Band Review - Acceptance
30.11.06
Update: Apparently Acceptance is no more. On their Myspace blog I read that they have recently broken up and formed two new bands. One unnamed and one named Thunder Thunder.
I have once again made use of Last FM to find an amazing band called Acceptance. Brilliant lyrics, rhythmic guitaring, ripping leads and emotionally charged singing from the lead man. Incredible meshy of lyrics and haunting little riffs that plague the lyrics and torment the drumming. Absolutely fanstastic bassline that compliments the drumming and the singers accenting of words.
Get to Limewire or Last FM and check these guys out.
Labels: Acceptance, Last FM, Limewire
Religion Ends a Friendship
I have already linked to the Today Trip Religious banter but I am sad to report that some people just can't keep their shit together. The debate has ended in the termination of a friendship and that saddens me. It saddens me because I thought that religion preached tolerance and understanding not brash decisions that end in the loss of a friendship due to a debate. Ridiculous.
I am of the school that believes that challenging yourself and the norm is the norm. I believe that without debate, challenging thought and progressive movement the wheel would never have been invented and Africans would still be slaves. If you do not agree with this and are still taking lessons from your preacher who was taught be another preacher who learnt from the same book that the same people have been studying for 2000+ years then I feel sorry for you. This is ignorance. Learn from the bible, that's cool, it's a great little book with some little gems hidden in there somewhere. But please, please do not tell me that it is the be all and end all of knowledge. That my friends is blatant disregard for common sense and a choice to remain ignorant due to fear.
Rant over and I'm out.
I am of the school that believes that challenging yourself and the norm is the norm. I believe that without debate, challenging thought and progressive movement the wheel would never have been invented and Africans would still be slaves. If you do not agree with this and are still taking lessons from your preacher who was taught be another preacher who learnt from the same book that the same people have been studying for 2000+ years then I feel sorry for you. This is ignorance. Learn from the bible, that's cool, it's a great little book with some little gems hidden in there somewhere. But please, please do not tell me that it is the be all and end all of knowledge. That my friends is blatant disregard for common sense and a choice to remain ignorant due to fear.
Rant over and I'm out.
Labels: friendships, religion, Today Trip
Alive in Baghdad
Yes, America fixed everything. Fucking idiots. Visit Alive in Baghdad for real footage of real people after a car bomb, the truth is in the aftermath. Go and watching the site for more incidents and stories. The Videos contained on the site can become graphic so if you are a sensitive and touchy viewer stear clear. What an incredible Vlog.
Labels: Alive in Baghdad, American Idiots, Baghdad
Chiliboy Ralepelle - Captain
This is un-fucking-believable and makes me so proud to be South African. I just read via my RSS reader on News24 that Chiliboy Ralepelle will be the first black captain, as well as the youngest at 20 years old, of the Springboks.
That is absolutely awesome. Him and old Jake White go way back to the SA under 21 world cup winning team. Jake being the coach Chiliboy being the captain. So in fact, this is a welcome and familiar change for both.
However I must ask: is South Africa not pushing their players forward too quickly? OldJacques Francois Stein is only a young 19, Chilliboy captain at 20. Where to from here? 16 year olds? I personally think we are breaking our players in to mainstream a bit too early. They haven't hit their peaks mentally or physically and could potentially crumble and destroy their rugby careers if they aren't careful. Why not rather bench them and integrate them slowly in to the team with time and care and caution?
Check out the Chumpstyle for more opinion on this topic.
However I must ask: is South Africa not pushing their players forward too quickly? Old
Check out the Chumpstyle for more opinion on this topic.
Labels: Chiliboy Ralepelle, S.A. Rugby, Sports, Springboks
Google Answers Shuts Down
Google Answers is officially shutting down. I guess that I was right in my previous post about the money hungry company's ideals suffering and a loss of profit following. The only reason Google is the best is becuase they had the best product to start and that is because they are passionate about what they are/were/continue to do.
Paul Stamatiou agrees with this, he wrote about it in his post about the Google Answers. Only +-800 participants in the site in over 4 years. That just goes to show that when you are asking for money for a service that isn't 100% worth it you will fail, everytime, all the time.
Go back to what you know Google or fear losing to someone more passionate. For every Microsoft there is an Apple, for Every Internet Explorer there is a Firefox and for every Google there will be a competitor and they will do well and it will be soon. Watch out.
Paul Stamatiou agrees with this, he wrote about it in his post about the Google Answers. Only +-800 participants in the site in over 4 years. That just goes to show that when you are asking for money for a service that isn't 100% worth it you will fail, everytime, all the time.
Go back to what you know Google or fear losing to someone more passionate. For every Microsoft there is an Apple, for Every Internet Explorer there is a Firefox and for every Google there will be a competitor and they will do well and it will be soon. Watch out.
Labels: Apple, Firefox, Google Answers, IE7, Paul Stamatiou
Religion day
29.11.06
Something strange is brewing. It seems as though it's bash/debate/laugh/movie/watch religion day today. Today Trip has a massive debate going on with a couple of religious zealots and me! While Kevin is bored apparently and loving the religious comics!
Nice work everyone.
A brief snippet from the debate going on at Today Trip:
Nice work everyone.
A brief snippet from the debate going on at Today Trip:
Nic said...People are not loving my brash approach to this topic, but hey, ignorance is bliss and ignorance is comfortable. I like to be uncomfortable and challenge my life and lifestyle. To each his/her own. Simple as that.
nikki: Very interesting and rational points. Good work. Lets put it this way: I have managed to review my options, my beliefs and my faiths. I made the CHOICE to walk away from religion because there are too many unanswered questions. Too much that is left to "Just have faith" and not enough that is telling my why, where, how, when. there are too many paradoxes and too much mystery and enigma surrounding it all. Religion is only a recent creation. +-2000 years old, and in +- 2000 years it might be gone. These are my reasons. I did not flakely walk away from religion it was a long and arduous process that I am happy with. And let's be honest, I was not born in to my choice, I made it by myself. Hetty, you have made no choices, you have challenged nothing and YOU are the sheep my friend. do not try and turn the argument around to push your fears and insecurities on to others. This is a personal choice and I do not condemn you for it. To each his/her own.
With regard to Elle's comments, I think that if anyone is going to choose religion, Elle's approach is the best approach: Going to church doesn't make you a christian, any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. Religion is a personal choice, a personal thing not a mass movement. Mob mentality is bad in any context, religion is no exception.
Labels: religion, Today Trip
Fresh Faced Comic - Richard Ryder
Thanks to Leon for finding this gem for me. This dude is great, Richard Ryder, rips his audience off and talks about boobs, what more could anyone want?
Kids & Tits
Kids & Tits
Labels: comedians, Comics, Fresh Faced Comic, Richard Ryder
The Second Coming - Judgement Day
Fuckin' Shit Flock. I've had it. I wrote a great post about the second coming. Who would be wearing what, how much that would count and why people wouldn't believe it for a second. The end of religion also featured as well as judgement day and rest of the banter associated to this discussion.
But Flock keeps stalling. I tried so hard to recover the post but it's gone. Will teach my to write my posts in Word first then transfer. Learning alot this week.
So instead you'll have to make do with this picture of Jesus at the second coming and my surety that this post was going be magic. Maybe I'll consider writing it again, but hell (haha), I've had a week filled with fuck-ups so I'm over it.
But Flock keeps stalling. I tried so hard to recover the post but it's gone. Will teach my to write my posts in Word first then transfer. Learning alot this week.
So instead you'll have to make do with this picture of Jesus at the second coming and my surety that this post was going be magic. Maybe I'll consider writing it again, but hell (haha), I've had a week filled with fuck-ups so I'm over it.
Labels: Flock, James Dean, Jesus
Google Answers
Google has gone and done something that I am slightly confused about. OK, not confused but intrigued. Google Answers is a search engine with a twist. Firstly it's not free. Secondly it isn't really a search engine, it's an answer engine. You ask it a question and a panel of apparently over 500 researchers will source your answer for you and email you back within 24 hours.
This is grand, but I think I would rather pay myself to sift through the Google search results and come up with an answer. Or even -no I can't say it, OK I have to- use real life resources like people to find myself an answer.
Google seems to have become somewhat money hungry. I believe that absolute power corrupts absolutely and I am beginning to think that Google is heading in that direction. Money is supposed to make us comfortable not happy. Google appears to have lost their direction slightly, what happened to the media, the people and the industry coming first? Don't get me wrong, I understand that they need to pay these researchers to look for shit, but I don't get paid to use Google (let's be honest, they WILL be using Google to find their results).
Anyways, check it out for yourself and see if you agree.
This is grand, but I think I would rather pay myself to sift through the Google search results and come up with an answer. Or even -no I can't say it, OK I have to- use real life resources like people to find myself an answer.
Google seems to have become somewhat money hungry. I believe that absolute power corrupts absolutely and I am beginning to think that Google is heading in that direction. Money is supposed to make us comfortable not happy. Google appears to have lost their direction slightly, what happened to the media, the people and the industry coming first? Don't get me wrong, I understand that they need to pay these researchers to look for shit, but I don't get paid to use Google (let's be honest, they WILL be using Google to find their results).
Anyways, check it out for yourself and see if you agree.
Labels: Google, Google Answers
Svchost.exe file
28.11.06
I'm having some issues with CPU usage. I feel like my laptop is working overtime to do some very average things. I noticed many, many svchost.exe files running in my TaskManager. I understand that some of the files are legit. But that many all the time. I also have another file called svcwinra.exe that never goes away no matter how many times I end the process. I am concerned that this is a worm at work, I am getting an Lsass feeling.
I hope that someone has some precise help from me. Anything is welcome. Help, no food, no system info, no money, no solution. Will work for information.
I hope that someone has some precise help from me. Anything is welcome. Help, no food, no system info, no money, no solution. Will work for information.
Labels: lsass, scvwinra.exe, svchost.exe, worms
Stupid is...
Stupid is as stupid does or so the saying goes. I am stupid. Does anyone know what happens when you put the wrong date on an invoice? You don't get paid on the day that you need the money. When you invoice with a date of 28th of November, you get paid the following month. This isn't a problem if you are invoicing for december... I was invoicing on the 3rd of this month, for this month... I now only get paid next month. That's after christmas season in case you were wondering
Kyoto Protocol
It's easy to bitch and moan about something as I have done already today about America and their stance with regard to the Kyoto Protocol. So instead of moaning and bitching I thought that I would outline, educate and criticize with some authority. I spent a few years studying politics at University but think that this is the perfect chance to update my knowledge on something that I feel fairly strongly about. The greenhouse effect is killing our world and not so slowly, I might add.
So instead of going to your posh dinner parties and talking about the latest rugby game, Jake White and the Bokke try chatting about something that matters and that might spark some opinion and passion in people. So here goes nothing.
