Having just come back from a few days in Johanesburg, only the second substantial visit since 1992, I was once again struck by the differences with Cape Town. I like Joburg. It’s got a big city buzz, things are happening, it’s got an African feel to it. It gives me a perspective on Cape Town… Continue reading A 5-day view of Johanesburg
The curse of knowledge
Knowing too much can be a curse. In this case it’s the knowledge of good and evil. Of course I’m told there is no good and evil really, and sometimes I even think I manage to grasp it, but buying into my judgemental partitioning of the world for now, I sometimes hark back for the… Continue reading The curse of knowledge
My laptop has been taken over
My laptop is no longer my own. A nefarious intelligence has taken control, and there’s nothing I’ve been able to do. Linux has been no protection. Going offline has been no help. The sentience masterminding the takeover has been relentlous. So far I’ve not been stopped from working. It’s been a symbiotic relationship. I fear… Continue reading My laptop has been taken over
Economics, oil, nuclear and the price of a house
I love economics. I never studied it formally, but have aways been fascinated by the immense complexity of the discipline, and the even more immense amount of nonsense written by experts. When the rand was in freefall from 2001, according to the columns gracing Business Report and Business Day it was certainly due to Zimbabwe,… Continue reading Economics, oil, nuclear and the price of a house
Riots in Ocean View
This week has seen the extension of the housing riots to Ocean View, replete with burning logs and tyres closing off Kommetjie Road, stoning of cars and the odd gunshot. The word riot has always resonated strongly with me, having grown up in the 80’s where riots were breaking out every weekend. When the press… Continue reading Riots in Ocean View
Ubuntu Linux on HP laptops
I missed the news originally, but I’m quite pleased to see that HP are supporting Ubuntu Linux on some of their laptops. When buying a laptop here, HP and Toshiba were the only two that offered any Linux support (they offered to install it and promised it would work). What’s good about the new HP… Continue reading Ubuntu Linux on HP laptops
Freedom of expression ups and downs – Laugh it Off beats SAB, but Mail and Guardian gagged
An interesting day for Freedom of Expression in South Africa. On the positive side, giant booze company SABMiller was defeated by the tiny t-shirt manufacturer Laugh it Off, the Constitutional Court finally ruling that they did have the right to parody the brand (read the story and related reports on IOL, the Mail and Guardian… Continue reading Freedom of expression ups and downs – Laugh it Off beats SAB, but Mail and Guardian gagged
Heaven is… Football Manager
A long long time ago I was an addict of a game called Football Manager, written for the ZX Spectrum by the immortal Kevin Toms. The doddery graphics, the thrill of recognising a pattern of stick figures that usually resulted in a goal, the anguish of a star 5 Star player you loyally refused to… Continue reading Heaven is… Football Manager
Store Wars – May the Farm be with you
Shocking as it may be, I haven’t yet seen the new Star Wars. However I have seen Store Wars, which fans of the series may appreciate. It stars Tofu D2, Obi Wan Cannoli, C3 Peanuts, Cuke Skywalker, Lord Tader, Princess Lettuce, Ham Solo and ChewBroccoli. As you can guess, it’s about organic food, and the… Continue reading Store Wars – May the Farm be with you
Poetry and the Tao Te Ching
One of the joys of having so much time (barring the fact that most of it is spent in zombie-like stasis due to early mornings with the young baby) is that I can do some reading. I have a huge to read pile that needs some serious attention. However, some books I don’t read from… Continue reading Poetry and the Tao Te Ching