Ramblings of a Technorat

Time for Change

2006-12-30T08:40:00.000+02:00

An uncertain path
Fifteen years of decadence
A revolution

More on Ticks

2006-12-26T05:51:00.000+02:00

Ticks are far from nice,
And are far from nice from far -
Bloodsucking creatures.

God's Prank

2006-12-26T05:42:00.000+02:00

Unfortunate man:
Planet planted up his arse.
How God must have laughed.

~stiz/senryu

Dreaming of Ticks

2006-12-26T05:38:00.000+02:00

Hundreds of big ticks
Burrowing into my skin.
'Twas only a dream.

~stiz/senryu

Of Blogs And Senryu

2006-12-25T23:43:00.001+02:00

Arbitrarily,
A social experiment
In commentary.

~stiz/senryu

Sweet Distraction

2006-12-25T23:34:00.000+02:00

Small, beautiful eyes;
An air of natural grace.
Clouds my simple mind.

~stiz/senryu

Nicotine, the curse

2006-12-25T15:08:00.001+02:00

Nicotine, the curse:
Borne with sweet satisfaction,
Ticking in your self

~stiz/senryu

Highveld Summer

2006-12-25T14:52:00.000+02:00

Highveld rains rain down;
Short, sharp bursts from the heavens
'tis humid, Summer.

~stiz/haiku

Blogs with poetry

2006-12-25T11:09:00.000+02:00

A fall from aloft
frees plenty time for writing
blogs with poetry

~stiz/senryu

Presents and wishes

2006-12-25T10:49:00.000+02:00

Presents and wishes.
Better with own family.
Better than last year.

~stiz/senryu

Senryu

2006-12-25T10:40:00.000+02:00

An elegant means
for a man of fewer words
to express himself.

~stiz/senryu

Post-op trauma

2006-12-24T11:15:00.000+02:00

Popping pills for pain
On my retched back again.
End blight not in sight.

~stiz/senryu

David Gilmour

2006-10-31T22:38:00.000+02:00

Oh man. I gotta have it...

David Gilmour Live DVD

Testing Performancing

2006-10-26T21:08:00.000+02:00

Hhmmm... New toy....

Unassisted Flight

2006-10-12T19:28:00.000+02:00

Wild Sky paragliding school in Bulwer KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

I've been a skydiver for the past 6 years now and have loved absolutely every minute (or "second" would be more appropriate) of it. Adrenaline, disciple, competition, outdoors, mates, memories, and many other factors that appeal to my simple life. You cannot reach a closer moment with your "inner self" - not that I'm particularly spiritual - than 40 seconds of unassisted freefall with nothing more than a laundry bag packed on your back and a cheesy grin on your face.

My visits to the dropzone have, however, dwindled over the past two years for various reasons. Skydiving is not cheap and a long trip overseas and buying a house once back home doesn't help the cashflow much. I also damaged a knee which hasn't quite healed as I'd hoped for. Subsequently, I've been looking for an out-there sport involving flight, but somewhat more tame on the bank balance and the bones in the body.

Two weeks back, a mate and I meandered across to a relatively unknown mountain called Bulwer in the southern Drakensberg, South Africa, to do our paragliding course. What an awesome experience! Adrenaline, disciple, outdoors, mates. And given my urge to continue with the course, I'm sure the competition and memories factors will soon follow. After 10 flights and approximately 2h15 under wing over 5 days, I have already reached nearly half the time I have spent under parachute in 220 jumps over 6 years. Quite amazing, I think.

But don't get me wrong. It would be fruitless to argue one sport's appeal over the other. They both have that "something" that is unforgettable. I will most likely continue skydiving when the opportunity arises and finances permit. But with a bit more time in the air, I am hoping that paragliding will become my new love outdoors, second only to my greatfulness and privilage for being able to participate in these types of activities.

Thanks to Hans, Ria and Terry for there guidance and instruction. We left without a doubt that you guys are fountains of knowledge, with a calm manner that encourages a comforting sense of safety.