Kyoto Protocol
What it all means:
Countries that have ratified (agreed) with the Protocol are set goals per annum. Countries that do not reach these annual goals are penalised 30% of their allocated annual total in the following year. So if you screw up this year, you get to emit 30% less next year. In other words, get it right now, no excuses. Good work.
Carbon Credits
Carbon Credits are a type of currency for the emission world. Countries that are rated low on the carbon producing scale are able to sell their carbon credits to countries producing large amounts of carbon. Its a kind of trade off between allies of some sorts. The less I emit, the more I can sell you, the more you can emit, the more you like me, the better we get on. Easy.
Support
There is huge support for the Kyoto Protocol. The European Union is super keen on the idea (Euro's have always been kinda tree-huggy friendly type of people). It is widely believed that carbon dioxide is promoting the heating of our atmosphere and the greenhouse effect. Thus countries that ratify this protocol are trying to correct this issue.
Countries such as Cuba, South Africa, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece and Japan amongst many, many, many others all support the protocol and are actively involved. A full list of countries is available here.
Opposition
This is what wikipedia had to say about opposition, I couldn't sum it up better myself.
So now you know. Think about it, learn about it, promote it and make a change.
So instead of going to your posh dinner parties and talking about the latest rugby game, Jake White and the Bokke try chatting about something that matters and that might spark some opinion and passion in people. So here goes nothing.
Kyoto Protocol
What it all means:
"stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."Countries who are agree to submit to the Kyoto Protocol agree to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gasses. There is also a clause that allows high producing countries to trade with other countries that emit less gas in order to keep the average emission down.
Countries that have ratified (agreed) with the Protocol are set goals per annum. Countries that do not reach these annual goals are penalised 30% of their allocated annual total in the following year. So if you screw up this year, you get to emit 30% less next year. In other words, get it right now, no excuses. Good work.
Carbon Credits
Carbon Credits are a type of currency for the emission world. Countries that are rated low on the carbon producing scale are able to sell their carbon credits to countries producing large amounts of carbon. Its a kind of trade off between allies of some sorts. The less I emit, the more I can sell you, the more you can emit, the more you like me, the better we get on. Easy.
Support
There is huge support for the Kyoto Protocol. The European Union is super keen on the idea (Euro's have always been kinda tree-huggy friendly type of people). It is widely believed that carbon dioxide is promoting the heating of our atmosphere and the greenhouse effect. Thus countries that ratify this protocol are trying to correct this issue.
Countries such as Cuba, South Africa, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece and Japan amongst many, many, many others all support the protocol and are actively involved. A full list of countries is available here.
Opposition
This is what wikipedia had to say about opposition, I couldn't sum it up better myself.
The two major countries currently opposed to the treaty are the United States and Australia. Some public policy experts who are skeptical of global warming see Kyoto as a scheme to either slow the growth of the world's industrial democracies or to transfer wealth to the third world in what they claim is a global socialism initiative.
So now you know. Think about it, learn about it, promote it and make a change.
Labels: America, Australia, Global Warming, Greenhouse effect, Kyoto Protocal
Cyanide and Happiness
These little comics are just too funny. Tongue in cheek, slapstick, slap your granny, slap your sister in fact slap anyone who's close by! I love it.
Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net
Labels: Cyanide and happiness
Google Warming - Students Speak Out
- Include global warming/climate change in school curricula (as part of National Science Standards), so when the students are in charge they can make educated decisions.
- Increase availability of low-interest Energy Efficient Mortgages to support homeowners who increase the energy efficiency of their homes.
- Put light sensors in all office and school buildings so all lights go off when the rooms are empty.
- Require that all products contributing to global warming be marked with a specific color (e.g., chemical pesticides could be marked with a red sticker for being extremely dangerous to the environment).
- Use less paper; use the back of the paper to print on or write on; use recycled paper.
I would love to know how many countries were involved since it was all done over the net. Or was this another American attempt at appearing to give a shit while still ignoring the Kyoto agreement and buying out other countries quota for pollution, waste and emissions
Labels: Global Schoolnet, Global Warming, google Educators, Kyoto
Flock Support
There are a couple of pros and a couple of con's that come with using new, beta, niche market software. Flock is on such product that I am absolutely hooked on. I have posted about flock before, here.
I am however having some issues with Flock. There is nothing wrong with the extension, the tools, the browsing accessibility or anything else that might be obvious, my problem is that Flock is stalling randomly and often. When I say stall I mean that my browsing experience comes to a complete and immediate halt. This has become such a problem for me that I downloaded an extension that allows me to recover me previous browsing session. I really can deal with the stalling occasionally, but not this often.
I have sought help. I went on to the flock forums and posted about me troubles, a couple of other people showed interest in helping and all the rest but nothing has come of it. Eventually I must admit another huge, massive and incredible pro of using small, beta, niche products; I have been receiving personalised emails from the Flock staff, the support staff and others attempting to help me out. They are so hell bent on me sticking with their product that they are going out of their way to help me, on person, stay with them.
Lets see Microsoft show this kind of dedication to their customers. I don't think so, I may be wrong, but I doubt it.
I am however having some issues with Flock. There is nothing wrong with the extension, the tools, the browsing accessibility or anything else that might be obvious, my problem is that Flock is stalling randomly and often. When I say stall I mean that my browsing experience comes to a complete and immediate halt. This has become such a problem for me that I downloaded an extension that allows me to recover me previous browsing session. I really can deal with the stalling occasionally, but not this often.
Lets see Microsoft show this kind of dedication to their customers. I don't think so, I may be wrong, but I doubt it.
Labels: Browser, Flock, Software, Support, Technology
Fresh Faced Comic - Josh Blue
27.11.06
I have hit the mother load. YouTube has a whole bunch of skits from Last Comic Standing, the reality TV show. I found Josh and couldn't stop laughing, he has a disability and rips himself and the audience off to no end. Absolutely hilarious.
Labels: comedians, Fresh Faced Comic, Josh Blue, Last Comic Standing
Foods I Hate
A short list of only two that I can recall right now, but here they are:
Any offshoot product from either of these two really make me want to throw up too. Ouzo, Chamomile tea, olive paste, olive bread etc etc etc, all yucky.
Any other pet food hates out there, let me know.
- Liquorice
- Olives
Tony Leon Stands Down
26.11.06
No shit Tony. Thanks Captain Obvious. 13 years, wow, imagine what the world will be like if old G.B. (George Bush) sticks around for that long. Heaven forbid (did I just ask heaven for help, times are a changin'). Anyways, I would like to personally thank Tony for his efforts in South African politics. For always being the voice of doubt, for standing up to the ANC as the ruling power of South Africa, and for just being Tony. You've done well and you will be missed...kinda.
Read the full article at MG online.
Black Woman Wins Survivor South Africa
The winner of Survivor South Africa is two were in the final, both women, one white and one black and the decision has been made.
Political, Racial or plainly coincidental? You make up your mind. I personally think that there couldn't have been any political sway in a show of this nature. But just imagine if the final four contestants were white males. Imagine a white Afrikaans female winning the first South African Survivor in the New South Africa.
Update: The votesshowed DID NOT SHOW colour lines, possibly unintentionally, but nonetheless. One black guy , one coloured guy and one coloured white woman all voted for the black woman to win. I am once again not stating that this was racist, but possibly racially aligned.
Political, Racial or plainly coincidental? You make up your mind. I personally think that there couldn't have been any political sway in a show of this nature. But just imagine if the final four contestants were white males. Imagine a white Afrikaans female winning the first South African Survivor in the New South Africa.
Update: The votes
Labels: Survivor South Africa
Survivor South Africa - Possible Racial Politics
There are two survivors left, one white woman and one black women. Incredibly convenient for demographics I must say. But this could easily be put down to coincidence. Now we wait and see who exactly the winner will be. Vanessa (black girl) or Jacinda (White Afrikaans girl).
Update to follow in about an hour when I know who wins!
Labels: Survivor South Africa
Sunday Times Integrates Online
There is more however, at the end of two of the main stories on the front page there is a "tell us" option that provides a communication portal to the papers editors for the readers.
Labels: New Media, Online, Sunday Times
Three Rhodes Students Die
I just heard that three Rhodes students have passed away in a car accident on the N2 between Grahamstown and P.E.
I think that this is so unbelievably sad. It has happened since my first year at Rhodes. I have lost mates on that road, I have lost mates to suicide at Rhodes and many more people have lost many more people. What the hell is up with the world and the bubble that is Rhodes? Just a short post to offer my condolences to the families of those who passes away.
I think that this is so unbelievably sad. It has happened since my first year at Rhodes. I have lost mates on that road, I have lost mates to suicide at Rhodes and many more people have lost many more people. What the hell is up with the world and the bubble that is Rhodes? Just a short post to offer my condolences to the families of those who passes away.
Socially Acceptable Behaviour
25.11.06
There are certain things that people do, that people know to do and not to do in public and in places of social interaction. However, there are certain people who forget about these social norms when they are intoxicated and make everyone else feel very awkward and leave the party area.
I was at a mates annual house party (thanks bud, what a ripper!) minding my own business being all chilled out on a comfy chair with some close friends when El Doos (I shall name him) stumbles along and sits next to us. We are smoking the hubbling and meeting one another and I'm still chilled and not saying much as I am in a bit of a spaced place. Cool, I thought. Not so much:
El Doos: I don't know you, introduce yourself. (I know the host, strange that HE doesn't know ME).
Who asks you to introduce yourself to them? Don't you just introduce yourself in that case?
Nic: -stands up- Hi, I'm Nic, nice to meet you bud.
El Doos: -shakes hand-
Nic: -sits down, spaces-
Five minutes pass and I think I have ridden over this little social speed bump, apparently I was sorely mistaken.
El Doos: OK, it's official, I've made up my mind, I hate you -looking at me-.
Nic: -spaced-
El Doos: Ja, look I'm just honest, so when I don't like you I'll tell you, so that's what I'm doing.
Ok, now I need to interject here; This moron has just told a table of 10 people that he hates me. Someone tell me what the normal response to this would be. There is no such thing. So what followed led to awkwardness and us leaving the hubbly... Dammit.
Nic: OK, that's perfect with me, but if you don't like me do me a favour and leave me the fuck alone. If you don't like me, stop talking to me, get up and walk off bud -not so spaced anymore-.
El Doos: Why you getting so angry?
Nic: Well you know, I love it when a strange guy that no one knows tells me that he hates me and then expects me to be his best mate. There are things called social norms, some of us don't like them, some of us hate them in fact, but in certain contexts you need to fucking use them or you put yourself and others in situations just like this little gem right here. Got me?
We all (the nine other people at the table) stand up and walk off leaving El Doos to his own device. What a wanker.
