I pressed the headphones to my ears here in China and listened carefully to the recorded message, an MP3 clip saved to my Chinese client’s PC. She was unable to understand the English as the two parties were speaking very fast and the MP3 device had been hidden in the room somewhere, further reducing the […]
2011
Posted inNews/Politics
Digging up the dirty on medical waste
By Lionel Faull On page 12 of this week’s Mail & Guardian, there’s a photo of a man in a dark blue overall directing a digger as it excavates several tonnes of medical syringes and needles from the brown earth. The man is a cop, and the label on the right-hand breast of his blue […]
Posted inGeneral
The pros and cons of using SMS in an emergency
SMS is the perfect emergency communications channel, right? People always have their phones with them, especially in an emergency; you can easily send one message to a number of people, and you can text when you can’t talk. Indeed, just over an hour after the earthquake in Christchurch struck earlier this year, Vodafone New Zealand […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A case for burning books?
For reasons explained elsewhere, I have been sorting through my personal possessions and shedding most of it in preparation for relocation to South America. Among these possessions are books that I have been accumulating for more than 20 years. Getting rid of more than 2 000 books is, as I have come to learn, quite distressing. […]
Posted inGeneral
Dear SuperSport executive
My thoughts are with you at this difficult time. I do hope you manage some sleep. Try to eat something and don’t allow yourself to be negatively affected by this recent tragedy that threatens your very integrity. I am horrified that an attractive young woman in your employ took it upon herself to appear naked […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Pondoland’s Magwa tea brews a silent storm
It seemed a Magwa tannin-addiction could be almost as bad as the craving that can develop for Transkei Green, the other famous Wild Coast agricultural product.
Posted inGeneral
African solutions to African problems: Let’s not confuse matters
By Rachel Nyaradzo Adams A few days ago a colleague sent a piece that challenged the slogan: African solutions to African problems. In it she interrogated the validity of the slogan and argued that Africa needed to take a more global view to addressing its problems. A response is necessary because, with all due respect, […]
Posted inGeneral
It’s not the first time
By Gavin Moffat It’s not the first time. I’ve been here before. The enthusiasm. The commitment. The rush of adrenalin. Feeling good about what I’m accomplishing. Not sure what makes this time different. I saw the 5150 video and felt a scream of me-ness. I want to do that. I want to achieve. I want […]
Posted inNews/Politics
When sex becomes a race issue…
By Tim Bester The sexual adventures of the rich and powerful have always been the focus of public fascination when these are aired in the public domain. These peccadilloes make for good and lurid copy in our newspapers. The most recent of these, involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Arnold Schwarzenegger, are good examples. And they have […]
Posted inGeneral
Unified communications can benefit SMEs too
Unified communications (UC) is enjoying accelerating adoption in the enterprise, based on its inherent efficiencies, cost-savings and business-process improvements. Partly thanks to the rise of tablet PCs and smartphones, it is one of the great success stories of ICT, and many vendors have come to the party with excellent functionality. But the benefits of UC […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Secret letter to Jon Qwelane
Hallo, Jon, how are you? From riches to rags, you say? I empathise! I decided to write to you on an impulse. I don’t know you personally, I have never met you, but what the hell. I’m a columnist, too, and, as you know very well, column writing is a dangerous job, especially these days. […]
Posted inGeneral
Macs still overpriced
All the Mac acolytes have been jumping up and down this year with the iPad 2 and the falling MacBook prices. Quite frankly it’s just more of the same hot air. Before you think I’m just a Mac basher/deluded Windows follower, let me assure you that I am quite happy to give credit where it’s […]