the cat amongst the pigeons

2007-03-28T00:38:00.000Z

'You’ve got to wonder if it’s worth it'

I found this article, by Vincent Graff, on the Mail & Guardian Online, questioning the role of journalists in the war in Iraq, which has now reached it's fourth anniversary. He mentions that the death toll of journalists in Iraq reached its worst ever in 2006, with 138 names mentioned at the Royal Television Society's journalism awards - and that's only broadcasting. It got me thinking.

The question to be asked is not whether it's worth putting your life on the line as a journalist to get the grit out into the public domain, but whether the presence of journalists in Iraq even makes a difference anymore. The public is getting bored with the same old story, and the situation in Iraq is only escalating, particularly with regards to the safety of the media.

What do we have to do to make journalism in war situations effective again?

2007-03-23T01:42:00.000Z

Bob Woolmer's murder

I am shocked to hear about the murder of Bob Woolmer in his hotel room in Jamaica at the 2007 Cricket World Cup. His death and the reaction of his team is tragic enough without the deeply concerning added shadow the murder casts over the World Cup as a whole.

One can't help thinking back to the Hansie Cronje scandal in South Africa, and wondering how deep the corruption all really runs. Read the latest from the BBC, Mail & Guardian, and CNN.

2007-02-27T01:58:00.000Z

Would someone please explain to me...

How is it feasible to obtain or renew your firearm license online? I mean surely getting permission from the government to own and use a firearm in South Africa requires you to have some kind of eyesight and fingerprint test, or maybe aim at something and hit it, to prove you are actually going to be safe to walk around in public?

If anyone knows how this works, please fill me in, because I am struggling to put this together in my head.

2007-02-20T05:27:00.000Z

Back on the radar

As you may have noticed I have dropped off the blogging radar for the last month. I've had a rather manic few weeks since getting back from my Christmas holidays. I have mostly been completely snowed under at work, but had something of an antidote snowboarding for a week in Switzerland, which helped immensely.

We thankfully had a load of snow shortly after I arrived, or it would have been a hiking holiday. As it was we had some good powder and great riding at a small resort called Les Marecottes, on the train line between Martigny and Chamonix. Europe, for those who are unaware, has experienced one of the worst winter sports seasons in years due to an unusually warm winter (which the greenies blame on climate change/global warming).

You can see the photos from my trip here.

2007-01-09T08:47:00.000Z

Back at work

I am back safely in London at work after an amazing and much needed holiday in Germany and Scotland. I had a really good time with close friends and very cool people.

See the evidence here and here.

2006-12-15T08:06:00.000Z

My plans for the silly season

Christmas holiday time is almost here and it can't come too soon. Well actually a lot of people are away already, but my plans are as follows:

15-21 Dec: Working like a trojan
22 Dec: Work Christmas party
23 Dec: Pack, wrap presents
24 Dec: Fly to Cologne, Germany to spend Christmas with Karina and her family (good family friends of ours)
25 Dec: Presents. Oh and food.
29 Dec: Mom's birthday, and flying back to London
30 Dec: Train to Edinburgh
31 Dec: Hogmanay (New Year) in Edinburgh with Solii and her friends (my sister-in-laws friend)
1-5 Jan: Visiting Edinburgh and St Andrews (where my family is from) and surrounds.
5 Jan: Back to London
8 Jan: Back to work

Very jealous of everyone that is away in Argentina and Chile (my brother and his wife), South Africa (too many to name), Zimbabwe (Di etc) and Dubai (my work colleague Shane, who is sadly leaving us). I'm going nutty without the sunshine already.

2006-12-05T01:23:00.000Z

They've gone and done it again!

I posted an entry recently about a bunch of idiot South Africans who insisted on flying the old SA flag in support of our national rugby team at the SA-England test match on November 25.

Well they've gone and done it again at a World XV match in Leicester which the Boks played this weekend. Not only that, they arrived with their old flags to greet our players at OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg when they arrived home today.

Thankfully the Springboks have slammed the display of the flags. The Mail & Guardian Online reports Springbok manager Zola Yeye as saying:

Look at this Springbok team. These are young men of 23 and 24 and they don't want to be subjected to memories of the apartheid system. I would like to say to those people who wave the old flag, these men don't care about your political beliefs or your ideology. They want to play rugby, whether it be against black, white, brown, pink or whatever colour the opposition is... Our national flag is our heart and soul, and these people are insulting the country and the constitution when they embrace the old flag.

What the hell are these narrow-minded people doing? You would think that 12 years down the line they might consider joining the rest of South Africa in our efforts to move forward.

2006-12-04T01:13:00.000Z

The Death Clock

I found a website today that will tell you the exact day of your death, "the Internet's friendly reminder that life is slipping away... second by second. Like the hourglass of the Net, the Death Clock will remind you just how short life is."

I apparently will pass out of this world on Friday 13 April 2063, and have 1,778,341,245..44..43..42..41..40.. seconds left to live.

Right.

2006-12-01T05:53:00.000Z

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

UPDATE:
I have heard this takes a very long time to download for those of you on a slow internet connection, so be warned if you haven't invested in broadband yet.

My team at Atalink, where I work here in London, has been working on a project for one of our major clients for the Christmas period. It's a really funky online advent calendar promoting the IT industry . There is also a competition tied in with the chance of winning an awesome laptop or a projector (if you visit the site on all 25 of the advent days).

We are trying to get as many people to register and use the calendar over the next 25 days as possible. Check it out and share the link love with anyone else you know.

I think it looks really great and it's fun to play with, and a lot of people have worked really hard to make it happen.

The link is: http://interact.bcs.org/ecal/

2006-11-28T13:30:00.000Z

More on embarrasing South Africans

Actually this could become a borderline rant.

I wasn't fortunate enough to be able to represent SA in the crowds of supporters at Twickenham on Saturday for the rugby match between SA and England. I chose to get cosy in a local pub in Southfields and was ecstatic and so proud of our boys for playing well and managing to win away from home.

I was absolutely appalled to see at least 4 old oranje-blanje-blou (orange, white and blue) South African flags as well as the Transvaal Vierkleur (4 colour) flag flown high and clear in "support" of our team. These flags are fully respresentative of the apartheid era and the atrocoties and injustices faced by the majority of South Africans before 1994.

I never once stood in that pub (surrounded by English supporters) and felt embarrassed about being South African due to the Springboks performance or attitude. Then the UK cameras focussed on these idiots in the crowds proudly displaying their support for the old regime.

How dare these people associate themselves with our national rugby team and national pride?!

To all those supporters: I don't care how long you have lived in the UK or what your reasons are for being here, you have no place associating our international ambassadors with the apartheid past in this way, or sending these kinds of messages out to the international community. Keep yourselves and your flags at home behind your curtain of ignorance.

2006-11-28T13:18:00.000Z

Ag boet just say you're pregnant - they'll never find out the truth

Sometimes South Africans truly amaze me with their ingenuity.

BBC News reports that Charles Sibindana was fined $140 for taking a week off work, claiming that HE wa.. er.. pregnant. He stole his girlfriends sick note from the gyneacologist and added his details instead. His employers "became suspicious" - well thank goodness for that.

Naais work.. now we really look like an intelligent bunch.

Read the full story here.

2006-10-09T16:37:00.000Z

A beautiful new toy

My boss just bought me the new Apple Mac Pro with Intel Xeon dual-core processors. For business use before you get any ideas!

It looks like a server - it's big. We don't mess around at Atalink. In fact it's like driving a Ferrari. It's extremely powerful, though I haven't had a chance to use it out on the open road yet.

We'll have to wait and see if it lives up to expectations!

2006-10-05T16:59:00.000Z

Jo's Toolkit

I have been meaning to blog about this for a while, but time has just run away with me over the last month.

Two Rhodes NML students Carly Ritz and Gregor Rohrig, soon to be NML graduates, have put together an incredible resource for grassroots journalists in South Africa. Jo's Toolkit provides on online wealth of information for the practicing student/grassroots journalist community.

It is really informative and the contributors have provided a lot of very useful, quality information. I am really impressed with what these guys have done and they are fully deserving of their Highway Africa Award for Innovative use of New Media in Africa.

Take a look, you will be pleasantly surprised.

2006-10-05T12:57:00.000Z

Back in town

I am back in London again, after a short trip to Italy with my sister and her husband. We had an amazing time, and it was really good to see some of my family after almost a year away from South Africa! Can you believe it?!

I have uploaded photos onto my Flickr account, which you can browse through. I spent 3 nights in Rome, which was amazing. We spent some serious time missioning to see the sights - a lot of 2000 year old broken columns! We got a bit building-ed out in the end, but I was really blown away by such well preserved evidence of a civilisation that is more than 2000 years old. The sheer size of much of the architecture was phenomenal as well. The attention to detail and quality of the artwork was very impressive, and a trip to St Peters Basilica is well worth braving the masses and masses of tourist. We also had some lovely meals outside in some little side streets around Rome, where the food was amazing and the atmosphere incredible. I would definitely go back and explore a bit more. The Renaissance art scattered everywhere by Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Raphael among others is also really special to see if you are interested.

We then caught a train into Florence (about 90 minutes by Eurostar), where we spent another 2 nights. Florence was really beautiful, much smaller than Rome and less frantic. The streets are all tiny, narrow and cobbled - everything also feels so old. It's worth just wondering around and finding the surprise little coffee shops etc hidden away down side roads. The leather market is also well worth a visit, you can buy amazing quality leather jackets, shoes, basgs etc for even more amazing prices. We also saw Michelangelo's David - the Perfect Man - and the Florence Duomo, from which Michelangelo got his inspiration for St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

I feel like I have had only a tiny taste of an beautiful country - with incredible food and wine by the way! I definitely have to go back.

