Love’s constant companion is heartbreak. And in every enterprise that is spurred by hope, we know that disappointment is shadowing us. Cynicism is an exercise in futility, it is fundamentally anti-human; it is in the nature of every person to believe that obstacles can be overcome, that healing follows pain and challenges are, as the […]
2011
Posted inLifestyle
Sex, jets and rock ‘n roll
This Friday is an inestimably important anniversary. Not because it’s the 13th, and therefore the subject of a whole bunch of really crap horror movies taking up space on the shelves in Mr Video. No, I have been awaiting the advent of Friday the 13th of May with breathless anticipation (no pun intended) because it […]
Posted inGeneral
SMS, most expensive but still most used data app
Contemporary wisdom says that the lower the price of a service, the more people will use it. Consumer electronics is a great example of this though the early adopters will pay a premium to be the first to own a new gadget, it is only when the price drops that mass adoption takes place. Consider […]
Posted inNews/Politics
True Afrikaners vote ANC
I am not interested in people telling me what is wrong about the Afrikaner National Congress (sic). Rather I am keen to hear what they are going to do to fix it, that is, if it is imperfect. It is either Afrikaners are part of the problem or part of the solution. One thing that […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Religion and corrective rape
In 1843 Karl Marx came up with a phrase that turned out to be one of the most enduring in all Marxist thought: religion is the opium of the masses. With this phrase, Marx attempted to convey his belief that religion was invented by man to provide him with some consolation for his suffering and […]
Posted inGeneral
Netting a new niche market through social
Admit it, as a niche (luxury) brand you probably scoff at social media. What, you wonder, does your brand have to do with some pimply kid on a skateboard messaging his friends? But you’d be wrong on two counts. A KISSMetrics report reveals that social media users are both wealthier and older than you think. […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
America’s crisis and why it matters to SA
In my post of May 4 I made reference to social problems in the US as a way to suggest that SA’s problems were not unique and that it would be useful to have some perspective on social crises. This should not be seen as an apology for whatever actual or perceived crises there may […]
Posted inGeneral
The state of the unified communications market
To understand the true benefits of unified communications (UC) it is necessary to examine the current state of this market, where it came from and where it is headed. Along the way we can debunk a few myths and misconceptions that stand in the way of its widespread adoption. UC is not VoIP It’s bigger […]
Posted inGeneral
Is Microsoft paying too much for Skype? No
OK, you might have seen the rumours about Microsoft buying Skype. Microsoft is apparently offering $7 billion dollars for the VoIP service — which sounds like silly money. In fact, this might be the biggest acquisition that Microsoft has ever done. However the details lie in the partnerships this can enable for Microsoft. Skype is the […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
I feel ripped off
Bruschetta with Parma ham, brie and preserved fig. Not the most revolutionary combination of flavours and textures the culinary world has known. Nice enough, but as canapés go, not God’s gift to cocktail parties. And yet bruschetta with Parma ham, brie and preserved fig can take on an urgent and insistent significance, especially when one […]
Posted inGeneral
The rise of unemployment, inequality and poverty in SA
Seventeen years into our democratic dispensation we seem to be making little progress in devising and successfully implementing growth strategies and policies that can have a sustainable impact on our structural problems of high unemployment, increased inequality and pervasive poverty. These problems are in fact a legacy of the apartheid period and the biggest challenge […]
Posted inGeneral
Choosing the right information tools for the job
Businesses thrive when executives and managers have timely access to the information they need. But that doesn’t mean everyone needs the same tools. Business intelligence (BI) tools can be incredibly powerful. They offer great richness and depth of information to senior decision-makers. But they are not for everyone: at lower levels of the organisation, full-strength […]