When, if ever, does the talent of an individual attain such heights that it lessens, or even negates the impact of their horrific deeds? Can a writer’s past be ignored or, as Johann Hari puts it, glossed over, in an effort to recognise his work? Perhaps an even more important question is can you do […]
2007
Posted inMedia
Working on that pig’s ear, baby
Copiers are buckling under the strain of CVs being prepared at Johncom these days. Maybe not so much at FM and Business Day, but at Sunday Times and Sowetan the pace is frenetic. An official email has now hit the screens banning all new appointments with immediate effect. Oh, of course, except for absolutely vital […]
Posted inGeneral
A fair cop
On Monday I stumbled, eyes wide shut, into a metro police roadblock in Main Reef Road in Roodepoort. I will now have to contribute 500 smackers to their Xmas gooi — talking on a cellphone. What a doos, Kriel! I don’t have any alibis. It was a fair cop, as my mates in Wimblefontein would […]
Posted inLifestyle
Poll: Who is the idiot?
One of the best books I have ever read in my life is East of Eden by one of my favourite authors of all time, John Steinbeck. I have read the book three times from cover to cover — the first of those times as a wide-eyed, innocent 18-year-old. The book resonated with me on […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
The colour of money
The great critic of bourgeois hypocrisy, Honoré de Balzac, reminded us in Father Goriot that behind every great fortune is a forgotten crime, forgotten because it was done neatly. But what exactly does it mean to do a crime neatly? Balzac did not mean mere cat-burglar prowess at the drainpipe, nor the tricky finesse of […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
‘Trauma counselling’ is not news
If our various news services are to be believed, South Africa is riddled with trauma counsellors. After virtually any disaster, accident, or just an unfortunate event, we’re often informed that the victims are receiving “trauma counselling”. Where do these counsellors hide out? What do they look like? How come they’re always available and on the […]
Posted inLifestyle
An invitation to a treasure hunt
Call me frothy, call me whimsical, call me light-hearted (don’t call me nice), I’m sticking to my guns — I think adults don’t play enough. I’m not talking the playfulness of running around in playgrounds, acting like idiots, or enforced-game-time playfulness (“You will have fun!”), but just good old-fashioned playing. A sense of lightness to […]
Posted inGeneral
It’s all about the ‘people’
Just when one feels convinced of the grand immunity of one’s views, irony daubs Banksy-style graffiti all across their Plascon-coated protective surface. Oh, sure you can wash it off and your walls are good as new, but it’s Banksy. And it’s so darned pretty too. Take the first rule of Thought Leader — “Discuss the […]
Posted inLifestyle
Wine 2.0: The social-networking tool of the future
When I was 16 I met a very nice, cute girl. She lived in Cape Town and I live in Johannesburg. We met through IRC and had one of the sweetest “flings” online, with a brief off-line kissing-friends visit to her family’s wine farm in Franschhoek. I remember the day I visited her. I was […]
Posted inLifestyle
Stone Age miniskirts and Victorian fashion tips
As the leading exponent of open-necked trousers, my brief foray into women’s fashion will probably leave the editors gobsmacked. I can actually picture them sitting there, desperately trying to figure out whether this is some sort of revenge for their point-blank refusal to entertain an article on women and paralytic parking. Riaan Wolmarans checking every […]
Posted inMedia
Has 702 made us more stupid?
Talk Radio 702 has managed, despite various plummets in listenership over the years, to remain Gauteng’s premier talk radio station. But isn’t it merely peddling the stupid and pedestrian views of the idle middle class back to itself, as a way to generate ad revenue? I have listened to 702 on and off for the […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Tech
Google’s Android: About time mobile service providers woke up
My recent mobile internet access experiences with MTN remind me of the internet in South Africa circa 1996: download speeds can barely handle text pages, access can bankrupt you, browsers can’t display pages correctly and my phone is desperately seeking a “blue screen of death” alternative to just plain freeze-reboot. I recently read that both […]