2006-09-19T12:49:00.000Z

Jetsetting and balancing work/life

Not so sure about the balancing bit! I know it's been ages since I blogged, testament to the serious lack of time in my life to get everything done that I want to! London over the last month or so has been manic.

Anyway a quick update to keep you all in the loop:

Work is going very well, I am thoroughly enjoying my position at Lemur (Online Business Developer), the online division of a publishing company in central London. I am primarily responsible for the web development and maintenance of the websites we produce, among a zillion other things. My team is great, but is small and I have a ton to keep track of so my time is dominated by very late hours in the office during the week and I am working really hard for my moolah, but have received some very positive feedback from the boss which is always good!

Jetsetting around a bit at the moment:

I was in Paris this last weekend for a day and night, visting the sights the city has to see. It is really beautiful and I can't wait to go back when I have some more time on my hands to really experience the city. I stayed in Montmartre, close to the Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge, and have found my new favourite place in the world - wow! It is stunning!

I am off to Italy on Thursday night, to meet up with my sister and her husband. I can't wait for a well-deserved holiday in a beautiful place. I will be in Rome for 3 nights, and then in Florence for 2 nights. I will try to put together a comprehensive report on my return!

Long term plans are a bit sketchy, but plan to be in Germany and Switzerland over Christmas and New Year.

I am living the crazy life at the moment, as one does in London, and time seems to be running away with me! It has been almost a year since I left SA, and I am feeling the distance. I miss you all so much and can't wait to get home when the time is right.

2006-08-23T12:28:00.000Z

Keeping up with the kids

Ja, sue me I haven't blogged in ages.

I realised the other day that I speak a different language at work. I've had problems explaining what I do to people because I can't get jargon out of my vocabulary. Mostly I get blank stares because apparently I am "not speaking English". And I am not sure my mom knows exactly what I chat about either.

Fortunately Dr Keyboard is at hand. Subscribe to this neat little forum and you can ask Dr Keyboard AKA Chris Ward, any questions that may puzzle you about the quagmire of eternally confusing bits, blogs and pixels that make up what I do with my day.

Here are a few definitions to get you started on your path to keeping up with us technological whiz kids:

The Internet:
Think you've got this one down pat? Ha ha. Read Matt Buckland's commentary on being net savvy.
Also see:
del.icio.us
Digg (and the South African version Muti)
Flickr
Technorati
RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
Wikipedia - a wealth of information on any topic you can think of.

Skype
A form of VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol, a voice system that runs over Internet wires, a way to digitise your voice into 1s and 0s, split that up into packets and reassemble it at the other end into a semblance of what you were saying. Skype is essentially a way of making cheap telephone calls to and from your computer. You can call from your computer to an ordinary telephone (a service for which you pay in advance and the calls are usually much, much cheaper than ‘regular’ phone calls), or from an ordinary telephone to someone else’s Skype-enabled computer. Needs a headset and mic.

iPods
What you need to survive the trip to work in London. iPods play MP3 music files. MP3 means MPEG-1 (or -2) audio layer 3. MPEG is the Motion Picture Experts Group who decided just how things like sound and video could be put on to the Internet. The key thing about MP3 files is that they’re smaller than the audio files on a CD: a music CD contains around 700MB (MegaBytes) of information, but an MP3 file of the same album could be 100MB or smaller. This means that you can store more music files on your computer, or transfer them more quickly across the Internet.

Podcasting
A method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio or video programs, over the Internet using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. The term podcast, like 'radio', can mean both the content and the method of delivery. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster. Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their files; a podcast however is distinguished by its ability to be downloaded automatically using software capable of reading RSS or Atom feeds. Play them on your iPod on the way to work.

Please feel free to add more if you gurus out there think of anything else.

2006-07-28T08:12:00.000Z

Bank Debit Card Fraud: be warned!

Some nasty person (I could think of a few harsher words actually) nicked over £300 from my bank account yesterday, after gaining access to my debit card details at some point over the last 2 months. Fortunately my bank smelled a rat and contacted me almost immediately to query the transactions which came from an ATM in Romania, of all places in the world. HSBC you guys rock! Thanks for the swift action.

I am generally extremely careful with my cards and PINs, but these guys are getting clever. It is most likely that they gained my details from a dodgy ATM or point-of-sale terminal, using some kind of technology to read the details I entered. So a warning to all of you to be very careful where you use you cards and to keep a very close watch on your statements.

2006-07-27T07:50:00.000Z

Apologies...

for the lack of up-to-date photos on my Flickr account. I have lost my camera cable - so irritating. Anyway, I have uploaded some more this morning.

2006-07-24T07:59:00.000Z

Photos from Lebanon

Following on from my last post, Vincent found this Flickr account with graphic pictures of the war in Lebanon. Maybe if enough people publish these kind of images something will be done and fast. The account is maintained by Issandr El Amrani, a Cairo-based journalist who blogs at The Arabist.

WARNING: THESE PHOTOS ARE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND WILL OFFEND SENSITIVE VIEWERS.

2006-07-20T16:41:00.000Z

The most blogged war

Firstly, we may as well admit it - war has hit us again and it's escalating. The Middle East is no longer quietly simmering away, and India is in chaos. I'm not afraid to call it outright war and refuse to blanket the conflict in comfortable terms as the US so loves to do at times like these.

Colin recently blogged about the government restrictions placed on bloggers in India following the tragic bombings that took place this month. It is a very interesting case study of the impact that the blogosphere has on citizen opinion and clearly demonstrates that government powers are frightened of the effect that online blogging communities might have on their fragile hold on the nation. Read more here.

Following on from this the Western and Middle Eastern blogospheres have never been more active and interesting to follow. One example I have been following with interest is the furore surrounding photos of Israeli children writing on artillery shells bound for targets in Lebanon, which has caused outrage among many bloggers, not least those from the Arab world. Take a look at this blog post and discussion following, and have a look at the links included in the posting itself.

I think that we are entering into a new era of public involvement in war. I stand by and watch with interest to see if these bloggers have enough influence to make a stand against this outbreak and pursuade the Western superpowers to actually care about this needless waste of human life. Of course we have to write off the USA...

2006-07-17T12:39:00.000Z

South Africans in London

Warning: this post is a borderline rant.

As many of you may know, there is an embarrasingly high number of South Africans living in London at the moment - most of them in SW London, notably Wimbledon, Putney, Southfields and Richmond. Quite frankly I don't know who is left in SA between the ages of 20 and 35. I live in the SW area, which is lovely, don't get me wrong, but is also very disconcerting because it has become some wierd almalgamation of London and Johannesburg all rolled into one. It looks like London, it smells like London, it's got London weather and London buses... but hold on... everyone speaks South African. I have yet to meet a person of any interesting nationality in the SW.

Then there is the London-SA attitude: SA has gone to the dogs so we have to live in London. But hold on, it's really cold and miserable here and we hate the food so let's open stores all over town that stock Proudly South African products at 3 times the price. But that's not enough either because we are lost without our favourite food chains, so lets import that Spur Taste for Life, Mugg & Bean, and of course Nando's. Hmmm, now we don't like living among strange nationalities so let's all move to the same area and stick to our comfortable groups. Oh and we have to make sure that we gripe about how much we miss home, hate London and are stuck because we can't go home because there are no jobs for white people.

If you miss home so much then go back, and contribute to our economy and growth. Stop complaining and open yourselve up to a new experience for a change. Meet new people and maybe you'll see London for what it is: an exciting melting-pot of interesting places, people and culture.

I'm making a big effort from now on to be approachable, get out and meet non-South Africans and be positive about home, because we have a bad reputation here.

2006-07-11T12:42:00.000Z

On deadline.

Seventh straight 12 hour day at the office.

Coding with speed known only to gurus.

Eyesight is shot - must see doctor.

Everything that can go wrong cross-browsers has gone wrong.

Initiating campaign to remove Internet Explorer from existence forever.

It's all feeling very familiar...

2006-07-05T12:30:00.000Z

FESTMONKEY

Vincent Maher, Jarred Cinman, Jonanthan Ancer and suspicious cohorts have come together to produce yet another star performance at the Grahamstown National Arts Fest.

Check out FestMonkey here. The podcasts are really awesome.

Not for sensitive souls that are easily offended.

Vincent explains more here.

2006-06-22T16:10:00.000Z

Images are so Web 1.0

I found this nifty little site that generates code for your roundy edge boxes, without using images - strictly CSS and nested div tags. The code is still a bit lengthy, but it's all Web 2.0 friendly.

Now I have to work out how to integrate drop shadows into this. If there is anyone out there who can help, please do.

