Jon Qwelane and Richard Catto have at least three things in common. For a start, they’re great at generating insults. So I’m quite fond of both of them from a purely selfish point of view; the more material the merrier. Secondly, they’re both good at pissing people off, and thirdly, neither of them sets much […]
2008
Posted inGeneral
Microsoft’s $300m attempt to sell us Vista
I have written before on Apples onslaught on Microsoft and if Microsoft will survive and retaliate with some brilliant innovation. It seems they’ve opted for fixing their current product and marketing the idea that their new product is much better … and they’re marketing it wholesale to the public. Microsoft has petitioned the ad agency […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Is the ANC going the way of the old National Party?
This week’s Talkback question on the Mail & Guardian Online: Is the ANC going the way of the old National Party?
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Africa is far too complex for generalisations: this should be self-evident
Lyndall Beddy made a couple of comments on Thought Leader that have been problematic. The most recent of these comments was this at the bottom of a recent post: “Western Culture for centuries has satirised leaders and held them accountable. African culture, until recently has been feudal, and venerated leaders, without holding them accountable. Both […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons to serve whose interest?
That the physicist and self-proclaimed absolute pacifist Albert Einstein inspired the development of the most devastating weapon of mass destruction, the atomic bomb, is no secret. His theory of relativity concludes that a large amount of energy could be released from a small amount of matter, hence the equation E=MC2, meaning that energy equals mass […]
Posted inGeneral
Censorship, media and the power of perception
Context is a hell of a thing. That point was driven home to me today when Muti deleted a link without explaining how or why the post was deleted. A social book making site inspired by reddit and Digg but dedicated to content of interest to Africans or those interested in Africa, Muti evolved out […]
Posted inBusiness, Media
Digital marketing: do your homework first
Ten years ago, digital marketing simply meant online marketing, by placing a banner on a website and very little else. Some banners didn’t even click through to a website, as advertisers didn’t have a web presence. Media owners even got away with charging a “loading fee” to have the ad serving on their website, with […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The French trying to lift the veil
It’s a rare occasion when a news headlinee in the New York Times catches my eye. With so much coverage on the war on Iran (not a typo) or Obama’s road show which the Germans are not that happy with, ones eyes tend to glaze over. Then there are copious reports on McCain’s latest statements […]
Posted inGeneral
Lessons from Old Trafford
For reigning Premier League and Champions League winners Manchester United, the Vodacom Challenge is little more than a walk in the park. It provides Sir Alex Ferguson and his coaching staff an opportunity to try out new talent and start gearing the side for next season. But for South Africa, hosting the most popular club […]
Posted inBusiness
Now here’s something I don’t miss about South Africa
Those readers who always keep a spare pair of undies handy, should they find it necessary to get their knickers in a knot, will no doubt find this post deliciously offensive. I want to state at the outset that this is not an argument, or a justification, or an excuse. It is merely an observation, […]
Posted inGeneral
Sdudla – it’s bigger than you!
Disclaimer: I aim to offend no one person with this blog, really, I don’t. For the non-Zulu among us, first of all, sympathies that you are not spawn from the loins of men who belong to arguably the greatest warrior Nation on Earth; and you do not have royal Zulu blood coursing through your veins. […]
Posted inMedia
South Africa’s best PR resource
Living outside of South Africa and reading the local media, it’s always interesting to see what kind of coverage we get. Not a whole lot of news about South Africa reaches Australia; that much is obvious. The only time South African news did make it into the headlines was during the xenophobic violence that wracked […]