I was at a mates annual house party (thanks bud, what a ripper!) minding my own business being all chilled out on a comfy chair with some close friends when El Doos (I shall name him) stumbles along and sits next to us. We are smoking the hubbling and meeting one another and I'm still chilled and not saying much as I am in a bit of a spaced place. Cool, I thought. Not so much:
El Doos: I don't know you, introduce yourself. (I know the host, strange that HE doesn't know ME).
Who asks you to introduce yourself to them? Don't you just introduce yourself in that case?
Nic: -stands up- Hi, I'm Nic, nice to meet you bud.
El Doos: -shakes hand-
Nic: -sits down, spaces-
Five minutes pass and I think I have ridden over this little social speed bump, apparently I was sorely mistaken.
El Doos: OK, it's official, I've made up my mind, I hate you -looking at me-.
Nic: -spaced-
El Doos: Ja, look I'm just honest, so when I don't like you I'll tell you, so that's what I'm doing.
Ok, now I need to interject here; This moron has just told a table of 10 people that he hates me. Someone tell me what the normal response to this would be. There is no such thing. So what followed led to awkwardness and us leaving the hubbly... Dammit.
Nic: OK, that's perfect with me, but if you don't like me do me a favour and leave me the fuck alone. If you don't like me, stop talking to me, get up and walk off bud -not so spaced anymore-.
El Doos: Why you getting so angry?
Nic: Well you know, I love it when a strange guy that no one knows tells me that he hates me and then expects me to be his best mate. There are things called social norms, some of us don't like them, some of us hate them in fact, but in certain contexts you need to fucking use them or you put yourself and others in situations just like this little gem right here. Got me?
We all (the nine other people at the table) stand up and walk off leaving El Doos to his own device. What a wanker.
Labels: House Party, Social Norms, Society
Subscribe to Search Results
24.11.06
I recently discovered that it is possible to subscribe to search results as an RSS feed. I think this is a brilliant concept. Try it with Google's Blog Search. Search for a topic, click on the "sort by date" option and then simply copy the RSS or ATOM feeds available. Copy the URL in to your feed reader and you have subscribed to your first Search result.
There are many reasons that I think this is nifty. Firstly, you can subscribe to the latest content from a variety of blogs relating to search criteria. It saves you the time of searching for the same topic every time you want new info. If your blog is a blog about cultivating chickens, then simply search the blog search for those criteria and wait for the results to pop up in your feed reader. You will have your finger on the pulse of the chicken cultivating industry without even trying!!
There are many reasons that I think this is nifty. Firstly, you can subscribe to the latest content from a variety of blogs relating to search criteria. It saves you the time of searching for the same topic every time you want new info. If your blog is a blog about cultivating chickens, then simply search the blog search for those criteria and wait for the results to pop up in your feed reader. You will have your finger on the pulse of the chicken cultivating industry without even trying!!
Labels: Atom, Google Blog Search, RSS
Big Blog Directory
23.11.06
The Big Blog Directory (BBD) is an idea that I think is fantastic. It's simple and its viral or some degree of viral I think. It is an idea that I personally have had for a while but just couldn't get it to work in my head or justify the effort it would take to put together. Luckily some people aren't as lazy as I sometimes am.
What the BBD is, is pretty simple; it's a directory of blogs that the author is building. I can't recall how I stumbled across the BBD but I thought that it was worth a shot. So I sent in my blog and bam I started receiving hits and at least one dedicated reader (I know, one reader, but hey they all add up in the end). So I would like to thank Leon from BBD for his efforts and maintained support of this blog and others within his directory. Good work.
What the BBD is, is pretty simple; it's a directory of blogs that the author is building. I can't recall how I stumbled across the BBD but I thought that it was worth a shot. So I sent in my blog and bam I started receiving hits and at least one dedicated reader (I know, one reader, but hey they all add up in the end). So I would like to thank Leon from BBD for his efforts and maintained support of this blog and others within his directory. Good work.
Labels: Big Blog Directory
Tech Attach #7 - Google Reader
This Tech Attack will also serve as a brief overview of tools that Shutterview has recently added to its repertoire.
To begin, above the Shutterview header I have placed a blog search option. You can now search for any post that Shutterview has published. The search engine is powered by Freefind.com and is one of the most effective personal blog searches I have come across. Use it, get it. The I have added a Flecking tool to the site at the bottom of the Sidebar. Make use of this tool to make comments on Shutterview about design, content, genre, me, you or anything that your heart desires. These comments will then be sent to Fleck for anyone to see and make use of in the future. I will also be able to use these comments to keep in touch with your opinions of my blog. And finally I have added my Google Reader favourites to my topnav above the Shutterview header. Follow the link to see what RSS feeds I am viewing and loving. You can also add my Google Reader shared pages to your Google homepage if you so choose.
Google Reader:
On to the Google Reader. I have mentioned on my "Coming soon" feature that I would be comparing Google Reader with Bloglines. I have decided against that. Google reader has taken me. Bloglines is cool and all, but I just found it to be somewhat temperamental occasionally and very difficult to add RSS feeds to your list and manage the list.
Then I discovered Google Reader. Simply put Google Reader is an RSS feed reader. There are many of them out there on your desktop in your mail or a separate website (bloglines and Google Reader). What you do is find a blog with an RSS feed that you like and stick that feed in to the Google Reader and hey-presto you have an easy to view blog, no frills, no fuss and all your favourites on one page telling you when they are being updated. This not only saves time but is a lot less effort for people who read various blogs throughout the day.
What a joy. It is the first page that I look at when I wake up. It is easy to manage and simple to add new feeds in to. Simply download the "subscribe" tool that is offered and subscribe to feeds as you surf. It's now a matter of clicking subscribe, adding a tag and watching the feed update. 1-2-3 and done.
I have tags extended from News to blogs to international blogs and technology. The reader updates as often as updates are available and has yet to let me down.
Check it out today and change the way you blog-surf.
To begin, above the Shutterview header I have placed a blog search option. You can now search for any post that Shutterview has published. The search engine is powered by Freefind.com and is one of the most effective personal blog searches I have come across. Use it, get it. The I have added a Flecking tool to the site at the bottom of the Sidebar. Make use of this tool to make comments on Shutterview about design, content, genre, me, you or anything that your heart desires. These comments will then be sent to Fleck for anyone to see and make use of in the future. I will also be able to use these comments to keep in touch with your opinions of my blog. And finally I have added my Google Reader favourites to my topnav above the Shutterview header. Follow the link to see what RSS feeds I am viewing and loving. You can also add my Google Reader shared pages to your Google homepage if you so choose.
Google Reader:
On to the Google Reader. I have mentioned on my "Coming soon" feature that I would be comparing Google Reader with Bloglines. I have decided against that. Google reader has taken me. Bloglines is cool and all, but I just found it to be somewhat temperamental occasionally and very difficult to add RSS feeds to your list and manage the list.
What a joy. It is the first page that I look at when I wake up. It is easy to manage and simple to add new feeds in to. Simply download the "subscribe" tool that is offered and subscribe to feeds as you surf. It's now a matter of clicking subscribe, adding a tag and watching the feed update. 1-2-3 and done.
I have tags extended from News to blogs to international blogs and technology. The reader updates as often as updates are available and has yet to let me down.
Check it out today and change the way you blog-surf.
Labels: bloglines, GoogleReader, Shutterview, TechAttack, Tools
Flossing in Public
I was just in Sandton City Mall. Walking along, minding my own business when I literally ran in to a woman who was flossing. Yes, I am being serious. She was walking through Sandton City flossing her teeth. Maybe she had just enjoyed a magnificent meal that required her teeth to be cleaned immediately. Or maybe she was some Neanderthal without any freakin' manners or concern for anyone else in the shopping centre. I hate selfish people, keep your grooming habits to yourself and at home.
Labels: Flossing, grooming Sandton City
Spam Update
22.11.06
My Spam inbox is now up to 508 emails in 15 days. The average has dropped from the last post. It was at 35.2 per day and now sits at 33.86 spam emails per day. So at least the average has gone down. Interesting to see how it goes if I leave it for longer. Let's do that.
I Love You
I have posted about postsecret before on other blogs, I love this website with a passion. It appeals to the voyeur within me. I love to see in to people's minds, witness their darkest truths and deepest lies. It moves me to know that people feel like I do more often than not. The secret below is the most profound and incredibly moving secret that I have read on the site.
Simple, honest and effective, the way I like my secrets to remain.
Simple, honest and effective, the way I like my secrets to remain.
Labels: PostSecret
Virgin Response
I flew Virgin Airways about a month ago and it was hell. Read the "Virgin Screw-up" post here. Anyways, I made use of hellopeter.com to complain and also emailed the Virgin offices. I assumed that they had forgotten about me and the little guy. I was wrong.
I have been checking the incorrect mail box lately and was made aware of this fact tonight when I received four Edgars overdue warnings and a lovely letter from Virgin. Click the image to the right and then check out the whole thing. It's very interesting. Excuses are rampant but that's cool with me. I get a free bump up to "Premium Economy Class" (PEC), whatever the hell that is anyways according to the Virgin site PEC is Virgin's Premium Economy cabin is wonderfully better than coach class, and in most respects clearly superior to BA's competing product. I wonder if I could get another ticket upgrade if I make enough of a hoot about it (I hate travelling alone). I guess that at the end of the day something is better than nothing, even if it is a kick to the groin.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Virgin for their efforts. I applaud the service and will not let a single crummy flight tarnish a long standing relationship with my favourite airline.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Virgin for their efforts. I applaud the service and will not let a single crummy flight tarnish a long standing relationship with my favourite airline.
Labels: Virgin Airways
Minki's Bubble Bath
I have a question: Do I publish?
I have received the Minki photos. The ones where she is naked in a bubble bath. I don't know her, her friends, her mother, her sister (though I wouldn't mind) or any of the rest of her clan... so unlike 2oceansvibe I have no attachment. My question is this: should I publish those photos on Shutterview?? I am going to go ahead and give you all a bit of a taster, but not the whole thing. If the requests come back positive then it might have to be done. We shall see in the end shan't we?
I have received the Minki photos. The ones where she is naked in a bubble bath. I don't know her, her friends, her mother, her sister (though I wouldn't mind) or any of the rest of her clan... so unlike 2oceansvibe I have no attachment. My question is this: should I publish those photos on Shutterview?? I am going to go ahead and give you all a bit of a taster, but not the whole thing. If the requests come back positive then it might have to be done. We shall see in the end shan't we?
I think that enough, is never enough 2oceans.
I was about to post this when I thought about 2oceansvibe a bit more. I think it's upstanding and moral that Seth Rotherham has chosen not to publish the photos 'cause he knows someone who knows someone who knows Minki. Fantastic. I know someone who knows someone who can put me in touch with god. Should I therefore not blaspheme? Please. Nice work on taking the moral high ground when it's a celeb that you might one day bump in to and get some heat from. How bout all the other breasts and asses you have featured knowing that you will never get to see their respective owners in person?
