I had an enjoyable evening meeting one of those all-too rare inspirational people. We were meeting about a project that sounded fascinating to me (as if I don’t have enough of them), a mix of IT and sustainable living. The person I met was full of knowledge in the field, and at one stage I… Continue reading Inspirational People
Circles
Bar the signature, it’s almost confirmed that I’ll be moving back to Observatory. I lived in Observatory between 1997 and 2000, and the street I’m renting in is only one street from where I lived then. I’ve lived in Capri since 2000 – it’s a great house, on the edge of a nature reserve, lots… Continue reading Circles
The Apprentice: South African and US versions compared
The South African series of The Apprentice finished on Thursday. I don’t want much TV, but managed to become engrossed in both the American and South African versions. I was struck by the differences between the two shows. When the American version finished, I was disappointed to hear Tokyo Sexwale would be doing a South… Continue reading The Apprentice: South African and US versions compared
The IE legacy of the day
My HTML exploration probably peaked in the days of Netscape 4 and IE 4, so I’ve been left with many bad habits from those grim days when standards were little more than a twinkle in the eye (as opposed to now, where to most they’re still little more than a wailing infant). All programmers have… Continue reading The IE legacy of the day
The installation challenge – Windows vs Open Source operating systems
I enjoy reading the weekly newsletter by my old IOL colleague Philip Devine, the editor of Business Report online. Today’s was entitled Computing the cost of doing business (the full text is available at getopenlab.com, not sure about the legalities of them posting the whole thing online, but that’s another story). Phil has some nice… Continue reading The installation challenge – Windows vs Open Source operating systems
Dissociating myself from SSWUG
Just for the record, I have nothing to do with SSWUG (the SQL Server Worldwide Users Group). While googling I found they were offering an article written by myself, available to paid subscribers only. What they actually do, after taking your money, is then redirect you to the freely available original article. Highly unethical if… Continue reading Dissociating myself from SSWUG
Poetry readings at Touch of Madness
I had fun this evening at a poetry reading at A Touch of Madness, in Observatory, Cape Town. The celebrity poet was Jeremy Cronin, who read, amngst others, a long poem about Basil ‘Manenburg’ Coetzee’s left shoulder (Jeremy Cronin is more well-known as the Deputy Secretary General of the South African Communist Party, so the… Continue reading Poetry readings at Touch of Madness
3G unusable
I don’t know too many people who’ve tried 3G, but I’d heard nothing good – everyone claims the line dropped frequently. Now I’ve seen it in ‘action’ (Vodacom’s offering that is). Both in Observatory, Cape Town, and Forest Town/Rosebank, Jhb, it seems 3G is a major disappointment. Lost connections 100 times a day is no… Continue reading 3G unusable
Nostalgia II: World War I
Perhaps the title is a little misleading, as I didn’t actually fight in World War I, nor do I feel any nostalgia towards the event. But my grandfather was involved in the war, and seeing as yesterday’s post seemed to expect a sequel… I never knew my grandfather that well. He came to live with… Continue reading Nostalgia II: World War I
Nostalgia I: Pinelands
Today was my mother’s birthday. I had a bit of time before the party started, so I decided to drive around Pinelands, where she lives and where I grew up, and see how things have changed in the years since I lived there. The suburb of Pinelands is somewhat of a joke in some circles… Continue reading Nostalgia I: Pinelands