The email took me by surprise: As a high-profile blogger on Sports Leader and as one of SA’s leading athletes, I have been selected by phone giant Nokia to test their super-expensive N79 cell phone. The catch? I have to look after the phone for two months, using the sleek Polar heart-rate monitor and the […]
2009
Posted inGeneral
Do you know what you believe? (And a squiz at Zuma’s Address)
That squiz at Zuma’s State of the Nation Address comes after my thoughts on beliefs, or beliefs on thoughts; they are interchangeable. Once upon a time, not so long ago in fact, I thought I would skip a day’s work here in Shanghai and dreamed up the typical excuse that I was sick and settled […]
Posted inMedia
Does freedom mean being free to shop?
When Jacob Zuma visited the Maponya Mall a couple of weeks back, he made an interesting statement. “I came here because I wanted to see the shopping mall because this tells a new story, he said. “Here you can walk into world-class shops and buy what you want. You don’t have to go to town […]
Posted inLifestyle
Defragging is divine
Do you defrag? Really? Do you watch while you defrag? Like a teenage voyeur behind the picket fence gasping as Sally steps into her bath? I have it on good geek authority that it’s OK to watch those blue and yellow and green pixels shuttle and skip across the screen as your hard drive periodically […]
Posted inGeneral
The half-genius of Marc Andreessen
The internet since first conceived in the late 1980s has been a place of innovation. There has been so much innovation that you’d think it would be hard to single out an innovator or innovation which stands out above the rest. But there is one innovator and innovation, which is head and shoulders above the […]
Posted inLifestyle
Sex and Coldplay in the middle stall
So, two teenagers had intercourse in a public toilet today. At 3pm. The one in the afternoon. I had just come from a meeting in Melville when I decided to withdraw some cash at Campus Square. On my way from the ATM I went into the public restrooms next to the Standard Bank. The first […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zuma and Zille the pride of a nation
On the same day as our President Jacob Zuma was delivering his State of the Nation address I was monitoring the near implosion of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s British cabinet. A second cabinet minister Hazel Blears joining Jacqui Smith in resigning her post; two in as many days. The brouhaha over the members of parliament […]
Posted inNews/Politics
State of the Nation Haiku
National Assembly An expanse of cleavage Crowned by botox Ambassadors Burnooses in the rain How ridiculous Sarel Cilliers Recited by Mattera Boers applaud uneasily Awaiting the chief The opposition Sits leaderless Amidst the poetry A cacophony of crassness From the media benches Heckles for Helen But a standing ovation For the Judiciary All rise for […]
Posted inGeneral
Rugby verbatim: They said it!
“I met a couple of South Africans in the hotel lobby the other day and they asked me how I was involved with the Lions. When I told them I was the defence coach they just said, ‘best of luck mate’.” Shaun Edwards, British & Irish Lions defence coach “I have invited Australia and New […]
Posted inLifestyle
Guns do kill people
One often hears the quote “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” being used in support of the pro-gun lobby. This quote is partially true (people kill people) but very misleading as it displaces the very real role of technology in the killing. Guns do kill people and are designed to do so. Look at […]
Posted inGeneral
We’ve strayed from the ideals of democracy
A few days ago we had gathered in Athens, Greece, for a conference on participatory democracy. The conference organisers had certainly chosen an appropriate city — the city where democracy started. On a free conference day some of us made our way to the Acropolis to visit the memory of Socrates and actual council square […]
Posted inGeneral
Trying to find rhyme or reason with the SABC
By Cat Pritchard Welcome to another episode of “Grab the Money and Go” where the viewer is the loser and SABC steals the show in this week’s ep, watch Zapiro’s doccie get the boot and see how the SABC claims M&G stole the loot last month, as we all remember, Isidingo wanted to dash claiming […]