Update:
As Promised I recieved enough feedback to add the photos on to the site. So here goes (My sincere apologese for the delay and the technical glitch):
Update:
As Promised I recieved enough feedback to add the photos on to the site. So here goes (My sincere apologese for the delay and the technical glitch):
Labels: 2oceansvibe, bubble bath, champagnat, Minki, naked, Seth Rotherham
Buy An Island
I have a new obsession in my life (yes yes, other than blogging), I want to buy an island. Nothing big, just something that I can vacate to with my girl. Nice and simply. Something with running water, not even electricity, I don't mind giving that up. As long as I can take a dump and flush that shit then I'll be happy!
So I stumbled upon this magic site called private islands online. You can search for islands by region or price or something. I looked for region first, Brazil:
Now that's the shit right there. Buy your own island near Brazil for just under $2mill. Nice one.
However still somewhat out of my current price range I feel. So I searched for price < $250K and came up with:
Now that is what I call a freakin' deal right there. Ok so who's got +- R225 000??
So I stumbled upon this magic site called private islands online. You can search for islands by region or price or something. I looked for region first, Brazil:
| Isla Bonita | 17 acres | US $1 650 000 |
Now that's the shit right there. Buy your own island near Brazil for just under $2mill. Nice one.
However still somewhat out of my current price range I feel. So I searched for price < $250K and came up with:
| Davis Island | 0.8 acres | CAD $27,900 |
Now that is what I call a freakin' deal right there. Ok so who's got +- R225 000??
Labels: Private Island
Blink 182 - Where are they now?
21.11.06
The story goes something like this (adaptions made for comedic license):
Mark Hoppus (vocals and bass), Tom DeLonge (vocals and guitar) formed Blink 182 in '92 without drummer Travis. He replaced drummer Scott Raynor in '98. Blink then went on to have a string of geeky punk pop song hits. But things got tedious (as things get when one is stinking rich and a teenage punk star at the age 30) so a side project was created.
That then meant that more bands and money could flow the way of the three mega rich super punked up guitar drumming freaks. Aren't we glad? I am.
And that is the Blink story in a nutshell. Random piece of information for you to fill your head for no apparent reason!
Labels: +44, Angels and Airwaves, Blink 182, Boxcar Racer
TechAttack #6 - Google's Picasa Web Albums
So I was viewing some photos today through Picasa when I noticed the "web albums" option on Picasa. The web album allows you to upload folders of photos to your own personal Picasa page where you can store, view and if you want share your photos with others.
I am personally not interested at the moment in sharing my photos with the world. I am merely looking for a third backup of photos that I really, really don't want to lose. Very useful tool I think.
Labels: Google, Photography, Picasa, TechAttack
Bronchial Spasms
20.11.06
Anyways, I have bronchitis (Acute bronchitis is an infection of the bronchial (say: “brawn-kee-ull”) tree) which has not been cured and has now turned in to Bronchial Spasms. That means that my back is in spasm, unbelievable pain, excruciating and unbearable muscle irritation which makes me very, very unhappy.
Now one can only imagine that being this sick means that work stops. It doesn't. Life is grand. Sickness or health and I'm not even married!
Labels: Bronchial Spasm, Bronchitis, Chest
Fresh Faced Comic - Joey Voices
19.11.06
You will soon understand why this guy is known as Joey Voices. His real name is Joey Noone. It's a bit of a pity about the last song that he does. Can't Americans just let it go?
Labels: comedians, Fresh Faced Comic, Impersonations, Joey voices
Home Made Chili Sauce
This has become a necessary piece of information because if I was to omit this fact everyone would think that I was a bit strange and lived in some sort of gypsy household.
It's Sunday. Sundays generally mean family lunch in a Greek household. Today is no different. Lunch today consisted of me (hung over), my Mom, her boyfriend and my Pappou (Pappou is the Greek word for Grandfather). My Pappou makes the most unbelievably incredible chili sauce. I have used this sauce for as long as I can remember eating and before that I was eating it without my mother telling me. So this sauce is a large part of my life because I eat everyday.
The thing is, my Pappou has been very lax in getting his secret recipe to me for the famous sauce. Now one can speculate that his reasons are traditionally Greek in that the recipe is his and I need to learn my own recipe, but I think that he is just so involved in the recipe and making it that he has really never gotten round to giving it to me. That and the fact that he has never written down a recipe for this sauce, it's all in his head. That is 35 years of recipe, trial and error and sweat and tears (Chilli's are hot, they cause tears).
All of this has now changed. My mother and I sat at lunch today and sneakily went about squeezing little tidbits of information out of my Pappou until we had it all: methodology, ingredients, quantities (kind of) and all the rest of the stuff.
I can now go on happily living with the knowledge that in 35 years my sauce will be as good as my Pappou's, even though I have the recipe!
Labels: Chilli Sauce, Pappou, Recipe
Toilet Paper, Old Flags and Security Systems
It has been one hell of a weekend I must admit. I am still sick. That sucks but it didn't stop the weekends events from unfolding. What it did stop me doing for some reason was sleeping, again.
Toilet Paper and Dreams
Friday night I was at "The Hat" (Manhatten in Rivonia) with the boys (yes, I just said "the boys"). Everything was going well until we received a very serious phone call from one of our mates, let's call him Shitbreak1 (SB1). SB1 phones his brother Shitbreak2 (SB2) to ask him to leave the club and walk to an adjacent shopping centre (Mall) to get him some Toilet Paper(TP). Our man, SB1, had walked all the way to the shopping centre went in to the toilets, in to the cubicle and not noticed that there wasn't any TP. WHO DOES THAT? How is it actually possible, in a public toilet, to forget to check for TP? Well Shitbreak 2 stylishly leaves the club with none of us knowing, until his girlfriend comes in to the club... He had bumped in to her as he was sneaky out to make is own "deposit" at the shopping centre and was forced to tell her the whole story. So close to the perfect getaway, so very close!
Hang-overs, Shopping, Old Flags, Hansa and Rugby
Saturday proved to be a long, long day. I woke up at 8:30am with my body tell me to go F*ck itself in a big way. I felt like Shitbreaks 1 & 2 the whole day. Nice start. Then went to Sandton where I had a business meeting (I sound so professional). Still hanging like the devils tail and missioning on I went to see my Mom and her boyfriend for lunch. I didn't eat. Then went shopping with my mom. Two pairs of shoes, shorts, T-shirts and a belt as well as finishings for my toilet. Awesome. Still hanging. Go To Shitbreaks 1 & 2 for a Braai (Barbecue) to watch the South African rugby team play England at Twickenham.
This started well, kicked straight in to the Brandy and coke, no Hansa. Everyone else drank Hansa till it seemed as if Hansa was sponsoring the 'event'. I stuck with Brandy. Rugby kicked off at 4:30pm, great, game going well we are winning then it's even, then we score a try. I am not sure exactly how many people noticed what happened next but I did: Some moronic amoral low-life fool started waving the OLD South African flag. 
This might not seem like a big deal to most and many of the guys joked about it. But seriously, I am all for learning about our past, I agree with knowing about what the flags looked like, the people wore etc etc, but keep that shit at home in your fucked up life. Apartheid ended 12 years ago, it's time to let it go you Afrikaans White freak.We lost the rugby 21-23. Sad, sad day.
Security Systems
So the rugby ended, we lost and shit happens, cool. But why do days like this one have to go on? Why can't we just let it go when the rugby finishes and a few people leave? Why? As you can only guess by now I wasn't one of the people who left the braai. I stayed, I pushed on and we drank on (Shitbreaks 1 & 2 more so than me) till the early hours. Now the funniest thing about South Africa is that we all love the joys of Summer, we do. We love the fact that we can sit on a deck till 11pm in the evening and feel great.
But don't let an alarm go off, don't let a dog bark and be sure not to walk past a house where there is a braai happening after dark. We were all sitting on the deck quietly involved in some heavy debate about life, suicide, friends, death, money, rugby, ladies (not chicks) and everything else when, all of a sudden the dog started barking and the next door neighbours alarm was activated. I have never seen for men jump up quicker in my life. Arms tensed, legs locked and eyes focused. We all quietly picked up the nearest blunt object and headed to the walls and gate to see what was going on. I find this incredible. At the drop of a hat we were sober as a nun (hate that metaphor) and ready to defend our land, or anothers' land from the enemy. I still don't know who the enemy was but I am sure glad that they didn't attack!
Now it is Sunday and I have finally had my due sleep. Take it eash.
Toilet Paper and Dreams
Friday night I was at "The Hat" (Manhatten in Rivonia) with the boys (yes, I just said "the boys"). Everything was going well until we received a very serious phone call from one of our mates, let's call him Shitbreak1 (SB1). SB1 phones his brother Shitbreak2 (SB2) to ask him to leave the club and walk to an adjacent shopping centre (Mall) to get him some Toilet Paper(TP). Our man, SB1, had walked all the way to the shopping centre went in to the toilets, in to the cubicle and not noticed that there wasn't any TP. WHO DOES THAT? How is it actually possible, in a public toilet, to forget to check for TP? Well Shitbreak 2 stylishly leaves the club with none of us knowing, until his girlfriend comes in to the club... He had bumped in to her as he was sneaky out to make is own "deposit" at the shopping centre and was forced to tell her the whole story. So close to the perfect getaway, so very close!
Hang-overs, Shopping, Old Flags, Hansa and Rugby
Saturday proved to be a long, long day. I woke up at 8:30am with my body tell me to go F*ck itself in a big way. I felt like Shitbreaks 1 & 2 the whole day. Nice start. Then went to Sandton where I had a business meeting (I sound so professional). Still hanging like the devils tail and missioning on I went to see my Mom and her boyfriend for lunch. I didn't eat. Then went shopping with my mom. Two pairs of shoes, shorts, T-shirts and a belt as well as finishings for my toilet. Awesome. Still hanging. Go To Shitbreaks 1 & 2 for a Braai (Barbecue) to watch the South African rugby team play England at Twickenham.
Security Systems
So the rugby ended, we lost and shit happens, cool. But why do days like this one have to go on? Why can't we just let it go when the rugby finishes and a few people leave? Why? As you can only guess by now I wasn't one of the people who left the braai. I stayed, I pushed on and we drank on (Shitbreaks 1 & 2 more so than me) till the early hours. Now the funniest thing about South Africa is that we all love the joys of Summer, we do. We love the fact that we can sit on a deck till 11pm in the evening and feel great.