2006-06-19T07:40:00.000Z

Foo Fighters

I went to see the Foo Fighters live in Hyde Park on Saturday. They were incredible live and I recommend their show to you all should they pass your way while on tour promoting their new album, In Your Honor. They also brought on The remaining members of Queen as a surprise act to play an old skool classic with the Foos drummer on lead vocals - wow! One of those once in a lifetime things that I will always remember. I have tons of photos from the concert and the last few weeks which I will try and get uploaded as soon as I can, life has been a bit hectic for a while here in London Town. Here is a video:

Things are going well in general at the moment otherwise:
1. Closed my first deal last week - yay! Commission!
2. Found a gorgeous flat in Southfields, and even more gorgeous flatmates - watch out, three hot women taking over from 1 July.
3. Designed a website from scratch, which is fully CSS driven and hacked it so still Joomla! compatable - taught myself, so giving myself a huge pat on the back for that one.
4. Not sick and dying
5. Opened 2 bank accounts sucessfully - those who have settled in the UK will know what a big deal this is

2006-06-12T17:12:00.000Z

Call to action

Vincent Maher recently blogged about a citizen journalist who documented a hostage situation in Zimbabwe, which is very interesting and heartbreaking to read. Take a look here and here.

In the meantime, a family member of one of my closest friends has passed away. They all still live in Zim and this is what she had to say about the funeral process:

There is only one crematorium that works in Zim, and it's in Mutare. So you have to put the body in the back of a bakkie and get it there yourself. It then costs half a billion (just over) for the cremation. The problem is, the banks have no money and the funeral homes don't take cheques. So even if you can afford the bill (yeah right!) the maximum you can withdraw in a day is 50 million, and that's if the banks have it. And the biggest note you can get is a 50 000. The new 100 000's are all at the border...because ZESA is desperately trying to buy currency off people as they come in to pay our electricity bills. We had 4 hour power cuts everyday when I was home. Oh and did I mention the hospital bill is 1.2 billion...life is interesting in zim...a good thing since no one afford to die!

How can we continue to tolerate this country? People are forced to live like animals and quite frankly it makes me feel physically ill. My heart is with you my girl, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Can't we do something about this? Like now? It is time...

2006-06-07T12:59:00.000Z

What has happened to the Mail & Guardian Online?

The Mail & Guardian online traditionally has been a favourite of mine, a one of the first sites I would go to in the morning to read well reported news reports and articles from home and all around the world.

I am very disappointed however to see that ad banners have completely overtaken the visual space on the page. They are horrible, glaring, completely overpowering and absolutely all over the place. In fact it is entirely unpleasant to navigate the page and I have avoided it ever since this little disaster happened.

I know the M & G must be earning potloads of dough over this, but have some sympathy on the reader will you?

2006-06-06T13:32:00.000Z

Print is where words go to die

Yes it's true. Print is dying, in fact by 2040 it will be dead as many of you are aware. And books are probably the most limiting of communication media.

The problems with books are many: They are frozen in time without the means of being updated and corrected. They have no link to related knowledge, debates, and sources. They create, at best, a one-way relationship with a reader. They try to teach readers but don’t teach authors. They tend to be too damned long because they have to be long enough to be books. As David Weinberger taught me, they limit how knowledge can be found because they have to sit on a shelf under one address; there’s only way way to get to it. They are expensive to produce. They depend on scarce shelf space. They depend on blockbuster economics. They can’t afford to serve the real mass of niches. They are subject to gatekeepers’ whims. They aren’t searchable. They aren’t linkable. They have no metadata. They carry no conversation. They are thrown out when there’s no space for them anymore. Print is where words go to die.
- Jeff Jarvis

Print is dead. Long live digital media! Let's go paperless, save our last trees and share, remix and talk about content and knowledge.

2006-06-05T18:21:00.000Z

Send that penguin flying...

Great stress relief.

2006-06-02T15:37:00.000Z

Websites as graphs

We found this a site online Websites as Graphs. You can enter your URL and it will map your homepage as a graph showing how your links, tables, forms etc fit together. It's pretty nifty and you can watch the tree growing in front of you. It provided hours of mindless entertainment in the office.

This is what my blog looks like:

This is what the colours mean:
What do the colors mean?
blue: for links (the A tag)
red: for tables (TABLE, TR and TD tags)
green: for the DIV tag
violet: for images (the IMG tag)
yellow: for forms (FORM, INPUT, TEXTAREA, SELECT and OPTION tags)
orange: for linebreaks and blockquotes (BR, P, and BLOCKQUOTE tags)
black: the HTML tag, the root node
gray: all other tags

2006-05-29T15:32:00.000Z

Bodies: The Exhibition

It's a bank holiday today and my last day of holiday before starting my new job - yes I am now officially employed! I went to see Bodies: The Exhibition, which some of you may have heard of along the way (I remember watching a documentary on Carte Blanche last year). It is an abolutely fascinating though very controversial exhibition of preserved human bodies, showing almost every feature of male and female anatomy in varying detail, including foetuses who have died in utero. It is really incredible how they have managed to preserve and separate pieces of the anatomy, including the veins, blood system and central nervous system which have been preserved separately from the rest of the body.

A human specimen is first preserved according to standard mortuary science. The specimen is then dissected to show whatever it is that someone wants to display. Once dissected, the specimen is immersed in acetone, which eliminates all body water. The specimen is then placed in a large bath of silicone, or polymer, and sealed in a vacuum chamber. Under vacuum, acetone leaves the body in the form of gas and the polymer replaces it, entering each cell and body tissue. A catalyst is then applied to the specimen, hardening it and completing the process. This method of preservation creates a specimen that will not decay. This offers thousands of unique teaching possibilities for educators at all levels, including medical professionals, archeologists and other scientists.

Check out the website here to find out more information about how it is done, and watch some videos here and here.

I really recommend it to anyone who is in London and can see it, it will change the way you view and appreciate your body completely.

2006-05-19T13:17:00.000Z

Someone help me please...

I came across something interesting while browsing around on the Adobe/Macromedia showcase section on their website. The site is the online portfolio of Dario Piana, renowned advertising director, though I don't think the site itself is particularly spectacular.

I got to having a look at some of his stuff, and there are one or two quite funny adverts in there. The most intriguing video though, was one I found shot in South Africa. You will find it under the flashing red link on the bottom right of the opening page, under the "shorts" section, it is the first video with the pic of the car.

You have to stick through it for the punchline - it involves a man speeding on a lonely Karoo road caught by a traffic cop. BUT... now tell me what you think about this: everyone has a South African accent, and the landscape is very definitely African, and the speedsters car has an (old) CA registration plate. The cop, however, is driving around in a clearly American or maybe European black and white cop car, complete with foreign registration plates and is dressed in an American-style cop uniform from the movies. I was completely confused as to what kind of audience this was meant for, and why on earth the American cop car with a South African driver pulling over a Cape Town car? Can anyone help out please? And keep your eyes on the background at the end!

2006-05-18T13:13:00.000Z

There is something that has really been perplexing me. It's not really life altering, but it has kept my mind occupied a bit since being in London. I have spent a fair amount of time bouncing around London staying with different people and also looking at flats to rent for myself and I have noticed that a large number of flats house all the appliances inside built-in cupboards, so that they are invisible to the eye when walking into the room - I'm talking fridges, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers etc

I arrived at the place where I am staying presently with all three regular flatmates away, and so was left to find my own way around. It took me about half an hour to find the fridge and the washing machine. Both were neatly tucked away inside regular looking cupboards, one in the kitchen and the other in the bathroom.

What is going on here? Why hide the fridge? Is this normal for England? Someone please help me it's really bothering me.

And to add to that:
There are loads of places with no tumble dryers, this is in a country where it is cold, dark and rainy for most of the year and you don't have a sunny garden to hang your washing in. So... undies draped all over the radiators all over the house, damp for 3 days. Lovely.

2006-05-16T14:14:00.000Z

London Update

I haven't blogged much in the last few weeks, mostly because my life has been very boring. But I warned you lot it would be sporadic! The job and house hunt has been hell over here. It has taken me a little while to get into the swing of things here, and settle down into the London life. I still feel quite disconnected from everything around me, which I suppose will only be remedied with work when I have some kind of structure to my day.

In the mean time the hunt continues and the cash is depleting fast! Maybe if things get really tough I should start a blog on the day to day life of a homeless woman in Hyde Park (thanks Di!), get advertising for the site and make millions. On second thoughts maybe not..

2006-05-05T12:51:00.000Z

Well done boet!

My older brother, along with his cycling partner and good friend Matt, has just successfully completed the Cape Epic, a really long, grueling off-road mountain bike race between Knysna and the Spier Wine Estate outside Cape Town. The race kicked off on 22 April and ran for 8 days, through the beautiful Western Cape countryside covering more than 900 kilometres and climbing more than 16000 vertical metres. You can see some of his photos here.

Well done BY, I am so proud of you and wish I could have been there to cheer you over the finish line:-)

2006-05-02T13:54:00.000Z

Lace and race

I had an interesting experience on Oxford Street this weekend. I decided to make the long, ridiculously expensive trek into the centre of London to have a look around and locate some shops likely to cheer me up with a good dose of retail therapy (mostly looking and not much purchasing, mind you). I wandered into a clothing store which was quite large, although they had managed to squeeze a fairly generous number of clothing racks in filled with the promise of summer which has yet to be found in the grey English skies.

I was making my way towards the back end of the shop, not really taking notice of the other shoppers around me. I was aware of someone standing to my right, looking through the rack of clothes and was about to walk past her, when she hissed, "Don't you touch me!!"

I turned to look at her with a look of complete surprise. I was still a good half metre away from her, and certainly hadn't touched her at all. I apologised and said as much to her. She spat her reply, "Just fuck off, yeah?!" and turned back to the rack of clothes.

At this point the look of surprise had changed into a mixture of complete astonishment, offense and amusement. What I found more disturbing than anything else was the look of pure contempt she gave me, a complete stranger browsing among lacy summer tops.

