An expression we’ve all heard before, I would think. Justified, as well. With anything decent, there is expectancy for something more, something healthier, somewhat more intuitive and at the end of the day just a plain bigger kick in the balls. Learning from others in the industry, it has become clear that resting on your […]
Media
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So I have a new profile pic
You may have noticed that I have a new profile pic up. Frankly, I was sick of the old one. It was taken five years ago and I’d hate you to think I’m one of those people who keep using a photo from nineteenvoetsek even though I’ve become grotesquely fat and wrinkled in the interim. […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Have you got your SA flag sokkies yet?
The other day I bought a pair of South African flag wing-mirror socks for my car. For R100 nogal, but that’s because I am a true Sandtonite and therefore happy to get ripped off. (If I’d bought them in Randburg it would have been a different story.) Yes, I succumbed to all the gooey patriotic […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics, Tech
Wanted: MPs on Facebook
One of the big stories of the week, which did not get much coverage, was one that would have been funny if it was not so very sad. It had to do with the fact that 85% of parliamentarians are not computer literate. This means that only 15% of our elected leaders know how to […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
Simply Slim ‘defies’ the MCC
Simply Slim relaunched their new product, as spokesperson of the Department of Health (DOH) Fidel Hadebe stated on 15 April 2010, “in defiance of the MCC [Medicines Control Council] directive” — ie before it had been registered and a certificate of registration issued by the Registrar of the MCC as is required by the Medicines […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
(Not) the product of the year
Advertisements proudly carrying the “Product of the Year 2010” logo are beginning to pop up with annoying frequency. I chanced on one such product which, according to the proud winner, was voted product of the year in the supplements category. The Product of the Year website has not listed the 2010 winners — but it […]
Posted inMedia, Tech
Cats, karakuls and communications scenarios
It was topsy-turvy at two conferences in Johannesburg last week. What you’d expect was not what happened: Delegates at the event convened by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) concentrated on … broadcasting. Those attending the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association included internet and mobile in their sessions. It wasn’t quite the “Negroponte switch” where what’s on the […]
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Was that volcano the best ad campaign ever?
So I’m miffed that I didn’t get to speak at the London Book Fair thanks to that bloody volcano, known in South Africa as Ekkisvokkengatvol. But there’s a silver lining to this particular ash cloud, at least for a cold, windblown piece of rock in the middle of nowhere. In fact, I’m wondering if this […]
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How to cut through the information traffic jam
There are no shortcuts to knowledge. Make no mistake, we are surrounded by more information than ever before in the history of humankind; here I mean “information” to represent all messages in all media, whether they are factually correct, opinions, misleading nonsense or downright devious and false claims. This humble piece of writing is yet […]
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‘I’m South African Neutral’ and what it really means
Being a South African over the past few weeks has been a turbulent experience. The excitement of the looming Fifa World Cup has been tempered by a degree of racial polarisation not seen since the apartheid era. Instigated largely by Julius Malema’s inflammatory style and culminating in the murder of Eugene Terre’Blanche, this polarisation has […]
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#dontouchmeonmystudio and other things I’ve learned from Twitter
Apart from Don’t touch me on my studio (which I hadn’t seen live because I seldom watch TV) I’ve learned quite a lot from Twitter. Here are 12 of the things I’ve learned from my year and a bit on South Africa’s trendiest social networking site. 1. Twitter has made it much easier for memes […]
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What should we investigate?
By Adriaan Basson Being an investigative journalist, a question one often hears from friends, family or followers is: “Why don’t you rather investigate X or Y?” When I started working as a journalist, I was afraid that I would not have enough material to write about. Today one of the hardest decisions we often have […]