But don't let an alarm go off, don't let a dog bark and be sure not to walk past a house where there is a braai happening after dark. We were all sitting on the deck quietly involved in some heavy debate about life, suicide, friends, death, money, rugby, ladies (not chicks) and everything else when, all of a sudden the dog started barking and the next door neighbours alarm was activated. I have never seen for men jump up quicker in my life. Arms tensed, legs locked and eyes focused. We all quietly picked up the nearest blunt object and headed to the walls and gate to see what was going on. I find this incredible. At the drop of a hat we were sober as a nun (hate that metaphor) and ready to defend our land, or anothers' land from the enemy. I still don't know who the enemy was but I am sure glad that they didn't attack!
Now it is Sunday and I have finally had my due sleep. Take it eash.
Labels: Braai, England, hansa, Rugby, South Africa
TechAttack #5 - Fleck, not Flock, Fleck
18.11.06
I have just picked up this interesting little social site that allows you to make notes and bullets on any website. So now, through Fleck you can not only consume information, but you can give it back. Simply leave a note, share it, blog it and let people know what you think of the site you are visiting.
Currently Fleck is not supported on IE, the makers suggest Firefox and are in the process of developing an IE version soon.
I am still in the process of familiarising myself with this tool but I think it sounds interesting. A little bar at the bottom of your screen pops up with various options available including bullet, note, share, blog and others. Below is a screen shot.
The other joy of this little tool is that there is no need to sign-up or register. You can do so if you wish, but it isn't necessary. I have a registration addiction so I tend to register with every site that I stumble across.
Currently Fleck is not supported on IE, the makers suggest Firefox and are in the process of developing an IE version soon.
I am still in the process of familiarising myself with this tool but I think it sounds interesting. A little bar at the bottom of your screen pops up with various options available including bullet, note, share, blog and others. Below is a screen shot.
Labels: Firefox, Fleck, Innovation, TechAttack
Greenday and U2 Hook Up
17.11.06
U2 and Greenday have come together to create a single for the world to hear and see. It is political, it is raw, it is motivated and it is a collaboration that needed to be done and hopefully will make people stand up and take notice (in case you hadn't noticed I am a massive fan of both bands and the messages they put out)!
The track is called "The Saints Are Coming". It also features parts of "House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals. I absolutely love it.
"I cried to my daddy on the telephone, how long now? Till the clouds unroll and you come home..." Bono's first lines in the song. The music video features Iraqi troops moving in to New Orleans, soldiers returning from Afghanistan to help the Katrina sufferers (none of these things have happened).
The saints are coming, the saints are coming."
I think the saints have arrived and they go by the names U2 and Greenday.
"Web-Rage" = Two and a Half Years in Jail
A man in South London has been jailed for two and half years after assaulting another man. The argument arose online. Comments were exchanged and *BAM* someone got hurt real bad!Apparently lunatic 1 tracked down lunatic 2 through personal details on the net. Nice one. Two lessons to be learnt here:
- Don't piss anyone off on the net...ever...at all (as if)
- Don't put anything personal on the net...ever...at all (as if)
*Pic and info courtesay of BBC.
*Picutred above: Lunatic 1
Rock out minus the politics
North Korea (NK) is allowing Western Musicians in to their country to play a concert for peace. The concert is being organised by a pro-NK group and will be help next year as long as the lyrical content from the bands is not "sexy or violent". (Hmmm, well that rules out ALMOST EVERY BAND IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!).
A little quote from the Voice of Korea website talking about the concert:
Now I am as anti-American as the next blogger out there, but seriously, "even if you are from USA"? Are these morons nuts? Some of the best bands in the world are from the USA (I hate to admit that but it's true).
Lets see, U2 (political) - out, FooFighters (aggressive) - out, Greenday (political/aggressive) - out, Coldplay (political) - out, Robbie Williams (Drug abusive) - out, Travis (political) - out, The Strokes/The Vines/The Hives/Arctic Monkeys/White Stripes/REM/Elton John/Rolling Stones/Paul McCartney/Aerosmith/Goo Goo Dolls/Pink/P.Diddy/Jay-Z/Ludacris/Beyonce/Eminem/any other rapper/any punk rock band (all political or aggressive or biased or violent).
This list could go on forever. There are very few bands who have no political agenda in their music whatsoever. These days music is love and music is war.
So to sum up, playing at this concert I can see Pussy Cat Dolls (if they remained 98% clothed), Ronin Keating (if he isn't too violent about love), Westlife (Because Ronin owns them) and maybe, just maybe someone like Kylie Minogue - maybe.
A little quote from the Voice of Korea website talking about the concert:
"any band will be considered even though you are from USA."
Now I am as anti-American as the next blogger out there, but seriously, "even if you are from USA"? Are these morons nuts? Some of the best bands in the world are from the USA (I hate to admit that but it's true).
Lets see, U2 (political) - out, FooFighters (aggressive) - out, Greenday (political/aggressive) - out, Coldplay (political) - out, Robbie Williams (Drug abusive) - out, Travis (political) - out, The Strokes/The Vines/The Hives/Arctic Monkeys/White Stripes/REM/Elton John/Rolling Stones/Paul McCartney/Aerosmith/Goo Goo Dolls/Pink/P.Diddy/Jay-Z/Ludacris/Beyonce/Eminem/any other rapper/any punk rock band (all political or aggressive or biased or violent).
This list could go on forever. There are very few bands who have no political agenda in their music whatsoever. These days music is love and music is war.
So to sum up, playing at this concert I can see Pussy Cat Dolls (if they remained 98% clothed), Ronin Keating (if he isn't too violent about love), Westlife (Because Ronin owns them) and maybe, just maybe someone like Kylie Minogue - maybe.
I think that it is an incredible idea to have this concert (the first of its kind) in NK, but I am not sure what the point in having a concert of this nature is if you are simply going to be political and restrict the musicians. Talk about artistic irony balanced out with a pinch of slap-in-the-face-politics. That's what happens when a propaganda organisation is allowed to plan a concert.
Labels: Concert, North Korea, Peace, Politics
Ellen Update
As you can see in my post "The power of Degeneres" the picture of the boxer shorts has been removed. This is not me and my bad skills but a removal from the actual Ellen clothing site. Apparently my post has made some waves, not the 6000 sales of the cheap version of the boxers (HA! As if Shutterview could make such a large impact, lets only hope one day soon).Labels: Boxer Shorts, Ellen Degeners
Gotta Love Wi-Fi
16.11.06
I have ADSL at home, that's pretty normal round the world and so is Wireless access in your house. But not in South Africa. Today I purchased a wireless router and installed it, myself (very proud). It works like a charm. For the first time this entire year I am sitting outside having a smoke while I blog. I haven't done this since I was at University, ah the little things. What a pleasure.
Labels: Wireless
Nikon D40 DSLR - The People's Choice.
PaulStamatiou.com just reported on Nikons release of the D40. I am somewhat of a photography enthusiast and my biggest problem at the moment is the cost of DSLR cameras. Here in S.A. the pricing starts close to R8000 (roughly $1000). These things aren't cheap. Nothing is cheap in S.A. anymore?
This little beauty seems to be taking those theories down. It peaks at just over R4500 and is a 6.1-effective mega pixel digital SLR. It is being heralded as the smallest and most affordable DSLR to date.
Labels: DSLR, Nikon, Paul Stamatiou
Same Sex Marriage Legalised
I think that South Africa is making great steps forward by legalising same sex marriages. We are the first country on our continent to do so. Brilliant. I personally believe in "To each his/her own" and if that happens to be a his or her of the same sex then so be it.
What irritates me about this whole situation is the manner in which the religious groups have protested the decision. I am once again stating that to each his/her own is the way forward, so let the fanatics moan and bitch about the laws being passed. However I get extremely touchy when I read an article about this issue on the MG site that religious activists have branded the law "un-African".
How on Earth is same sex marriage un-African? Who decides what is African (not starting that debate unless anyone is interested)? This is the kicker question right here: When did religious views become African views? Western ideas of religion have never been apart of the African culture. It is only in the recent history of the continent that Western ideals began infiltrating the African continent. It hacks me off to no end that religious freaks, fanatics or idiots are able to brand an apparent 'anti-christian' law as un-African.
I will say this again: when did Western religion become dominant in Africa as an ideal? What makes these people think that they have the right to brand anything, anything at all as un-African? If that is what being African means you can keep it and I will continue to be me as an individual living in Africa.
What irritates me about this whole situation is the manner in which the religious groups have protested the decision. I am once again stating that to each his/her own is the way forward, so let the fanatics moan and bitch about the laws being passed. However I get extremely touchy when I read an article about this issue on the MG site that religious activists have branded the law "un-African".
How on Earth is same sex marriage un-African? Who decides what is African (not starting that debate unless anyone is interested)? This is the kicker question right here: When did religious views become African views? Western ideas of religion have never been apart of the African culture. It is only in the recent history of the continent that Western ideals began infiltrating the African continent. It hacks me off to no end that religious freaks, fanatics or idiots are able to brand an apparent 'anti-christian' law as un-African.
I will say this again: when did Western religion become dominant in Africa as an ideal? What makes these people think that they have the right to brand anything, anything at all as un-African? If that is what being African means you can keep it and I will continue to be me as an individual living in Africa.
Labels: African, Gay Marriage, religion, South Africa, un-African
The Honest Post
The honest post
This is going to be the most honest thing that I have written in years. I am going to make this simple, and let it be known that life happens to people while they’re living.
I am scared that the love that I have will leave me. I am scared that I will die. I am not scared of death. I am scared of what I will never experience because of death. I don’t think I will live to old age, I don’t think that I will die young. I know that there are some things that I will never get the chance to do, never get to feel, live or experience and that scares me. I am scared of failure. I think that everyone is. I am scared of success. I think everyone is.
I am in love, but scared to love. I am in lust but scared to touch. I am a success but scared to be successful and living while scared to feel. I am brave but a coward and weak while trying to be strong. I am none of the things that I say I am and everything at the same time.
I’m not sure why I am writing all of this but to be honest I think that we all feel like we are alone, but we are not. I know that I am loved and in love, I know that I have friends and I make sure that my friends know they have me. I am trying to get better at telling the people I love that I do love them and telling the people I hate that I don’t.
This is going to be the most honest thing that I have written in years. I am going to make this simple, and let it be known that life happens to people while they’re living.
I am scared that the love that I have will leave me. I am scared that I will die. I am not scared of death. I am scared of what I will never experience because of death. I don’t think I will live to old age, I don’t think that I will die young. I know that there are some things that I will never get the chance to do, never get to feel, live or experience and that scares me. I am scared of failure. I think that everyone is. I am scared of success. I think everyone is.
I am in love, but scared to love. I am in lust but scared to touch. I am a success but scared to be successful and living while scared to feel. I am brave but a coward and weak while trying to be strong. I am none of the things that I say I am and everything at the same time.