I few choice replies to her rudeness ran through my head, but in the end I turned away and laughed the incident off. I was only afterwards that I really thought about it and wondered what that woman had been through that made her so vicious towards someone she has never met. Then I surprised myself even more because the first option that popped into my head was race. The woman was black, and was dressed in a traditional head scarf and long sleeves and skirt.

Have I been so conditioned as a South African to see colour difference before anything else, even though I hate that I do it and try not to in every instance? Maybe she was just a b*tch and had a bad day... I felt really bad about it.

2006-04-24T10:47:00.000Z

New Adventures in Rainy London-Town

That's right.. I can here all of you in Sunny SA sniggering at yet another person who has disappeared into the cold, grey, rainy cultural melting pot that is London. However I here and about to start from scratch again: job, flat, friends, new life and all that.

I am actually really excited about being here, I love this city's vibe and the crazy mix of people that it attracts. Though the job and house hunt is more than a little intimidating to say the least. Anyway, out the door with my tough face on and all will be well.

I have some photos from NY which I will upload as soon as I can, though I am without an easily accessible internet connection at the mate's flat I am squatting in at the moment. My posts may be a little sporadic again now, though I will try to keep you all up to date with the proceedings.

2006-04-21T00:17:00.000Z

Stage 3: The Big Apple

I arrived in New York yesterday morning, and have spent the last day and a half walking and walking and walking... and gaping at everything in sight! I love this city, it's just buzzing all the time with millions of people rushing around and falling all over each other to get wherever they are going first and as quickly as possible. Not to mention the food and the shopping, oh the SHOPPING.

Unfoturtunately I arrived without my luggage, which is a long story worthy of its own entry so will save that for a day when I have more time and don't have to fork out dollars to get on the Net. Very unhappy about it.

I have managed to see Times Square, which is just down the block from where I am staying in Manhatten, as well as The Rockafeller Centre, The Empire State Building, 5th Ave, Central Park, Ground Zero/World Trade Centre Site (which is under reconstruction by the way), Wall St, NY Stock Exchange, Battery Park and its view of The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Tomorrow is art gallery day: Guggenheim, Museum of Modern Art, The Met. I fly out of JFK tomorrow night, and head to London Heathrow via Dublin. So I guess the next you hear from me will be in the UK:-) Wish me luck for the hellride back over the ocean.

2006-04-18T17:34:00.000Z

Stage 2: Georgia ctd...

Well my time is almost coming to a close here in Georgia, I am heading to New York tomorrow morning to see what the Big Apple holds in store and am sad to be leaving this beautiful area, though very excited to be seeing New York at long last.

The Easter weekend was basically filled with long lazy days in the hot summer weather and good food, so not much news as such to report. I did spend some time looking around more historical towns and old plantation areas, though they were not much different from Washington which I have already described.

I also went to have a look at the Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton, which is just down the road from here. Those of us who are Old Skool will remember the stories from our childhoods about Brer Rabbit and the escapades he and his friends got up to in the Georgia woods. The Uncle Remus Museum is a commemorative old log cabin containing bits and pieces documenting the life and literary work of Joel Chandler Harris, the author of the Uncle Remus storiea. The stories themselves were originally written in the mixed up Southern language of the slaves who told the stories to their children, based on old African folk tales from their native lands (something along the lines of "How the leopard got his spots..."). The African animals were replaced with the local animals of the Georgia forests, hence Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf etc. Read this. for more information on the museum.

Here is a sample - you have to read it with a thick Southern accent for it to make sense! From "The wonderful tar baby story":

“He come mighty nigh it, honey, sho’s you born—Brer Fox did. One day atter Brer Rabbit fool ’im wid dat calamus root, Brer Fox went ter wuk en got ’im some tar, en mix it wid some turkentime, en fix up a contrapshun w’at he call a Tar-Baby, en he tuck dish yer Tar-Baby en he sot ’er in de big road, en den he lay off in de bushes fer to see what de news wuz gwine ter be. En he didn’t hatter wait long, nudder, kaze bimeby here come Brer Rabbit pacin’ down de road—lippity-clippity, clippity -lippity—dez ez sassy ez a jay-bird. Brer Fox, he lay low. Brer Rabbit come prancin’ ’long twel he spy de Tar-Baby, en den he fotch up on his behime legs like he wuz ’stonished. De Tar Baby, she sot dar, she did, en Brer Fox, he lay low."

2006-04-13T22:13:00.000Z

Stage2: Greensboro, Georgia

I have arrived in Georgia, after spending the day travelling yesterday. I was glad to leave the wind and rain in Fort Lauderdale, and head here. The days are hot, lazy and Southern, perfect for the heart and soul:-) I am staying on Lake Oconee, with some family friends who have lived in the USA for a long time. It is a really beautiful area, with lots of trees and green grass and spring flowers. Look at the map here, I am about 90 miles east of Atlanta.

We took a trip to a small historical town called Washington, about 45 min away. There are a large number of very old Southern style homes, built in the 1700's and 1800's in the area, which was mainly cotton plantations at the time. We had a look around one of the old plantations, obviously with no cotton and no slaves, but it was interesting to find out a bit about some history I know very little about. I didn't take that many photos as my memory ran out, but will load what I have.

I also had fried green tomatoes and crawfish cakes for lunch, it had to be done since I am in the deep South! The tomatoes are pretty darn good y'all.

Here are some links with photos and information about the area if you are interested, and I will load the photos I have and there will be more on the way.

Click here to see photos and information about Greensboro, it gives you a good idea of what the stunning architecture here is like.

Click here to see images an info about Reynolds Plantation, where I am staying with friends. It is a very wealthy area...
Here is one photo:

2006-04-11T04:45:00.000Z

A very frustrating day

So much for the plans for the sun and sea. I seem to have brought tropical storm weather down with me from who knows where. It rained hard all day today, and the wind is HOWLING down the beachfront. I spent the day cruising down Las Olas Blvd, the main central shopping/eating place in town which was cool for about an hour when you are on your own. Then went shopping for a new watch and sunglasses because unfortunately there isn't much to do in this town when there is no sun and the beach is out. Got the watch, still need sunglasses though. Anyway, I guess these things happen. I will wait and see if there is sun tomorrow, otherwise I may try and get up to Miami, though I don't know if it will be logistically feasible at such late notice.

Hold thumbs for better weather:-(

2006-04-10T04:34:00.000Z

Stage 2: Fort Lauderdale (ctd...)

Well I survived the gators, which are really just small crocodiles. It was a bit tougher to get past the way of life in the Florida everglades though. Life is... er... simple down here (read Forrest Gump). Check out the photos, the airboat cruise through the glades was pretty cool, though very commercial. The boat captain, Chez, seemed to know a lot about the glades having done this for 30 years or so. Unfortunately after the cruise we sat through a gator handling show, which was actually just cruel to see. The poor animals were kept in a tiny enclosure and looked so dry and dehydrated. Their water was dirty and low and they were continually harassed by the handlers performing tricks, agitating them and frightening them half to death. I felt really upset walking out of there. They are not aggressive creatures by nature, especially around humans. Shame on commercialism!!!

Then we went to Hooters on the beachfront for drinks. A true cultural experience. I will definitely get to a high speed internet connection tomorrow that can handle large photo uploads to get some pics up. Gotta see the gators!

Tomorrow is a chilled day around town, hit the beach and get some sun!

2006-04-09T16:27:00.000Z

Stage2: Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Going to get me some gators

I am now in Fort Lauderdale on the Eastern coast of Florida. It's about 30 deg centigrade in the shade, which by SA standards is pretty normal. However after living below zero at 8000 feet in the snow for 4 months, the heat is a bit more challenging. I had a lazy morning catching up on some sleep this morning, then headed down to have a look at the beach. It's a bit like Umhlanga on the KwaZulu/Natal coast - has the same vibe. The sea is warm and there are no waves at all. It was so awesome to be out in the sun again, after being pale and pasty for a while. Time to work on the tan, like ASAP:-)

Heading out to the everglades this afternoon to get me some gators. That is if Ben and Jess ever arrive to pick me up... still waiting...

I tried to upload some pics last night, but the connection was dial-up and ridiculously slow. Shame.. who still uses dial-up, so annoying. I will try to find a faster connection with a USB port to get some pics up. Hang tight

2006-04-09T03:31:00.000Z

Stage 1: Denver

I arrived safely in Denver on Friday evening, just before sunset in the downtown area. I stayed in a backpackers in the main (slightly dodgy) area of town, a few miles down from the central Denver area. The place is called the Hostel of the Rockies and was pretty... er... interesting. I walked in the the place smelled like about 10 cats lived there in a small area. I never found the cats and the smell never went away either. Not the way forward.

The place is very run down as well, its a really old building in the original part of town so I guess it's what can be expected for $20 a night. At the least the linen was pretty clean, and no bedbugs which is always a good start. The staff were really friendly an helpful at any rate, which made for a slightly more pleasurable experience. I also met some pretty cool guys from the US and England, who had a wicked sense of humour and good political knowledge, so the conversation and back to back episodes of Monty Python and South Park kept me entertained.

I headed out for dinner before the sun set completely to a diner on the corner of Race and Colfax called Pete's Kitchen. It's been there since 1942 and is a popular landmark in Denver, attracting everyone from celebrities to old couples who have been there for the full 60 years! The food was not as good as they made it out to be, but maybe I am just sick of American food in general. It's worth a visit.

