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Archive for November, 2005
Superman Returns teaser trailer
A teaser trailer for the eagerly anticipated Superman Returns has been made available.
To show their understanding of current technology, Warner Brothers provide iPod and PSP downloads!
Johannesburg better than Cape Town
6 years ago
by manfred
in Life in South Africa
Some positive news regarding Johannesburg – for once!
Google’s final frontier?
Google Moon tells us something we’ve all known for a long time – you just need to get close enough to see it:
DSTV PVR available
DSTV have launched the first PVR in South Africa. Similar to the American Tivo, the DSTV PVR permits recording to hard disk and time-shifting of content.
A unique feature that is mentioned is the ability to “dual-view” and record a third channel. Not much news on how that’s supposed to work, as it would generally require an upgrade to the dish for receiving a third channel. Initial indications of price are sketchy, but it seems like the price of admission will be R2999 excluding the installation.
Watch that CD!
The saga with Sony BMG’s XCP (eXtended Copy Protection) has not yet come to a close. As reported in various news sources (here, here, and here), the company has decided to withdraw products from shelves.
Don’t know whether any of this malware will make it over to our shores. In any case, heed everyone’s advice and NEVER install any software from an audio CD – you simply wouldn’t know what’s being installed on your machine. A list issued by Sony BMG indicates which titles contain the dreaded XCP code.
Then again, if you insist on listening to Bette Midler you deserve what’s coming your way 
Municipal elections – date announced
6 years ago
South Africans will be going to the polls on 1 March 2006. That’s for the municipal government elections.
World Cup 2006 qualifications
A few final matches last night and the list of teams qualifying for the German World Cup in 2006 is complete.
Teams will be allocated into groups soon. Here’s the list of teams that made it:
| Country | Zone |
| Angola | Africa |
| Cote d’Ivoire | Africa |
| Togo | Africa |
| Ghana | Africa |
| Tunisia | Africa |
| Japan | Asia |
| Iran | Asia |
| Republic of Korea | Asia |
| Saudi Arabia | Asia |
| Germany | Europe |
| Ukraine | Europe |
| Netherlands | Europe |
| Poland | Europe |
| England | Europe |
| Croatia | Europe |
| Italy | Europe |
| Portugal | Europe |
| Sweden | Europe |
| Serbia and Montenegro | Europe |
| France | Europe |
| Switzerland | Europe |
| Spain | Europe |
| Czech Republic | Europe |
| United States of America | Northern and Central America and Caribbean |
| Mexica | Northern and Central America and Caribbean |
| Costa Rica | Northern and Central America and Caribbean |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Northern and Central America and Caribbean |
| Australia | Oceania |
| Argentina | South America |
| Brazil | South America |
| Ecuador | South America |
| Paraguay | South America |
Trading a paper clip for…
I’m continually amazed at the ideas people have. Take Kyle MacDonald, for example.
Sitting next to his computer, he happens to stare at a red paperclip and decides to trade the paperclip for something that can be traded for something else and so on.
His goal is to get a house or bigger at the end of it all. So far, he’s traded up to a generator…
Irrational phobias
I’m unable to get more than resizing and cropping done in Photoshop, so I have the utmost admiration for those able to adjust and blend layers and mix with creativity and impunity!
One Photoshop contest explores phobias. My favourite composition (not phobia) is the one shown on the left.
Many more can be found here.
Cheaper broadband?
6 years ago
by manfred
in Life in South Africa
After another round of profit-taking (earnings per share rose more than 46%), Telkom is promising better (not necessarily cheaper) broadband access for South Africans. Telkom’s CEO wants to engage with the consumer group MyADSL and compare pricing structures with international offerings. They are even considering letting end users complete their own installations! Anyone ready for pulling wire? For cheaper, faster broadband – why not
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