I’m not sure why I am writing all of this but to be honest I think that we all feel like we are alone, but we are not. I know that I am loved and in love, I know that I have friends and I make sure that my friends know they have me. I am trying to get better at telling the people I love that I do love them and telling the people I hate that I don’t.
Saddam Escapes!
15.11.06
I know, I know, it will never happen, but man would it be funny to see George Bush's face addressing the nation telling them that Saddam had made it out?!
A little bit of humour to keep us all moving.
A little bit of humour to keep us all moving.
Labels: Comedy George Bush, Humour, Saddam Hussein
Fresh Faced Comic - Bush Bashing
I just couldn't help myself. This guy has Bush pegged. "Gobble Gobble" Bushy Baby.
Update: I managed to locate this comedians name: Frank Caliendo.
Update: I managed to locate this comedians name: Frank Caliendo.
Labels: Bush, Bush Bashing, Fresh Faced Comic, President
Haloscan Installed
I have now installed Haloscan on to the system. You will notice that the comments have moved from the end of the post to just below the heading of each post. The old blogger comments are not gone, simply visit the particular posts page to view all old comments. If there are any major flaws please email me!
Thanks for the support.
Thanks for the support.
Labels: commenting, Haloscan
TechAttack #4 - Haloscan
Haloscan is a comment moderation tool that replaces bloggers comments. I am trying to make use of this due to my recent discovery of coComment (see TechAttacks 3 & 3 update). coComment allows you to follow comments you have made on any blog,account, website or anything. Now to make use of coComment through my own blog I need to get rid of Bloggers comment system and install Haloscan. This all seems very complicated, but trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.
The pro's of having Haloscan is that you can customize the look of your comment box and it has a directly built in extension for users who wish to make use of coComment (perfect for me). It also allows you to track comment numbers, people, stats etc. Blogger does not do this.
The only downfall I can see so far is that I don't think that I can keep any of the old blogger comments without personally copying and pasting them in to the Haloscan comment block one by one... that's a lot of work for one person. So I am in the process of debating the whole value of using Haloscan if it means losing all the brilliance of my readers. We shall see.
Keep a close look and see how it all works out. Let me know what you all think.
The pro's of having Haloscan is that you can customize the look of your comment box and it has a directly built in extension for users who wish to make use of coComment (perfect for me). It also allows you to track comment numbers, people, stats etc. Blogger does not do this.
The only downfall I can see so far is that I don't think that I can keep any of the old blogger comments without personally copying and pasting them in to the Haloscan comment block one by one... that's a lot of work for one person. So I am in the process of debating the whole value of using Haloscan if it means losing all the brilliance of my readers. We shall see.
Keep a close look and see how it all works out. Let me know what you all think.
Labels: Blogger, coComment, Haloscan, TechAttack
The power of Degeneres
14.11.06
I was watching The Tonight Show With Jay Leno last night (I love Jay, think that he is one of the funniest and funniest looking men alive) and Ellen Degeneres was on. Her and Jay have studios literally right next door to one another (notice how I'm on a first name basis with both stars, that's just how I roll I guess).
So Ellen was relaying this story which was obviously planned cause they had the prop right there for the story. The prop was a pair of Ellen boxer-shorts.
The boxer-shorts -seen above- are priced on the Ellen shopping site at $24.95. Ellen's story went something like this:
Ellen: You know Jay (American twang in toe) I got an email askin' me to drop the price of these little babies for a day.
Jay: (Big jaw in toe) *chuckles to himself*
Ellen: So, Jay I did it. I announced on my show that for one day the shorts were going to sell at $10.
Jay: Well you know Ellen, that sounds really nice of you... what's the problem with all this?
Ellen: (Shyly giggling to herself) Well Jay, normally the boxers cost us about $13.
Jay: OK so you made a bit of a mistake on that one right?
Ellen: Well yea, normally we sell about 10 to 15 pairs a day. On that day, we sold over 6000. I lost about $25,000 in one day. (Not sure about Ellen's maths on that one so don't question me)
Now my big issue with this whole story is that yes, it is funny that Ellen lost $25,000 and it is funny that the sales can jump by about 400% from a simple word spoken by Ellen but how is it possible that this is the type of funny story that the rich and famous tell. As far as I can imagine this is a mild kind of story along the monetary genre.
Seriously $25,000 is a boat load of cash that Ellen just smiled and kissed g'bye. Wow, what a thrill it must be to know that you can walk away from that much money with a smile and a funny story.
Now just imagine what would happen if Ellen told the American people to get rid of Bush or vote against the grain. Imagine if you will, if Harpo -sorry- Oprah and Ellen and Jay and Bono and Robbie Williams and Madge and Mr's Penn, Pitt and Vaughn(hahaha) and Miss's Aniston, Jolie (hahaha) and Tyra all got together and propagated a particular party, product, ideal, moral, ethic or line of thought. The whole of the American population would follow and the rest of the world would probably join in too. Think about it. The power of the media, the power of celebrity.
So Ellen was relaying this story which was obviously planned cause they had the prop right there for the story. The prop was a pair of Ellen boxer-shorts.
The boxer-shorts -seen above- are priced on the Ellen shopping site at $24.95. Ellen's story went something like this:
Ellen: You know Jay (American twang in toe) I got an email askin' me to drop the price of these little babies for a day.
Jay: (Big jaw in toe) *chuckles to himself*
Ellen: So, Jay I did it. I announced on my show that for one day the shorts were going to sell at $10.
Jay: Well you know Ellen, that sounds really nice of you... what's the problem with all this?
Ellen: (Shyly giggling to herself) Well Jay, normally the boxers cost us about $13.
Jay: OK so you made a bit of a mistake on that one right?
Ellen: Well yea, normally we sell about 10 to 15 pairs a day. On that day, we sold over 6000. I lost about $25,000 in one day. (Not sure about Ellen's maths on that one so don't question me)
Now my big issue with this whole story is that yes, it is funny that Ellen lost $25,000 and it is funny that the sales can jump by about 400% from a simple word spoken by Ellen but how is it possible that this is the type of funny story that the rich and famous tell. As far as I can imagine this is a mild kind of story along the monetary genre.
Seriously $25,000 is a boat load of cash that Ellen just smiled and kissed g'bye. Wow, what a thrill it must be to know that you can walk away from that much money with a smile and a funny story.
Now just imagine what would happen if Ellen told the American people to get rid of Bush or vote against the grain. Imagine if you will, if Harpo -sorry- Oprah and Ellen and Jay and Bono and Robbie Williams and Madge and Mr's Penn, Pitt and Vaughn(hahaha) and Miss's Aniston, Jolie (hahaha) and Tyra all got together and propagated a particular party, product, ideal, moral, ethic or line of thought. The whole of the American population would follow and the rest of the world would probably join in too. Think about it. The power of the media, the power of celebrity.
Whoever controls the media controls the mind
Labels: Bono, Boxer Shorts, Ellen Degeners, Entertainment, Jay Leno, Oprah
Fresh Faced Comic - Denzel Gets Done
I tried my hardest to find this comedians name but came up empty. If you watch this for anything, watch it for the Denzel Washington impersonation.
Labels: comedians, Comics, Denzel Washington, Fresh Faced Comic, Impersonations
White Taxi
13.11.06
I was in town this weekend and when I say town I don't mean Sandton City. I was in Johannesburg central, Hillbrow area. Now there are certain people who claim that this areas is the deadliest of the dead, the roughest of the rough and the maddest of the mad. I disagree but before I start to wander off topic I shall end that discussion now. Town is OK. I like Town. I think that Town is the place to be, it's a hub, it's cool, it's kitch, it's got history, pizazz, spunk (a bit of gunk) and there are a lot of big business head offices based there so I think it gets the nod.
Anyways, I was driving home from Town when I looked out of my window to the right and saw the most unbelievable thing that I have ever seen as a white Sandton boy. I saw a white male taxi driver. Now all you foreigners to South Africa wont really grasp the significance of this. However, this was a significant moment for me, for you and for the greater South African cause. Black men drive Taxis, they don't drive the kind of taxi that you see in London or New York, they drive old VW minibuses and jam them with 5 to 10 more people than are legally allowed in a vehicle of that size, but they drive taxis, not skinny white, confused white males with fear and their eyes and oh, did I mention white? I think that the reason black men mostly drive these taxis is that mostly black people make use of the service, so it's a logical market to capture. (It's not a race thing so don't even think about throwing that crap my way).
I was simply astounded to witness a white person driving a black taxi and understanding all the hand signals that indicate which car is turning what direction heading for a specific area on a predestined route. It's incredible and something that I thought was simply out of reach for any white South African to ever understand and control was being mastered by a whitey and accepted by the black passengers. Simply amazing.
I wish that I had time to whip out my phone and snap a few photos but Town is a busy place with busy roads and angry people so I put my phone away and drove off marvelling in my luck.
*Aside: Is it not absolutely astounding to anyone who has ever witnessed interaction between taxi driver and potential passenger that either of them know which way they are going? At one point passenger 'A' is walking South while the taxi is driving North, the fingers go up, glances are exchanged, fingers are crossed, a deal is made and all of a sudden passenger 'A' is in the taxi driving North, which is the opposite direction to that which passenger 'A' was just walking initially. It amazes me and boggles my tiny brain.
Anyways, I was driving home from Town when I looked out of my window to the right and saw the most unbelievable thing that I have ever seen as a white Sandton boy. I saw a white male taxi driver. Now all you foreigners to South Africa wont really grasp the significance of this. However, this was a significant moment for me, for you and for the greater South African cause. Black men drive Taxis, they don't drive the kind of taxi that you see in London or New York, they drive old VW minibuses and jam them with 5 to 10 more people than are legally allowed in a vehicle of that size, but they drive taxis, not skinny white, confused white males with fear and their eyes and oh, did I mention white? I think that the reason black men mostly drive these taxis is that mostly black people make use of the service, so it's a logical market to capture. (It's not a race thing so don't even think about throwing that crap my way).
I was simply astounded to witness a white person driving a black taxi and understanding all the hand signals that indicate which car is turning what direction heading for a specific area on a predestined route. It's incredible and something that I thought was simply out of reach for any white South African to ever understand and control was being mastered by a whitey and accepted by the black passengers. Simply amazing.
I wish that I had time to whip out my phone and snap a few photos but Town is a busy place with busy roads and angry people so I put my phone away and drove off marvelling in my luck.
*Aside: Is it not absolutely astounding to anyone who has ever witnessed interaction between taxi driver and potential passenger that either of them know which way they are going? At one point passenger 'A' is walking South while the taxi is driving North, the fingers go up, glances are exchanged, fingers are crossed, a deal is made and all of a sudden passenger 'A' is in the taxi driving North, which is the opposite direction to that which passenger 'A' was just walking initially. It amazes me and boggles my tiny brain.
