On several occasions in the recent past I’ve bitched and moaned at the poor staff of Look & Listen, complaining about the sheer hopelessness of their jazz selection: very few of the great classics, for instance, or very spotty representation of even very-well-known artists. Sometimes a staff member says “I’ll tell the buyer,” which seems […]
2011
Posted inMedia, Tech
See ya, Mr Jobs
I have never really used PCs. Except in an internet café in Thailand or India or some other place. So what I am going to say about them comes from a place of ignorance. They suck. They don’t work. They are ugly. They make computing feel like something that only accountants do. No disrespect to […]
Posted inLifestyle
Back to School and Back to Good Food
Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet. As summer comes to an end, school is just around the corner for children across the United States. For children enrolled in state schools, this typically means the return of unhealthy lunches that are best described as “fast food”: hamburgers, chicken nuggets, fried snacks and sugary soft […]
Posted inNews/Politics
From the ‘chief slut’ herself…
By Umeshree Govender Some time back, while Facebook-crastinating in the lab, as one does, my friend, Stuart MacDonald sent me a link to an article on SlutWalk Toronto. My initial reaction to the Toronto police officer’s remark that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised” was a rather defiant “Oh […]
Posted inGeneral
The new Thought Leader
By Aliki Karasaridis We’ve launched a new version of the website which has had the same basic design since 2007. But it’s not just a new look and layout … it’s also a big upgrade so it’s much more stable and secure. The stats system has been completely overhauled and all the missing stats have […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Top destinations for the discerning asylum seeker
Excellent accommodation and relative peace and quiet — these are the things that appeal to discerning asylum seekers when they consider South Africa. Sure, we have the odd protest from time to time but unlike screaming rebels our revellers mostly sing and dance and the majority of the violence is directed at rubbish bins — […]
Posted inGeneral
Samsung Omnia 7: I like it, really like it
You’re going to hear a lot of talk about “ecosystems” as Windows Phone 7 (Microsoft’s new SmartPhone Operating System) starts to gain momentum. An ecosystem is a pretty critical element of the modern technology landscape, worth getting to grips with. Software Ecosystems has a very broad, strategic definition of ecosystems: “A human ecosystem consists of […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Strauss-Kahn: What’s French for ‘it’s complicated’?
By Michelle le Roux A few things we all know: survivors of sexual assault should expect to have their sexual histories interrogated for evidence of promiscuity or provocative behaviour. So too the scrutiny of their personal circumstances to demonstrate unreliability, previous instances of “crying wolf” or lack of truthfulness. We’re told to ask these questions […]
Posted inEquality, Gender violence
‘I’m too sexy to rape’
You may have read that DA MP Masizole Mnqasela was acquitted on rape charges in Cape Town a few weeks ago, and claimed that he was “too sexy to be a rapist”. You may also have read that Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba thought that the Slutwalk was an opportunity for him to “get lucky”. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
UCT students bullied into anti-Israeli boycott
By Amanda Ngwenya What is Rael, a group of Israeli students promoting dialogue, came to offer the students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) their perspectives on the conflict in Israel primarily as a response to anti-Israeli activity in South Africa. The meeting sparked much interest among the student body, especially as a […]
Posted inGeneral
Springboks vs All Blacks…October 23
It is a very distinct possibility that the next time the Springboks meet the All Blacks, following the August 20 game at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will be at the 60 000-seater Eden Park in Auckland on October 23 at 9pm. The Rugby World Cup starts in two weeks and all the national sides […]
Posted inLifestyle
Divorce: Yes, there is an upside
Over the past couple of days I’ve had conversations with two straight male friends of mine. One is going through an acrimonious and horribly expensive divorce; the other is a serial dater looking unsuccessfully for love. I always like to lend a sympathetic ear and an ergonomic shoulder, and I’ve come out of the experience […]