The walk home was a bit scary so note to those planning to visit Denver not to wander around Colfax at night.

Heading down to Florida today (Saturday) after a 5am start and a long flight via Houston and over 2 time zones.

Also over carrying the boardbag around.

2006-04-06T05:05:00.000Z

On the move again... Final destination: London in the Summertime!

Ok I know I have been a total delinquent about blogging over the last month, mostly because I have been making the most of my last days here in Aspen, and making plans to travel a bit over here. I now have a complete itinerary worked out until the 21 April, when I will be arriving in London to see what that holds for me for a while.

Here is an abbreviated itinerary of my movements for the next month:

Friday 7 April:
Aspen to Denver, Colorado (to spend the night).

Saturday 8 April:
Denver, CO to Fort Lauderdale, Florida
I am going to be staying right on the beach, and will be visiting one of my best mates from SA who is living and working in FL as well. I also intend to make a trip or two up to Miami to see what there is to see there.

Wednesday 12 April:
Fort Lauderdale, FL to Atlanta, Georgia
I am actually going to stay with family friends living in a big house on a lake. Lots of hiking, swimming, jetskiing, fishing, boating etc etc to do. Also maybe some home cooked food for the first time in 5 months *hold thumbs*

Wednesday 19 April:
Atlanta, GA to New York City
I am very excited about this leg of the travels. I will be staying right in Times Square, Manhatten, close to all the action and places to see. I don't plan to sleep much.

Friday 21 April:
JFK, New York to London, Heathrow
And so begins the new chapter of the adventure....

I will be trying my best to load pics and stories as I go along.

There really hasn't been much happening in Aspen that is blog worthy, just the same old sleep, snowboard, work, drink, sleep, snowboard... and so it goes. It is spring here and the snow is melting fast. I am loving the warm weather and spring snowboarding which is a totally new experience. I am really sad to leave Aspen, I really love it here and will be back in the near future for sure.

2006-03-04T18:42:00.000Z

NML presents Grocott's Mail Online

I was very excited to see this week that South Africa's oldest independent newspaper, Grocott's Mail (a community newpaper in Grahamstown) has gone live online with a bang. The website itself forms a benchmark, I think, for what a news site should be. I say this for a number of reasons:

1. The site incorporates citizen journalism into it's editorial workflow. This allows for public critisicm and debate around the topics at hand, as well as a platform for students to have their work on display and open to criticism. This can only do good for the standards of journalism and practical reporting that come out of Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies and the Grocott's newsroom.

2. The site contains multimedia elements which dramatically enhance the reader's interaction and engagement with the stories. One example of this is a special report on the recent local government elections in SA, which combines audio and photo slideshows, text and graphics in a super user-friendly manner which is clean and easy to navigate.

3. The site also has a system of 'tags' or categories of interest, with a graphic visualisation, that filters content in relation to reader's areas of interest, and also in relation to their similarity to other users. This means you can get to the stuff you really want to read quickly and easily, and all the relevant content is neatly grouped together for you to browse in your own time. It's a very useful system that makes sifting through piles of content to find what you want very much easier.

4. Aside from the functionality of the site and reader experience, I am also very excited about the underlying newsroom management system that has enabled this site to work. User-friendly and streamlined content management and editorial workflow is the key to a successful news site, and if my experience with the New Media Lab developments in content management are anything to go by, this system is something we need to pay attention to and something I would be excited to use in the future.

I am also interested to see what impact this site has on the local print media readership in Grahamstown, and how accessible the website is going to be to the wider Grahamstown communities with limited technological access.

I would hope that this is the direction that national news sites will head into soon, and well done guys on producing an excellent website. Keep pushing the boundaries.

2006-02-27T03:09:00.000Z

From ballot papers to blogging

While my parents are in the thick of printing thousands of ballot papers for the local municipal elections in their area, my attention was directed to an initiative conceptualised and developed by the Mail & Guardian Online and New Media Lab. They got together and convinced party leaders Patricia De Lille, Ziba Jiyane, Bantu Holomisa, Tony Leon and Pieter Mulder to blog the last few days of the elections and their campaigning. Check out the site here.

I am interested to see what comes out of this. I think it is more of an experiment than anything else, a means of seeing how far blogging can go. The comments are unmoderated, and I would be interested to see if the party leaders pay any attention to what is said, if any relevant issues are brought up. If the bloggers responding are intelligent enough it could be interesting, it could also turn into a mudslinging and electioneering festival which I would imagine is the more likely outcome.

Reading the blogs I have not learned much about the parties or their leaders that would make it easier for me as a citizen to make the right mark on a ballot paper. I now know how tiring election campaigning can be, and what Patricia snacks on to keep her energy up, but not much else. I think it's a cool experiment, but what about building a group blog that enables voters to talk to each other and build their own knowledge. Maybe a pipe dream... but SA could use this kind of technology to build awareness and knowledge about making the right voter decisions.

Oh and where is the ANC in all of this? And what the hell does Mr Buthelezi think he is doing by getting his PR dude to post for him? Does he get the point?

2006-02-22T00:11:00.000Z

I am still alive and definitely kicking... ass!

I realised it's been a while since I posted here, you lose track of time here a bit when life revolves around powder days and not much else! I only have about 2 months left in Aspen, maybe even less if I decide to travel a bit in the USA. Time feels like it's running very short. I have been out on the slopes almost everyday for the last two weeks trying to improve my riding technique and push myself onto new challenges. I am loving snowboarding more and more each time I get out there and will be very sad to have to leave when I do.

The last few weeks since the X Games haven't been too eventful. I came down with the flu which set me back about 5 days lying in bed. It was largely the result of boarding in very cold snowy conditions, which were amazing at the time, riding through dead silent, knee deep powder, but came back to bite later! I also managed to see P.O.D. live here in Aspen, a concert to celebrate the Aspen Open where all the riders who didn't make it to the Winter Olympics compete on the X Games parks and pipes. The concert was very good, they are an incredible live band to see.

Things here mostly just carry on as normal, not much changes or happens. The lifestyle is so chilled out, each day just merges into the next and before you know it months have passed. It was President's Day yesterday, a whole day of American Patriotism which I tried to avoid as much as possible as I didn't think there was much to celebrate. People here have lost track of what it even means now.

2006-01-29T19:26:00.000Z

Winter X Games 10, 2006 in Aspen, CO

That's right it's here, and it's crazy!For those of you that don't know the Winter X Games are an extreme winter sporting event held every year, involving high speed stunts on snowboards, skis, snowmobiles, and motorcycles. The games take place on specially constructed ramps, a superpipe (very large half pipe), and various other tracks for downhill racing etc. The sport is extreme and these people are a little mad. Some of the world's best snowboarders and skiiers are here competing and doing promos.

The events are all free and open to the public, if you are brave enough to stand in the snow all day, and there are free concerts every night as well.
Friday night: Juliette Lewis and her band the Licks, followed by Louis XIV (this concert was a dog show, ended up being half cancelled because crowd behaviour was so bad - see photo caption),
Saturday night: Flipsyde, followed by Damien Marley and the Wailers (didn't get to see them, unfortunately had to work).
Sunday night: AWOL punk concert with The Vandals (they play on top of this huge wall/ramp thing and while they are playing Snowboard X pros ride up the side of the wall and perform tricks and jumps).

I have loaded a lot of photos, so check out my Flickr site properly. You can also check out the action on ESPN and at the official website.

2006-01-16T03:08:00.000Z

Green Ham and Eggs

This is too much. Scientists in Tiawan have successfully bred a three pigs which glow fluorescent green in the dark, as part of their ongoing efforts in human stem cell research. This I have to see to believe. Read the article on News24 here.

2006-01-16T02:25:00.000Z

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Ok so I have been in the US for a month and half or so, well in Aspen which is more like a bubble of fairyland than anything else, but here are some of my impressions so far:

The Good:
1. The Rockies: these mountains are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and there is always something new to see and do.
2. Snowboarding: its just so cool
3. Ben & Jerry's ice cream: *drool
4. Starbucks coffee: espcially the caramel machiatto, its like eating a cookie
5. Cookies: these people know how to make them
6. The local Colorado people: super friendly and chilled, a pleasure to be around
7. Winter in a fairytale
8. No crime to speak of: leave door open, leave keys in car, while it's running to warm up for half and hour and its still there when you get back
9. Cheap clothes, shoes, sunglasses
10. Free local landline calls
11. Cheap international landline calls
12. The Winter X Games at the end of Jan - cant wait! Catch it on ESPN from 28-31 Jan
13. Free music concerts with awesome rock bands
14. No bank charges: unbelievably awesome!

The Bad:
1. The food generally available in the supermarket: fresh fuit and veggies are way overpriced and everything else has so much sugar in it its inedible, espacially the bread - yuck!
2. Eggs, bacon, pancakes and syrup on one plate: why?
3. Quote: "South Africa? Is that a state in Australia?"
4. Quote: "You from South Africa? Wow... *pause* Is is civilised where you are?" Civilised can mean anything from do you have running water to are you likely to get shot when you walk down the street?
5. US Postal Service: I find it ironic that they sponsored Lance Armstrong for so long...
6. They woke up the bears from their winter sleep after all the dynamiting and avalanche control, as well as all the fireworks: great just what we need, pissed off, cold bears who haven't had enough sleep walking around town
7. I'll say it again: MacDonald's. I refuse to go in there.
8. The bruises on my head, knees and lower back.... Mountain 1 Cat 0
9. US Mobile telecommunications: they just haven't figured it out yet, you have to pay to receive calls and sms's as well as send
10. Mexian illegal immigrants: there are a lot, and its not fair I have to pay so much to get here, I should just hop the border too... US economy would have trouble without them.

