2009

The New Zealand Super 14 sides announced their squads in December. Yes, December. Meaning that two months before the start of the tournament the coaches had decided which thirty players they wanted to work with, and who needed to up their game some more. Now what does a two-month head start mean? It means two […]

As more and more of our world is digitised — sales, maps, encyclopaedias, books, music, phone calls, radio, TV, you name it, it travels digitally — companies constantly have to choose what to automate and what has to be done by human beings. In other words, what can be templated, and what requires project-specific creative […]

Some of my friends are white; we all know the line that comes before that statement. You know which one I’m referring to, the indignant protestation of any suggestion of having prejudicial tendencies. We’ve all used it, this being South Africa, accusations of racism, be they explicit, implied or expressed through judgemental body language, are […]

It was the usual wrangle among a variety of blokes in the American pub Malone’s in Shanghai. (Long Bar has sadly closed down for now.) Alistair was calling me Slim (I’m not) and I was comparing him to a rake (he is). The motley crowd, assembled and cackling at the ripostes flickering through the air […]

Seven months ago, Port Elizabeth’s 2010 stadium managers, architects, construction workers and other role-players had their faces rubbed in the dirt. The venue had initially been selected as the only new stadium chosen for this year’s eight-nation Confederations Cup but, from the start, it was clear that it would be a tall order. After a […]