Blue skies!

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Life Sentence or Death Sentence?

2006-08-15T00:10:00.000+02:00

Man jailed for killing, eating child : Mail & Guardian Online

Why on God's Green Earth does this sick pr!ck get away with a measly 18 years?

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Crash

2006-08-15T00:08:00.000+02:00

Crash (2004 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Watched Crash for the second time. The plot is brilliantly put together, with intriguing links between the characters, which, in my opinion, makes the movie. It is unfortunately somewhat unbelievable, but gets its message across, once again illustrating that South Africa is more progressive than many modern Western societies when it comes to racial discrimination.

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ANC Today Mailing List

2006-08-11T16:55:00.000+02:00

The ANC have a mailing list for sending out their weekly ANC Today online publication.

For some reason, I received the following [amusing] email in my inbox from the "ANC TodayCustomer Service"...

From: anctoday-@lists.anc.org.za

Reply-To: @unwembi.co.za

To: @lists.anc.org.za

Date: 11-Aug-2006 15:38

Subject: ANC TodayCustomer Service

Sensationall revoolution in medicine!

E''nlarge your p''enis up to 10 cm or up to 4 inches!

Its h'erbal solution what hasnt side effect, but has 100% guaranted results!

Dont lose your chance and but know wihtout doubts, you will be impressed with results!

Clisk here: http://sellermotivated.info

tim pearlite moiety tina emmanuel panel drinking-water geminate
blow-out flesh-color gateway disgrace webster floor-cloth groan camouflage

---------------------------------------------------------------------
anctoday mailing list
http://lists.anc.org.za/mailman/listinfo/anctoday

One can only wonder...

South African Drivers

2006-08-10T21:45:00.000+02:00

Cops chasing speedsters numbers

Ever bumped into someone you haven't seen in a couple of years and remarked on how they've changed? You pick up immediately the changes in hair style and colour, wrinkles and body shape. Now if you'd spent those years in the company of the same person, the changes would be less apparent over the years.

I had always suspected the courtesy and common sense of drivers on the road in South Africa has been declining over the years. It became immediately apparent, after I'd returned from a year and a half stint in Europe, that this was indeed true. The level of road rage has increased, the agressive behaviour has increased, and the painfully rude manners of most on the road have reached unbearable proportions.

Agreed, I'm generalizing. But that's okay - because it is "in general" that affects all of us on the road. I attribute this trend to the increase in the number of vehicles (more condensed housing estates), and the poor show the traffic department has displayed in enforcing the rules of the road and road-worthiness of vehicles, especially those transporting passengers - busses and mini-bus taxi's alike.

Unless more effort is made by all, it will spiral into unbearable proportions, to the point where our roads are like intersections in India, without the bicycles.

Get people out of cars and onto public transport. Personally, I think Gautrain is an awesome and challenging endevour, and I hope it's a start of many similar initiatives to come.
Introduce recurring road worthy inspections, similar to the MOT in the UK.
Slow the people down. Everyone's in way too much of a rush. We all have to get "there". Deal with it.
Enforce the law of the road. Who the hell do these mini-busses think they are - the only vehicles on the road? Sure, they keep the economy running, but unless we want more road deaths, they must shape up or ship out.

And the list continues...

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2006-08-10T00:25:00.000+02:00

Ha! I remembered my original Writely sign-in name and password...

Testing publication from Writely.

A Definition of Web 2.0

2006-08-09T23:37:00.000+02:00

Web 2.0: 24 Minutes In Heaven at Brian Berliner’s Brain

Web 2.0: Compact Definition

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Online Wikis for All

2006-08-09T23:11:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Your StikiPad.

Aha! Another wicked Web 2.0 app to add to the tally. Just what I've been waiting for - a central, online location to add and edit documents that I'm working on. They're all personal for now (i.e. no-one else would be interested...), but I'm sure at some stage I'll expand with some additional wiki's to try get my own online collaboration groupies going.