The Ugly:
1. Rivalry between SA and Aus among the seasonal visitors
2. Some of the people I have seen on the public busses to Glenwood Springs: no teeth, no hair, yellow eyes... I ran fast.
3. Some of the boarding accidents I have seen and/or expereinced: ouch!
4. American beer: I was going to put this in bad, but it's worse than that! BRING ON SAB!!!

2006-01-14T00:00:00.000Z

I think this describes my state of mind pretty well at the moment, I have been spending some time looking at places to travel, deciding where I want to go and what dreams to chase. This is a really exciting time for me, I am filled with trepidation and longing for open space and interesting adventure.

All men dream: but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty
recesses of their minds wake in the day
to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers
of the day are dangerous men, for they may
act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.

T.E. Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

2006-01-07T23:55:00.000Z

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I know it has been a while since I last posted, the past weeks over Christmas and New Year were a little mad - work, party, board, work, party, board - you get the picture! Best wishes to you all for the new year, hope that you partied safely but madly on the night and that 2006 holds only the best for you all.

I spent Christmas Eve with some friends down the road also from South Africa, we had a Christmas dinner complete with Turkey and secret Santa under the (rather tiny) Christmas tree. It wasn't my family at home, but the guys made me feel really welcome and I had an awesome night that turned pretty large in the end. Worked Christmas Day and solidly for the rest of the week. Aspen is really full of holiday makers at the moment, and it's peak season so there is money to be made from it all.

New Year was amazing:
15:00h: Go to work
23:30h: Leave work, run home grab some Bud and race to Rubey Park to see the new year in with my mates from down the road
00:00h: Fireworks over Aspen/Ajax Mountain, hugs all round, starts snowing on cue at midnight as the fireworks start - awesome!
00:30h: Walk home to the Saffers house, crack open some drinks to celebrate, decision made to spend the first hours of the new year in a jacuzzi
00:31h: Realise we dont have a jacuzzi
00:32h: Decide to "borrow" the neighbour's one
00:45h: Gate is locked
00:46h: Break fence
Not sure: Jacuzzi is incredible, starts dumping snow - clothes are all wet
Not sure: Aspen police not so impressed with the jacuzzi as we are
Not sure: Run for safety in towel, no shoes, clothes are soaked!
Not sure: Can't remember
10:00h: Breakfast to celebrate Dina's birthday - many happy returns my girl!
11:30h: Pass out
15:00h: Work again!

2005-12-19T23:53:00.000Z

Snowboarding again

I have posted some photos from my lesson today which went really well, got to linking turns and picking up some speed which is awesome. Just not too much or you end up like Alistair, a Saffer friend of mine, with a very broken collarbone at the start of the season. Sorry mate...

And thanks to Mike for taking the the pictures in between correcting my stance, you rock dude:-)

2005-12-14T01:42:00.000Z

Weekend in Review

It was a busy weekend in Aspen, with lots going on at work and at play. It was the women's world cup competition here on Aspen/Ajax Mountain (the ski slope right behind Aspen) so there were a lot of people in town and it was really festive. I unfortunately was holed up at work all day Saturday for orientation and training, and most of Sunday as well, so I hardly got to see any of the dowhill racing at all which was disappointing.

Saturday night made up for it, the Gin Blossoms performed an awesome gig on a stage set up in the middle of town sponsored by Bud(weiser) Light. Their gig was really professional despite the cold, big up to the guys for performing for over 2 hours in -24 degrees. They said it was the coldest performance they have ever done! Audience members were kind enough to donate various gloves, beanies, a half-jack of Jack Daniels and even a backpack (not too sure about that one) to the lead singer. He promptly wore everything donated, including the backpack, and performed his gig like that while quietly sipping on his Jack. Man after my own heart... They are working on a new album by the way.

The gig was followed by a beautiful fireworks display right over the snowcovered mountain behind Aspen. The white snow reflecting the fireworks made it seem quite surreal. Sunday was a slow day, though had work on the evening shift, delivering a lot of champagne and strawberries to VIP's at the hotel where I work. Check out the hotel website here, it's pretty smart. We had some Hollywood celebrities staying on the weekend as well which was rather nice.

Monday was admin day - boring. Today I woke up to about 4 inches of fresh snow and more dumping every second which was great because it hasn't snowed since last week. So I took the opportunity to go for another snowboarding lesson today on all the fresh powder, which was just incredible. Slammed into the hill a few more times, but it's all part of the fun! Work again tomorrow...

Oh and I was really useless and forgot my camera again, so I will get some photos from the other people I was with and post them as soon as I can.

2005-12-09T00:12:00.000Z

Surviving a day on the slopes...

I got up early this morning to go to my first snowboarding lesson at Snowmass mountain, which is about a half hour bus ride from Aspen (in good weather). And it was so awesome! I am hooked and can't wait to get better so that I can really start enjoying it properly. I slammed into the hill a good few times as can be expected on one's first day, but nothing too hectic that wrist guards and a helmet (essential items, don't go out without them!) couldn't handle. My posterior is in a lot of pain and so are my knees. It is a full body work out, but so much fun you don't even notice until the end when you relax.

Sorry no pics today, I forgot to take my camera after all that, but probably better anyway, I wouldn't want to break it falling from the board. I promise there will be pics next time:-)

2005-12-08T02:36:00.000Z

Uber snowboarding champion

Heh, well not really but it looks good up there! I have bought myself a snowboard and all the kit that goes with it, and have bought myself 3 days in snowboard school so I am on my way to champion form :-) I now have no money to speak of, but at least I can start enjoying these beautiful slopes instead of just staring at them everyday. I will post some photos of tomorrow's class so you can all see what went on. I predict the day (from 10am to 3pm) will consist mainly of a really painful butt, tons of bruises and stiff muscles for a week. I think the class will be quite small though because the season hasn't really started, which is good for more individual attention.

There has been over 40 inches of snow over the last week here, which is incredible for this time of year! It has also been about -25 to -30 deg C here everyday. I have never been this cold in my life. The locals say that this is unsual, and that it is not usually this cold, especially when the sun shines. We had a beautiful blue sky day today though and plenty of fresh powder, here's hoping tomorrow will be similar.

2005-12-04T20:34:00.001Z

JHB to Aspen

I have posted a whole load of photos from Aspen on my flickr account, which you can get to on the link up above this, so check them out to see a bit of where I am at. There will be better photos coming once it stops snowing and the sun comes out and I can get up one of these mountains a bit higher.

Ok so, some of the more interesting experiences I have had up until now:

1. Got bumped up to business class on my flight to London, thanks very much to BA who overbooked their plane, and didn't even give me a seat number until I boarded the plane! Made for a very comfortable flight. The flight was also delayed by an hour becuase of all the chaos in the terminal at JHB International.

2. Arrived in London late and had to run to catch my flight to New York. Turns out that the NYC flight got delayed as well because some fool didn't show up for the flight and they had to off load everybody's luggage, search for his, then reload it all. Bought Italian espresso in the airport, not a good idea when you have to keep still on a 10 hour flight.

3. Arrive in New York, surprisingly no trouble with immigration and didn't get searched thank goodness. I obviously don't look threatening. It was cold and rainy, about 35 degrees F. Couldn't work out how to use the phones, eventually got hold of my hotel to ask them to pick me up. Got lost in JFK which is enormous, eventually found my bus pick-up point and then waited for an hour in the cold to get my shuttle. I didn't get to spend any time in Manhatten which really sucks, just didn't have the time in the afternoon before it got dark, also had to organise accomodation etc in Aspen.

4. Nearly miss my flight to Denver from JFK the next morning, because I got so absorbed in my book on the Google story and didnt hear the boarding call. They made me take just about all my clothes off when I went through security, everything down to my base layer, including shoes. They are paranoid. The aeroplane was cool, lots of legroom (fly on Jetblue if you can) and about 40 TV channels on board. There was this guy sitting in front of me that looked like he came out of an MTV hip-hip video, complete with enough bling to keep him firmly on earth should gravity ever go AWOL.

5. Bus from Denver to Aspen. The journey was amazing, we went right over the Rockies, and sometimes through tunnels under it. We passed through this huge canyon on the way which was beautiful. It was pretty hairy at times when the snow was dumping and the road icy. The Rockies are absolutely beautiful mountains.. Also saw snow fall for the first time, I felt like a small child discovering a brand new toy under the Christmas tree!

6. Arrive in Aspen in the dark, check into my hostel after 3 days in transit. Wake up at 4am the next morning because my body clock is stuffed. Spend the whole of the next 2 days searching for a job and a house. It turns out to be really difficult to find both, which is not what I was told before leaving SA, and the days were really stressful.

7. Find a cool job at a very very expensive hotel here, which came with a manager who rocks! He found me a place to stay so now I am chilled out and ready to party! Went out to a couple of bars and a club here, which are pretty cool. I have met some awesome people already including tons of South Africans, from Rhodes as well!!! And lots of Aussies and Brazilians. Now I am ready to shop for a snowboard and get up that mountain and start boarding which is why I am here in the first place!

