica)
- 2008 - 2008 - Sven's company registers with the PSOJ (Private Sector Organization of Jamaica)
Interests
editSven Littkowski is a member of the Jamaican Orchid Society. He grows over a dozen different species of orchids.
He also develops scientific software, is an enthusiastic photographer which includes macro photos of tiniest elements, and photo editor (FXs).
Littkowski has created a series of SciFi illustrations and continues this series. He develops raytracing (render) stills with SciFi scenes.
Besides working on computers, he also enjoys farming. He has a big interest in space, space technologies and trends, as well as in palaeontology.
Activities
edit- 1980 - 1980 - A deep interest for ancient ships begins and Sven will spend later years of research and reconstruction
- 1995 - 1995 - Sven becomes Member of Honor of the Savanna United e.V.
- 2004 - 2007 - Several of Sven's works in the field of maritime archaeology are being published in the books of Stephen M. Miller (three book publications with his works)
- 2005 - 2005 - Becoming a Member of the DEGUWA (German Society for Underwater Archaeology)
- 2010 - 2010 - Becoming a Member of the Jamaica Orchid Society
Film Service: Maritime Archaeology
editSince his childhood, Sven had an interest in Roman ships. During the years, his interest grew deeper, and due the lack on accurate information, he self started to research in the field of maritime archaeology, now with focus on all ship types of the times of the Roman and the Byzantine empires. He is reconstructing ancient ships and has published a few of these illustrations here on Wikipedia. He is also in contact with maritime archaeologists and authors of books with focus on ancient ship types. In the United States of America, three books have been published by author Stephen M. Miller using parts of Sven's works in this field.
He offers his services of ancient ship types to movie directors, and to producers of documentaries. A good film must not feature funny, inaccurate ships displays.
Plants
editBesides all the technology in his life, Sven enjoys the good, old-fashioned farming as counter-weight to the computer work in his life. He has a strong interest in orchids, and he enjoys growing Capsicum (sweet bell peppers and hot chilies). His own seed bank contains over 400 different cultivars of Capsicum (sweet bell peppers and hot chili peppers) among many other plant seeds, and he enjoys to create new hybrids through cross-breeding of plants. Through his own company, he is registered as authorized partner to the gen material of the various genbanks around the world.
Beside regular plants, he also grows carnivore plants, desert plants, and mushrooms.
Filmography
editDocumentaries
edit| Show[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Show | Contents | |
| 2009 | Sport Show | about Berlin and its re-unification | |
References
edit- ^ "Sven Littkowski". IMDB. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
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External links
edit- YouTube: Littkowski's CVM TV interview about the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the athletic games in Berlin
- The Facebook profile of Sven Littkowski
- The website of his company Jamaica Focus MediaStream Corporation
- The website of Ralston McKenzie's Jamaica Contact
Category:1968 births
Category:Clay Oberschule alumni
Category:German people of Polish descent
Category:Living people
Category:People from Berlin, Germany
Category:People from Kingston, Jamaica