Labels: Black, driving, Johannesburg, Sandton, Taxi, Town, White
Fresh Faced Comic - Crazy Comedian
12.11.06
This is the newest of the new threads that Shutterview will feature. The Fresh Faced Comic is my attempt to uncover new and interesting comedians that make me laugh. I will be making use of You Tube's video sharing amongst other sources to uncover and expose comedians that I have never heard of or want to see more of. So if there are any suggestions email me or comment on this thread!
Crazy Comedian
This dude is absolutely nuts. I couldn't help but absolutely piss myself laughing at how insane his routine is. Have a look and prepare to be amazed.
Crazy Comedian
This dude is absolutely nuts. I couldn't help but absolutely piss myself laughing at how insane his routine is. Have a look and prepare to be amazed.
Labels: comedians, Comics, Fresh Faced Comic, You Tube
6 Day Spam
Spam is an issue, we all know it is. I decided to let the spam in my Gmail account accumulate over the past 5 days. I have reached a total of 176 spam mails not including today. That is pretty insane if you ask me. Now look, don't get me wrong, I have stumbled across a few - one or two at most - porn sites in my time, but nowhere near enough to justify recieving this many spam mails targeted at gay lovers, child molestors and freaks on leashes. Seriously, why can't I ever recieve worth while spam mail. The occasional winning lottery ticket online, the occasional nude picture of Heidi Klum or Natalie Imbruglia, the sports results from this weekend, none of that stuff is ever spammed my way.
But I digress, my point is that I have recieved 35.2 spam emails per day for the last 5 days. I don't recieve that much mail on a normal day from people I know or with issues that concern me. Below is a screenshot of the awesome porn spam I recieve in my account:
But I digress, my point is that I have recieved 35.2 spam emails per day for the last 5 days. I don't recieve that much mail on a normal day from people I know or with issues that concern me. Below is a screenshot of the awesome porn spam I recieve in my account:
Now look don't get me wrong, I am a guy and I like my fair share of porn in tiny little chunks on very occasional occasions. So recieving spam concerning "Teacher makes a teenn gagg on his checkart" or "Raunchy teeen slutts fight over a thhrobbing listhot" is not so cool in my eyes. I get bored, frustrated and pretty pissed off that my email can be abused (excuse the pun) and penetrated (stand back I'm on a roll) in such a blatant and fruitless manner.
I say that these attempts at dragging me in to the online underwold are fruitless because I have yet to click on a single one of these spam mails and follow the link to the teacher gagging on a pencil while the student watches. Seriously, give me a break here.
I say that these attempts at dragging me in to the online underwold are fruitless because I have yet to click on a single one of these spam mails and follow the link to the teacher gagging on a pencil while the student watches. Seriously, give me a break here.
Labels: Gmail, Heidi Klum, Natalie Imbruglia, Porn, Spam
Neighbour Horror Trilogy
My weekend neighbour trilogy is complete. Like every good horror story mine came in three parts: The grinding and drilling, the humming wall and now the hammer - the worst of all three-.
9am, that is the time that this horror story occured. It came suddenly with a couple of hard and well targeted smashes to my area of our shared wall and it ended just as quickly. Like the bludgeoning of a victim in a movie my pain was realised quickly, experienced like a bad headache and then went away just as fast. Fortunately my story does not end in death for anyone... yet.
I am now awake and the hammering has stopped. As in a good horror, there is one person left standing at the end with their entire life destroyed and no reason to really move on, so I am left awake with silence and unable to fall asleep.
9am, that is the time that this horror story occured. It came suddenly with a couple of hard and well targeted smashes to my area of our shared wall and it ended just as quickly. Like the bludgeoning of a victim in a movie my pain was realised quickly, experienced like a bad headache and then went away just as fast. Fortunately my story does not end in death for anyone... yet.
I am now awake and the hammering has stopped. As in a good horror, there is one person left standing at the end with their entire life destroyed and no reason to really move on, so I am left awake with silence and unable to fall asleep.
Labels: Horror Movies, Neighbours, Weekend
It's All Over
10.11.06
Today was/is the day of my exam, the only outstanding half credit that I need to gain my degree in Journalism. It went ok I think. Albeit I am currently blogging when my exam is actually just about to finish, but I've never been one to hang around an exam when I was done. So here I am.
I do have a bit of strange story to tell. I am happily going through my multiple choice questions when I notice an error on one of the questions, number 26 to be precise. I cant figure out where the answers are. The answers provided are marked from (a) - (e). The answers on the mark sheet are printed as 1-5. I am now stumped, confuzzled, bemused and in awe of this error or my stupidity. So I call over the invidulator who looks at the question and provides me with the answer to my problems:
Nic: *whisper* Um, excuse me but these answers dont corrolate with the mark sheet.
Inv: Excuse me, whats the problem?
Nic: I said, these answers, there's something wrong with them.
Inv: Oh don't worry, just look at the Afrikaans section for help.
Nic: -stunned-
Inv: -walks off-
Um, ok, now I have a few fundimental problems with the help that I recieved. Firstly, why on Earth do they still print these things in Afrikaans at all? Secondly, I don't speak Afrikaans well enough to be able to read and decipher the answers on a damned University queston paper.
So here we go again:
Nic: -hand raised- Um, excuse me...
Inv: -irritated- Yes, Sir, what is the problem now?
Nic: I don't speak Afrikaans.
Inv: Oh, um, well...
Nic: Just tell me if the English answers are numbered EXACTLY as the Afrikaans ones are and I'll be fine.
Inv: Yes, they are. -walks away-
Now I can see her leave my table, walk to her colleague and glance over at me and skinner (gossip for my international readers). SCREW YOU LADY. I live in the 21st fucking century where Afrikaans is a dead, gone, dying, almost erie language to hear spoken (unless of course you study at University of Johannesburg or Stellenbosch). So take your little smirk and stick it where the papers can't be marked.
Horrid little Afrikaans woman.
I do have a bit of strange story to tell. I am happily going through my multiple choice questions when I notice an error on one of the questions, number 26 to be precise. I cant figure out where the answers are. The answers provided are marked from (a) - (e). The answers on the mark sheet are printed as 1-5. I am now stumped, confuzzled, bemused and in awe of this error or my stupidity. So I call over the invidulator who looks at the question and provides me with the answer to my problems:
Nic: *whisper* Um, excuse me but these answers dont corrolate with the mark sheet.
Inv: Excuse me, whats the problem?
Nic: I said, these answers, there's something wrong with them.
Inv: Oh don't worry, just look at the Afrikaans section for help.
Nic: -stunned-
Inv: -walks off-
Um, ok, now I have a few fundimental problems with the help that I recieved. Firstly, why on Earth do they still print these things in Afrikaans at all? Secondly, I don't speak Afrikaans well enough to be able to read and decipher the answers on a damned University queston paper.
So here we go again:
Nic: -hand raised- Um, excuse me...
Inv: -irritated- Yes, Sir, what is the problem now?
Nic: I don't speak Afrikaans.
Inv: Oh, um, well...
Nic: Just tell me if the English answers are numbered EXACTLY as the Afrikaans ones are and I'll be fine.
Inv: Yes, they are. -walks away-
Now I can see her leave my table, walk to her colleague and glance over at me and skinner (gossip for my international readers). SCREW YOU LADY. I live in the 21st fucking century where Afrikaans is a dead, gone, dying, almost erie language to hear spoken (unless of course you study at University of Johannesburg or Stellenbosch). So take your little smirk and stick it where the papers can't be marked.
Horrid little Afrikaans woman.
Labels: Afrikaans, Exams, Multiple Choice
UPDATE: TechAttack #3 - coComment
9.11.06
coComment is fantastic. If you read TechAttack3 you will get the gist of the story surrounding coComment. Now I've had a bit of time making use of this initiative and I am extremely impressed.
coComment takes a bit of getting used to and understanding but let's be honest, if I can do it, anyone can. It's a hop, skip and a jump away from registering to getting in the full swing of the process involved in tracking your comments.
I not only spend alot of time reading blogs that I like and commenting on them, but following up on those comments and conversations. It is extremely time consuming to try and cover them all in one fell swoop and remember where I've been, who said what and when. So now I simply have coComment do it for me. The program can be downloaded (If you are using Flock or FireFox) and simply attaches itself to your blogger/wordpress comment box and asks if you would like to track the conversation. This is where it gets a little bit slow, once you tick the box and say you do want to track the conversation, you need to enter the blog title, url, post and post link then write your post and sign in as per usual. The comment is then sent straight to your coComment inbox where you can thereafter view and track comments on the conversation.
It's simple, it's easy and that's the way I like these sort of applications to be. Easy enough for me to use and explain in 2 days and one post. Done and dusted.
coComment takes a bit of getting used to and understanding but let's be honest, if I can do it, anyone can. It's a hop, skip and a jump away from registering to getting in the full swing of the process involved in tracking your comments.
I not only spend alot of time reading blogs that I like and commenting on them, but following up on those comments and conversations. It is extremely time consuming to try and cover them all in one fell swoop and remember where I've been, who said what and when. So now I simply have coComment do it for me. The program can be downloaded (If you are using Flock or FireFox) and simply attaches itself to your blogger/wordpress comment box and asks if you would like to track the conversation. This is where it gets a little bit slow, once you tick the box and say you do want to track the conversation, you need to enter the blog title, url, post and post link then write your post and sign in as per usual. The comment is then sent straight to your coComment inbox where you can thereafter view and track comments on the conversation.
It's simple, it's easy and that's the way I like these sort of applications to be. Easy enough for me to use and explain in 2 days and one post. Done and dusted.
Labels: coComment, commenting, Firefox, Flock, Innovation, TechAttack
Pronto Condoms
8.11.06
Before it's over, it's on...now that's fast.
What an unbelievably freakin' brilliant product/concept. A Pronto Condom is an easy on condom. I think this is one of the best sexual inventions that has come out since sex itself (nothing beats sex).
This little condom makes life easy on everyone. You get it up, you get things moving, you get ready then...no, wait, you need to rip the packet open, figure out which way is up and manage the slippery side of life. Then it's finally on and things aren't 'happening' if you catch my drift. So this little packet o' joy makes using a condom easy.
Then there is the added joy of logic: If the condom is easy to use, more people will use them. Simple. And what an amazing ad campaign the above movie is!
Check out the Pronto Condom website now, order online or buy them at any major Pharmacy nation wide (Excl Clicks).
What an unbelievably freakin' brilliant product/concept. A Pronto Condom is an easy on condom. I think this is one of the best sexual inventions that has come out since sex itself (nothing beats sex).
This little condom makes life easy on everyone. You get it up, you get things moving, you get ready then...no, wait, you need to rip the packet open, figure out which way is up and manage the slippery side of life. Then it's finally on and things aren't 'happening' if you catch my drift. So this little packet o' joy makes using a condom easy.