2005-12-01T19:34:00.000Z

Arrived at last

Well I have finally arrived at my final winter wonderland destination in Aspen, Colorado in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. It is absolutly stunning here and the snow has been falling quite steadily since I arrived, though it is not that thick yet. The ski season has started here, so people are arriving in droves. There are tons of other South African and Aussie students here, also lots of people from Brazil and Argentina. I am in the middle of desperately hunting for jobs and a place to live, which is proving to be more difficult than anything else. I will post more about my trip here and all the things that have been happening as well as some cool photos of where I am at as soon as I have some more time.

2005-11-28T09:54:00.000Z

On my way...

I am off to New York tonight to begin my adventures overseas, flying via London. It is going to be 24 hours of hell in transit until I finally get to my hotel in NYC. I then fly out the next day into Denver, then take a 4 hour bus trip on to Aspen where I will be spending the next 5 months working and travelling, and of course skiing!

My itinerary from hell:
From: Johannesburg, South Africa
Terminal: A
to Heathrow (London), United Kingdom
Terminal: 1
Depart: Mon 28 November 2005, 20:15
Arrive: Tue 29 November 2005, 05:15

From: Heathrow (London), United Kingdom
Terminal: 4
to John F Kennedy (New York), USA
Terminal: 7
Depart: Tue 29 November 2005, 08:20
Arrive: Tue 29 November 2005, 10:50

From: John F Kennedy (New York)
To: Denver International, Colorado
Depart Wednesday, 30 November 2005, 08:30
Arrive: Wednesday, 30 November 2005, 10:15

On top of all of this I have picked up a nasty bug which has made me rather ill, so not feeling by best, but hopefully it will pass soon. The last thing I need is to start this process sick. I am very excited, and looking forward to spending some time living in a different culture and meeting new people. I am a bit nervous to be going on my own, but I am sure it will all work out for the best.

I will catch you all on the other side, with some news as soon as I can get access to the net once I have arrived in the US. Keep watching this space for photos and stories from my travels.

2005-11-22T11:44:00.000Z

This is why we blog

Many people ask me what the value is of blogging, and whether I think this form of 'citizen journalism' is really going to make a difference i.e. are people really going to listen to what us bloggers have to say?

Well today I found an example of just how powerful bloggers with a civic conscience can be. The Do Not Fly Air France saga continues, with more and more examples of shocking customer service by the airline, including another of Colin's colleagues in Tunis at WSIS who had her luggage lost as well. Read some horror stories here.

So some angry people got together to launch a googlebombing attack on Air France. Googlebombing is an attempt to influence the ranking of a given page in results returned by the Google search engine. You can check the results here, here and here. So now the first thing that anyone searching for the airline will see is how shocking they really are through blog postings and other articles by some reliable sources and first-hand accounts, that they would never have had access to otherwise.

So to all my skeptics out there, appreciate the subtle power that pissed-off net savvy bloggers have against corporate giants that are getting too big for their boots. And DON'T FLY AIR FRANCE!

2005-11-18T11:31:00.000Z

Pimp my charp new ride an' all... Durban Style

2005-11-17T14:01:00.000Z

DON'T TRAVEL AIR FRANCE

Colin, as I said in my previous post is in Tunisia attending the second phase of the WSIS conference. Unfortunately he has been having a pretty tough time with the airline that got him there in one piece, but not his luggage.

You need to read his blog posting about his experience, as well as this e-mail which he wrote to the airline. It's absolutely shocking that an important airline serving not only Europe but many Francophone countries could treat their customers like this.

Be enlightened, and choose your airline carefully.

2005-11-16T11:31:00.000Z

WSIS kicks off in Tunisia

The second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) began today in Tunisia. Colin Daniels is there for the Highway Africa News Agency (HANA), so take a look at his photo's if you are interested. The summit has included a panel discussions and presentation with Dan Gilmor on open-source "citzen" journalism so far, and the Creative Commons crew is there too.

WSIS is a United Nations initiative which provides a platform for discussion about the "digital revolution" i.e. the new ways of creating knowledge, educating people and disseminating information, driven by the Internet, new media and information and communication technologies (ICT's). It also seeks to address problems of the digital divide, which leaves much of the underdeveloped world out of this "revolution", and find ways of drawing the periphery into this massive, speedy surge into the digital future. The first phase summit was held in Geneva in 2003.

The Tunis summit has a live webcast on their website which you can tune into if you want to listen to the plenaries. Hopefully some good ideas for the development of ICT's in Africa will come out of this, especially in terms of restructuring the way the world conducts economic and business practices, runs governments and engages politically with the continent.

2005-11-14T13:23:00.000Z

To all the woman who have been lied to by their men...

I found this cruising around on the Web. Yes I was procrastinating. The ladies are taking matters into their own hands, check out Don't Date Him Girl!. It's a database of cheaters, so if you think your man is being naughty just plug his name in there. I was amused, what will people think of next... The mind boggles. Their blog has some intriguing stuff on it too..

2005-11-10T14:38:00.000Z

Surviving the US Consular General and getting a visa

So I went to get my J1 non-immigrant work visa yesterday at the US consukate in Durban. The process went surprisingly well actually and was more painless than I expected. I had to wait for an extra 2 hours after my appointment to be interviewed to actually get the interview. Even then all I had to do was walk up to a cubicle and go through a couple of questions mostly about what I am studying and where I plan to work etc. He let me go pretty quickly with a jolly old "Enjoy your stay in the USA, hope you have fun!"

I have heard horror stories about them being sticky so I reckon I had a few good things on my side:

1. My name is not Mohammed al Qatar or anything similar

2. I was not wearing a head scarf

3. I have not participated in any human rights violations for the Nazi government of Germany (they actually asked me this)

4. I am not Russian

5. I am not from Cuba

6. I have not participated in mass street-bound genocide (they asked me this too)

7. I do not have any communicable diseases of public health significance

8. I have a good white English name of royal significance

9. I am really really ridiculously goooooooood loooooooking :-)

10. I didn't write this before I went to the interview

11. I paid them $100 for the application and $35 for their "big brother" tracking system that allows them to pinpoint me and what I am doing at any time in the USA

2005-11-05T15:02:00.000Z

It's a turning point

I am sitting in NML on my own on a rainy Saturday afternoon, this is the last time I will set foot in this building and it's a sad moment for me. It's become a home away from home filled with a lot of very special people and I am going to miss it a lot. It feels very strange actually, I feel quite displaced and disoriented.

Anyway, its onwards to see more exciting places and meet more cool people. I am leaving Grahamstown on Monday morning, after I have my car window replaced AGAIN, because they broke into my car this weekend AGAIN! Let this be a warning to all those that park in New Street... Bastards.

So here's to getting a degree and leaving university! It feels pretty cool...

2005-11-01T11:49:00.000Z

The weekend in review

I spent the weekend in Cape Town with my cousins, just chilling and looking around the place which was awesome! I haven't been there in a long time and it was really good to be back. I would love to move there when I get back to SA, it is so beautiful and there are so many places to go and things to do. It was good to go on holiday somewhere with nothing hanging over my shoulders as well. I did have to say goodbye to Lyle and Jenna though, as I won't be seeing them for a long time, which was really sad.

Friday:
1. Arrive in CT: windy and cold
2. Braai at the digs: meet a whole pile of medic students in the middle of exams
3. Frozen yoghurt at Marcel's in Rondebosch: can't believe it's still there, the best in the country

Saturday:
1. Witness an old man get hit by a car: saw my medic cousin in action, kind of
2. Have breakfast at The Greek: really good
3. Hit Clifton Beach: damn there are a lot of good looking people in Cape Town
4. Watch the cricket: yay we won!
5. Cocktails at the V&A Waterfront
6. Watch a movie: soppy chick flick, vomit

Sunday:
1. Drive around Chapman's Peak: wow its stunning
2. Lunch in Hout Bay
3. Check out Llundudno and Sandy Bay: a lot of naked people I hear
4. Tea in Camps Bay
5. Fell asleep in front of the TV while the boys worked
7. Cappucino and baklava in Greenpoint

Monday
1. Breakfast in Obs: i love it there
2. Fly back to PE: sucks

2005-10-28T07:42:00.000Z

The end of an era

I have completed all my lectures and assignments for my courses at university, which means that my year is over officially. It also means that technically I have finished my degree. It's done, it's over and I can't believe it! No exams so I am out of here in a week's time.

Its a bit wierd, I feel really displaced and strange now, like I don't really belong anywhere. I guess that's going to be the story of my life for the next year or two unitl I get settled into some decent employment and live in one place for a while. It's a very exciting turning point in my life, I feel free to do anything and go anywhere with no real responsibility. It's also really scary though, I feel really small compared to the world out there.

2005-10-25T10:22:00.000Z

We are such geeks

Gregor moblogged me while I was moblogging someone else at the New Media Lab party last week. Thanks for the pic Gregor.

By the way, check out Gregor's latest blog: GreGoogle. This is some funny shit!

2005-10-23T18:59:00.000Z

Things I did this weekend

I had such a great weekend, it's nice to feel a bit more refreshed and revived again!

I went to see Prime Circle on Friday night. They are such an awesome band and Ross Learmonth the lead singer has the most incredible voice and is only 21 years old. They have just released a new album called Live this Life which shows how hard they are working and how much they have matured as a band over the last few years. The only thing that annoyed me was that they finally started playing an hour and a half late, which was really unprofessional. They sounded good enough to make up for it though.. And they chilled and chatted with people in the Taphuijs after the performance which was pretty cool.