That's until Writely gets going again, of course...

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AOL, Get A Grip

2006-08-09T22:43:00.000+02:00

AOL Releases 500,000+ User Search Records - Consumerist

This is all nice and dandy until someone hacks the AOL servers and finds the file that matches up user names with the numbers in the published search records, and then publishes the list...

Come on guys - get a grip.

By the by, does anyone out there have a Consumerist invite for me?!

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8th World Masters Squash Championship

2006-08-09T22:31:00.000+02:00

SABCnews.com - sport/other

It's great to see at least some of South Africa's sports teams performing on the playing field. Or the court, in this case.

What's really cool is that Cape Town is hosting the 8th World Masters Squash Championship in October this year.

SA Mens' Rankings

SA Womens' Rankings

PSA World Rankings

I'm not sure how they work out the rankings. SA's highest ranked in the PSA Workd Rankings, Regardt Schonborn, cannot be found in the SA Men's Rankings... ?

Squash South Africa

General Squash Links

"The 8th World Masters Squash Championships will be hosted by Cape Town, South Africa from the 13th-21st October 2006. Your previous host cities have included Espoo (2003), Melbourne (2001/1995), Sheffield (1999) Johannesburg (1997) Edinburgh (1993) and Auckland (1991).

Cape Town, initially a refreshment post for traders on their way to the East, has grown into one of the world’s great cities. The majestic Table Mountain watches over the city centre, whilst her estimated 3 million citizens made up of a diversity of cultures, colours, creeds and histories, spread themselves around far and wide.

From the top of Table Mountain - a "must on your to do list”, - to Cape Point, where two great oceans are said to meet, from the world class vineyards and wineries northwards, to the Southern Suburbs where the Opening Ceremonies of Rugby World Cup 1995 and Cricket World Cup 2003 took place and proposed hub of WMSqC 2006.

It is also the home to Western Province Cricket Club (WPCC) with their six glass back courts and historic Kelvin Grove Club, which nestles between the rugby and cricket grounds, where the main venues for your Championships will be.

Villagers, Varsity Old Boys and if required, Diocesan College’s (Bishops) courts will also be used. All are within a 3km radius of WPCC. A shuttle service will be available throughout the day, free of charge for players and will run on a regular circuit between all the playing venues.

The Championships will be held under the auspices of the World Squash Federation and will once again be for both men and ladies in five year age group categories from 35 yrs through to 70+yrs and for the first time the inclusion of a 70+ section for the ladies, entries permitting. There will be Plate, Consolation Plate and Classic Plate events for all age groups – thus assuring every player of a minimum of 3 matches.

The Championships will open with a traditional Cape Town welcome on Sunday the 15th October 2006 and will close with a vibrant African farewell on Saturday the 21st October 2006. In between, at the Mid Week Function, you will be given the opportunity to sample some of South Africa’s finest and most popular wines."

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New month's resolution

2006-08-08T00:13:00.000+02:00

Blog more local stuff...

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Mac OS X Leopard - Welcome to Vi*a 2.0

2006-08-07T23:41:00.000+02:00

Apple - Apple - Mac OS X - Leopard Sneak Peek

And so here it is!

The preview doesn't give much away, and leaves much to the imagination. But I guess teasers are just that: teasers... :-)

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Smoking may disturb sleep

2006-08-07T00:22:00.000+02:00

ScienceCareers.org | Forty Winks: Science and Sleep: Levine: 28 July 2006

I've never tried smoking in my sleep before. But, yes, I could imagine that it would deprive you of a couple of winks...

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Dumb ass

2006-08-07T00:16:00.000+02:00

Luckiest Skydiver in the World

What they don't tell you is this dumb-ass popped his main cut-away before the AFF instructor deploys the main... This is what they train you not to do.

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Software as a Service

2006-08-06T23:13:00.000+02:00

The landscape of the software industry is changing dramatically.