Then there is the added joy of logic: If the condom is easy to use, more people will use them. Simple. And what an amazing ad campaign the above movie is!
Check out the Pronto Condom website now, order online or buy them at any major Pharmacy nation wide (Excl Clicks).
Labels: Condoms, Pronto Condom, Sex
Traffic Fines Online
The government has done it. They have taken the massive (long overdue) step in to the future - or present - and provided Jo'burg locals with the ability to check for outstanding traffic fines online.
Go to the City Of Johannesburg website right now and you will be able to see if you are about to be arrested for overdue fines.
Simply register with your ID number, email, a couple of other little details and then - magic - you can make use of the online traffic fine service. Other services available include water and lights invoices, online valuation forms, free interactive map and entering your meter readings.
It's simple, fast and accesible so do it today.
Go to the City Of Johannesburg website right now and you will be able to see if you are about to be arrested for overdue fines.
Simply register with your ID number, email, a couple of other little details and then - magic - you can make use of the online traffic fine service. Other services available include water and lights invoices, online valuation forms, free interactive map and entering your meter readings.
It's simple, fast and accesible so do it today.
Labels: future, Johannesburg, traffic fines
TechAttack #3 - coComment
7.11.06
Talk about it. Thats what coComment allows you to do, talk and view what you have spoken about and where. I stumbled across this interesting site on Paul Stamatiou's blog. Straight out of the horses mouth, here is how coComment explains itself:
coComment is a service which will help you track, organize, and share all your comment-based conversations on the web.I am currently signing up to make use of coComment and will provide updates as I get in to using it. Apparently the way it works is that everytime you post a comment on any site (Blog, Flickr, News site etc) coComment will make a copy of the comment and save it in your personal folder at coComment. You can then visit this folder and trackback your own progression through conversations. You can also be alerted to any new comments on the same thread.
I think this is a fantastic tool since I spend alot of time checking back on sites that I have made comments as well as checking my mail for alerts on threads.
More to come soon.
Labels: coComment, commenting, flickr, Paul Stamatiou, TechAttack, Technology
Exams are a coming
What do you get when you are stupid enough to take 4 second year credits instead of 2 first year and 2 second year credit? You get to study for an exam that you should have passed a year ago!
Gender wars part 2... instigated by Michelle Atagana
6.11.06
What it is about women that allows them the ability to slate all men in one fell swoop? I don't get it. If a man so much as looks at a women with any sort of disdain he is charged with being a patriarchal chauvinist and shunned from society (bet he wont get laid for ages... what a typically male thing to say!!).
Michelle posted on the issue to begin with on her post I believe in the man... I think. "The male species cannot be as shallow and as one minded as they present themselves, can they?" Imagine if a man blogged that women can't be as slutty and stupid as they present themselves, and Why aren't more women cooking and cleaning for their husbands like back in the good old days?
I would be burnt at the stake, not so? So then what on Earth gives any women the right to make swooping statements like one of the comments to Michelle's post: Jen said, "Sorry to burst you bubble but that is all there is to men!," tsk tsk tsk Jen, there's that stupidity I was just speaking of. Maybe all women are as moronically ignorant as Jen presents herself. No. That's not right, but that is the luxury that women are allowed, to be able to say what they want about men because of historic imbalances.
Well let me be the first to say that history is over. Much like the many black South Africans who never experienced apartheid charge the white man for their suffering. What suffering? You didn't live through apartheid, you have affirmative action, you are not suffering. In the same breathe, women who are able to blog in front of their own personal laptops at University have no room to complain about the ignorance of man, because in so doing, you are expressing your own ignorance.
Some men are rapists, some men beat their wives, some men are shallow and some men are not. Some women spend thousands upon thousands of Rands every year on make up so that they look better and some women don't. Are you telling me that every women who buys make up is shallow. No. That's just not true. Hence, not all men who watch rugby, drink beer and play sports are shallow. Just because you, as a women, don't grasp the male love and understanding for and of sports, don't knock it. We don't criticize your shoe collection, we love it cause it's who you are.
Let bygons be bygons, let men be men and women be women and everyone be human. Simple.
Michelle posted on the issue to begin with on her post I believe in the man... I think. "The male species cannot be as shallow and as one minded as they present themselves, can they?" Imagine if a man blogged that women can't be as slutty and stupid as they present themselves, and Why aren't more women cooking and cleaning for their husbands like back in the good old days?
I would be burnt at the stake, not so? So then what on Earth gives any women the right to make swooping statements like one of the comments to Michelle's post: Jen said, "Sorry to burst you bubble but that is all there is to men!," tsk tsk tsk Jen, there's that stupidity I was just speaking of. Maybe all women are as moronically ignorant as Jen presents herself. No. That's not right, but that is the luxury that women are allowed, to be able to say what they want about men because of historic imbalances.
Well let me be the first to say that history is over. Much like the many black South Africans who never experienced apartheid charge the white man for their suffering. What suffering? You didn't live through apartheid, you have affirmative action, you are not suffering. In the same breathe, women who are able to blog in front of their own personal laptops at University have no room to complain about the ignorance of man, because in so doing, you are expressing your own ignorance.
Some men are rapists, some men beat their wives, some men are shallow and some men are not. Some women spend thousands upon thousands of Rands every year on make up so that they look better and some women don't. Are you telling me that every women who buys make up is shallow. No. That's just not true. Hence, not all men who watch rugby, drink beer and play sports are shallow. Just because you, as a women, don't grasp the male love and understanding for and of sports, don't knock it. We don't criticize your shoe collection, we love it cause it's who you are.
Let bygons be bygons, let men be men and women be women and everyone be human. Simple.
Labels: Beer, chauvinism, Females, Gender Wars, Men, Patriarchy, Rugby, Women, Women Abuse
Saddam gets it
5.11.06
Saddam Hussein has been handed the death penalty. He has been handed the knot. And I guess it's no big surprise really to anyone who knows almost anything about politics and the U.S of A.
He was found guilty of murder, forced deportation and torture. The interesting and strange thing I find, it is fairly obvious, is that he is being put to death for crimes that took place more than 20 years ago. Rather late than never I always say. Hey?
Look at him in all his great glory. This picture is courtesy of Sky News as well as the info above.
But (yes there's always a but) Jen sent me another article, something a bit more interesting, another take on things, if you will. I'm gonna give you the abridged version here. Read the full story if you like. And it goes a little something like this:
I think this can be seen as a small victory on the battle field but a great loss for the war.
*Certain inserts have been lifted from Dominic Knight. Follow the link above for the full story.
He was found guilty of murder, forced deportation and torture. The interesting and strange thing I find, it is fairly obvious, is that he is being put to death for crimes that took place more than 20 years ago. Rather late than never I always say. Hey?
Look at him in all his great glory. This picture is courtesy of Sky News as well as the info above.
But (yes there's always a but) Jen sent me another article, something a bit more interesting, another take on things, if you will. I'm gonna give you the abridged version here. Read the full story if you like. And it goes a little something like this:
- It'll make the security situation worse.
- It'll make Saddam a martyr.
- The court has also awarded a death sentence to itself.
- The trial's fairness is dubious.
- The new regime is squandering a chance to prove it's better than the old one.
- The death penalty is just wrong.
I think this can be seen as a small victory on the battle field but a great loss for the war.
*Certain inserts have been lifted from Dominic Knight. Follow the link above for the full story.
Labels: Death Penalty, Saddam Hussein, Sky News, Terror, USA, War
Bite him, Hard
Had lunch at my Aunts house today. I have three cousing, one is a bit of a laatlammetjie (late comer) the other two are 13 and 15 (I think).
So anyways, Alex the 2 year old, is lying down with Christi (13) and starts biting her. She yelps, we laugh and he carries on like any two year old would. He bites her again, looks up at us and puts on a huge smile that only a 2 year old could. He bites her again. This time it is a proper "I'm two, I'm a big boy, feel my bite" sort of bite. We laugh (Me and Nicole, yes, I'm Nic and my cousin is Nicole, I'm Greek, what do you expect?) and carry on.
Christi then threatens to bite Alex back. Dot, my Aunt says sure go for it, and this is how the conversation continued and ended:
Christi: I'm gonna bite him Mom
Dot: Ok, sure, go for it
Christi: But if I bite him you're gonna shout at me and say he's only two how could I
Dot: No, I wont, bite him and lets see
Christi: (leans over to Alex and...CHOMP)
Alex: (Balls his little eyes out clutches his arm and yelps with 'pain')
Dot: CHRISTI!!!!!!
Christi: You see, I told you you would shout at me
Dot: But you just bit him... HE'S ONLY TWO!!!!!!
Alex cries as only a two year old can cry, that dry, empty, "I forgot why I'm crying" kind of cry. He then gets over it, looks up at Dot and says: "I bite Chisti" (He cant pronounce the 'r' in Christi).
He gets up, walks towards her with a smile on his face and SMACK, whacks her on the leg, throws his dummie out of his mouth, leans in and CHOMP bites her on the leg. That's it, games over, fun's done and it's Time Out for Alex.
Life is a game at two years old. We could learn alot from that.
In no way, shape or form do I condone biting, unless the person has asked you to do it!
So anyways, Alex the 2 year old, is lying down with Christi (13) and starts biting her. She yelps, we laugh and he carries on like any two year old would. He bites her again, looks up at us and puts on a huge smile that only a 2 year old could. He bites her again. This time it is a proper "I'm two, I'm a big boy, feel my bite" sort of bite. We laugh (Me and Nicole, yes, I'm Nic and my cousin is Nicole, I'm Greek, what do you expect?) and carry on.
Christi then threatens to bite Alex back. Dot, my Aunt says sure go for it, and this is how the conversation continued and ended:
Christi: I'm gonna bite him Mom
Dot: Ok, sure, go for it
Christi: But if I bite him you're gonna shout at me and say he's only two how could I
Dot: No, I wont, bite him and lets see
Christi: (leans over to Alex and...CHOMP)
Alex: (Balls his little eyes out clutches his arm and yelps with 'pain')
Dot: CHRISTI!!!!!!
Christi: You see, I told you you would shout at me
Dot: But you just bit him... HE'S ONLY TWO!!!!!!
Alex cries as only a two year old can cry, that dry, empty, "I forgot why I'm crying" kind of cry. He then gets over it, looks up at Dot and says: "I bite Chisti" (He cant pronounce the 'r' in Christi).
He gets up, walks towards her with a smile on his face and SMACK, whacks her on the leg, throws his dummie out of his mouth, leans in and CHOMP bites her on the leg. That's it, games over, fun's done and it's Time Out for Alex.
Life is a game at two years old. We could learn alot from that.
In no way, shape or form do I condone biting, unless the person has asked you to do it!
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