Then on Saturday I went out to a game farm with a bunch of mates for the day and night for a chill and a braai. It was so beautiful and peaceful out there, I didn't realise how much I needed to relax! Saw some cool animals too.

2005-10-21T09:43:00.000Z

Carnage

Things are going downhill for the following reasons:

My liver is befok.
I have an assignment due in 2 minutes and its not going well at all.
I am having a lot of anxiety over leaving a lot of special people behind in Grahamstown when I leave in 17 days. In fact I am really sad and am going to miss everyone a lot... It was good to spend time with them last night and earlier this week.
Constable Oosthuizen wanted to meet me this morning at 8am to take another statement about my car break in.
They stuffed up the statement last time I was at the police station when they called me out of bed at 4am.
He called back this morning and cancelled the meeting so I got up early with a bastard hangover for nothing.
I am running out of money again.
Apparently I am my lecturer's pet.
I don't have a job in the US yet.
I am hungry.

2005-10-20T14:19:00.000Z

The Redesign

Ok I have finally done what I wanted to do with my blog for now, at least it looks a bit more unique to me! The blogger templates are just too boring...

Let me know what you think.

2005-10-19T14:22:00.000Z

Another new look

I changed the look of my blog again, this one is better. Except the images at top are completely irrelevant so I will make my own when i next have a moment, to make it more individual etc etc it looks like a piece of crap at the moment but i will get there eventually hehe

2005-10-14T12:09:00.000Z

81 cats, 6 dogs and a mental problem

I actually sat down and watched a repeat episode of Oprah last night. Now I am not generally a devout fan, but do watch an episode here and there when there is nothing on and I have had too much caffeine. Last night she interviewed a number of people who hoard stuff. I am not talking about that pile of manky old t-shirts that we all have in the back of our cupboards that we love too much to get rid of but are too mouldy to wear. No this takes hoarding to another level. These people have a mental disease that takes therapy and drugs to get rid of, it's actually a form of extreme 'perfectionism', where people get so paralysed with wanting everything to be perfect and in its place that they can't do anything at all. I had NO idea that this is a disease that people suffer from, recognised as a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Check this out for more information.

To get an idea of what their houses look like, watch the program "How Clean is Your House?" You can't help but wonder if these people are well in the head.. turns out they aren't.

But what astounded me more is that people not only hoard clutter, they hoard animals as well. Oprah showed footage from their own crew and other programs on Animal Planet and channels that deal with animal welfare. It made me physically ill to see how these animals are living. These people don't live on huge farms where there is space for 81 cats to roam around, they live in flats and suburban houses. There is nowhere for the poor animals to go and no room for them to relieve themselve except on shelves, floors, counters, beds, showers, each other... And it's not only cats and small dogs, it extends to thousands of birds in tiny cages, goats, horses, fish, sheep.. pretty much whatever people have a fetish for collecting basically to fill a void in their life.

Get more information here and here and here. Or here are the Google results on a search.

I am astounded, it never fails to amaze me how strange and sick people are.

2005-10-11T09:43:00.000Z

Yahoo News gets onto the citizen journalism bandwagon

My brother directed my attention to a story from Reuters today about Yahoo News, "the world's most popular Internet media destination", which is to begin testing on Tuesday on an expanded news search system that includes not only news stories and blogs but also user-contributed photos and related Web links.

Yahoo explains that their decision to include published news and opinion from sources other than traditional online media will enrich the quality and diversity of information, reporting and analysis available from the news site.

I found this structure particularly interesting:

"Yahoo has, in effect, created a three-tier system for finding news that starts with the links to top ten stories and related photographs produced by mainstream news organizations on the main Yahoo News site.
Readers searching for further details will be taken to a second-level news site, which splits the page between news from 6 500 professional sources and links to the hundreds of thousands of blogs available from its syndication service.
Thus the expanded search stops short of blurring all lines between edited news and self-publishing".

I think this is a useful way to make the most of "citizen journalism", where there is a system of distinction between what is traditional 'independent' journalism and what is produced by grassroots publishing media that perhaps challenges and criticises traditional media. Most importantly though, it provides more opportunity for editorial checks on what is published on the blogs and photo-sharing sites such as Flickr, so that not just any old crap gets put out there. They are at least giving a platform for increased awareness of the role that citizen journalism can play in enhancing media coverage and analysis.

I haven't found any information about how Yahoo is gathering or choosing particular blogs etc to include in their news search system, but one would hope they use some discretion. Another worry I do have with this is the danger of descending from layer to layer into an endless clickpool of information that is more overwhelming and confusing than helpful, and tends to repeat information over and over in different forms.

2005-10-10T12:43:00.000Z

Ethics Ethics Ethics

The Wits Journalism School runs a website Journalism.co.za which deals with all kinds of journ issues, one of which is ethics. If you go to the Journ-Ethics section there are a number of columns, articles, and discussion forums which deal with various scenarios that journalists could face.

One posting I found of particular interest is on the ethics of motoring journalism and the extent to which the reporting is driven by misinformation and corporate influence by car manufacturers who sweeten the jobs of motoring reporters with freebies and "long-term" test drives.

2005-10-05T10:54:00.000Z

The Boy Who Heard Music

Pete Townshend of The Who is writing a novella in serialisation, which is released chapter by chapter on his blog. The novella, entitled "The Boy Who Heard Music" is open to commentary from anyone interested. I wonder if he has thought about putting a Creative Commons licence on his work...

It's interesting to read, not easy but interesting. If nothing else it's a great example of how literary works can be made open to the public at no cost and how intellectual ideas can be shared around with less emphasis on copyrighting and profit incentives.

Check it out.

2005-10-05T07:46:00.000Z

'I am not a Spur People'

I found this and was very amused... Forthe South African's out there - I know you have been to Spur at least once and had a kak meal!

2005-10-05T07:33:00.000Z

The ANC is grieving...

The Business Day cartoonist's interpretation of Brett Kebble's funeral yesterday. Here is the full story.

2005-10-04T07:37:00.000Z

Microsoft vs Open Source again...

This is a story about providing underprivileged sectors of SA with facilities including PCs, printers and the internet. The centre organising all this, the State Information Technology Agency, issued a tender for free open source software feeling that government had a duty to assess open source software if it could meet its needs better than proprietary programmes. Microsoft was having none of this and is making an effort to get its technologies into the hands of a new segment of society by pledging free software for all 284 government-backed community technology centres. And they say it's not a direct response to the threat from open source... whatever! Just can't resist getting their fingers into every pie can they?

Story from Business Day online.

2005-10-03T09:56:00.000Z

RANT:

I cannot believe that I am paying almost R3000 airport taxes to fly to the USA at the end of November. The taxes are 50% of the ticket price or more.. WTF is that? How the hell can it cost that much? Will someone please do something about the ridiculous oil price.

view.gif

2005-09-30T10:30:00.000Z

view.gif
Originally uploaded by Catherine Murray.

Happy Friday all!

2005-09-30T07:52:00.000Z

Who Funds Who

I went to a seminar on Wednesday morning organised by Idasa and the Institute for Security Studes (ISS) on the private and corporate funding of political parties. They were addressing the general problems of corruption within the process of giving and receiving donations, and the influence of coporate pressure on the poliy decisions of leading parties.

They have put together a resource website called Who Funds Who which operates as a research database for media workers, researchers and anyone else looking for information about where the funding from political parties comes from and where it goes to. It is a useful resource for journalists and has one an SA Web Award for design and content apparently. I am not too sure about the design aspect, but the content is fairly innovative. They don't have a very wide range of sources for their information though, and rely mainly on the information produced by leading media organisations, the parties themselves and other research organisations.

2005-09-28T07:06:00.000Z

I think in the shower. Or at night while I am supposed to be sleeping, but aside from that this morning my mind took me back to a comment that Mark Comerford made at the Highway Africa conference in Grahamstown a week or two ago. The plenary was centred on a discussion surrounding what is and is not journalism in relation to new forms of media - blogging in particular. He said that essentially a blog is merely a content management system. Now this got me thinking as I was washing my hair, because he is right. A content management system serves the purpose of organising and facilitating the collaborative creation of documents and other content, and has been very successful in terms of building and running "Digital Newsroom" type multimedia websites that I have been involved with in the past year (see State of the Arts, Commons Sense).

But how does being a CMS make blogs any different from any other news site or website for that matter? I realised this morning that actually every website that collates information and presents it in a logical/readable/easy to access form is actually a CMS. One doesn't really think of a online news publication as a content management system, but it is. Just the same as a blog, just the same as a forum too. It may seem like stating the obvious, but I guarantee it that people don't think this way. They are stuck in the "old media" mindframe that isn't so concerned with the most efficient storage, maintanance and editorial workflow process available.

Then I got to thinking further that if you really want to be valuable as a media worker, this is the area to get into - developing and maintaining really good CMS's that make everybody's life easier. Working with other journalists who don't interact regularly with online publications in terms of producing content and loading it onto the system is a challenge. They don't understand how CMS's work or how they can make your life better. There seems to be a big gap in the market... I want to fill a spot.

2005-09-13T19:47:00.000Z

This is the beginning...

Watch this space for information about where I am, what I am doing and what I am thinking about bits and pieces here and there. This space will likely serve as a platform for my travel updates and experiences once I leave Rhodes, but also as a place for me to voice what I think about the work I do etc, so you will find a mix of travel stuff and NM stuff here and there to read if you are interested.

I will hopefully also be changing the look and feel of the page when I have some time, but for now we'll have to deal with the stock standard template they have