Some [of the older generations] say that the more it changes, the more it stays the same - with specific reference to terminal applications that saw us through to the 90's, thick client applications of the early PC era, client server models notable of the new millennium, and now thin Web 2.0 based applications emerging as the way forward. The "application-in-a-browser" model smacks of 3270... without the awful UI.

The key difference, however, is undoubtedly the commodotisation of the PC. The current generation is building on software models that will see similar commodotisation of software products in the not so distant future. Sure, Microsoft is a factory that has driven the price of software down through economies of scale like no other. But a market with a single dominant player can only sustain itself for so long.

Enter Google. Their unstated, ambitious goal of toppling the odds in favour of free software for all, not considering current open-source and free software efforts, will be a bitter pill for many to swallow. Yes, open-source has led the way in "free development for all", but it currently falls short of producing real business altering productivity software as it stands today.

We cannot say for sure that what Google is steering towards will be free. "Don't be Evil" may translate into "Do as I say, not as I do". But I'm willing to bet my grandmother that alternative revenue streams offered by online software will result in these business altering productivity software being free in the not so distant future.

Email is the perfect example. Without wanting to restate the overstated, online email services are, for all intents and purposes, free. What's next?

Well, let's take a quick tally of Google's emerging arsenal:

Google Mail
Google Calendar
Google Spreadsheet
Google Notes
Google Talk

There are others, but these for me pack the most punch when it comes to software that users have become so dependent on in Microsoft Office. Rumours are that Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to accommodate this new software model, including Ray Ozzie, the new Chief Software Architect at Microsoft. Microsoft has been preaching the Software-as-a-Service business model for some time now, so I'm sure they will release several industry eye-openers when the time is right. Let's hope so.

There are many, many more free web based applications out there. I'll touch on some of them in later blogs. But for now, personally, I can't wait for the battle field to open up.

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To .Mac, or Not To .Mac

2006-08-06T00:28:00.000+02:00

Apple .Mac

After becoming an Apple convert over the last month, I was bitterly disappointed in the functionality offered by the .Mac online services.

It claims to be "Your life. On the internet", but after signing up for a Trail Account, the interface was dismal, the features limited, and the overall response painfully slow. Understandably, the target audience is the typical online user with a fair amount of bandwidth (not so common here in South Africa) and a habit of traveling and a need for transparently available information.

But we're starting to become accustomed to the cool decor and responsiveness of Web 2.0 type applications - with Ajax and the likes - and large vendors are no longer able to hide behind the simple HTML of the yester-year, a mould that was smashed by Google's Gmail (apart from its cruddy look and feel).

It would be great to see Apple's trendy product image filter through to its online services offerings. And I believe it to be a necessity in order to survive the onslaught of Web 2.0 apps appearing in the coming years.

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ipodyourcar

2006-08-05T22:48:00.000+02:00

Apple Teams Up With Ford, General Motors & Mazda To Deliver Seamless iPod Integration

Apple really now how to take a chunk out of the retail market. Integration with some of the largest motor manufacturers will no doubt solidify their position in the MP3 player market. Great for gadget freaks (like me). Not so great for iTrip...

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Flockr 'n Flick

2006-08-05T21:04:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Flickr!

Okay - so how wicked is this? I've just configured my (lately unused) Flickr account to tie in with Flock.

I've dragged the pick above (our puppy Lulu) from the Flock display bar into this blog posting. I'm gonna publish to see if it works...

Later.

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Toe tags?

2006-08-05T01:16:00.000+02:00

A cognitive analysis of tagging

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Blogging the Blog

2006-08-05T00:55:00.000+02:00

Ramblings of a Technorat

I've just installed Flock - the new and nifty browser on the block. It rocks. I'm writing this blog entry directly from the browser, which will post it off for me. Flock is the first browser I've come across to have functionality that's worthy of mentioning that supports the new Web 2.0 and it's social networking mass take-up.

Now - time to try out the rest of those cool features...

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