So can Apple really do it? Break into the mobile phone market. They’ve tried once already with Motorolla and failed dismally. Could this be it?
Check it out - click here
Author Archive for Barrie Bramley
YouTube for many is very old news (almost 12 months now). But I keep getting pleasantly surprised, hence this post. I first clicked on over while in the US reading about a debate as to whether some teenage girl posting her videos to YouTube was for real, or had a crew backing her? It really ended up being a silly but interesting first visit/investigation. But as time has marched on I’m spending more and more time on the site.
For those still not in the know, YouTube describes itself as:
YouTube is a free online video streaming service that allows users to view and share videos that have been uploaded by our members.
And while there’s a lot of ‘citizen media’ being posted that’s quite personal and useless outside of a touch of voyeur-ing I’ve found a truck load of useful stuff as well. It helps that I have a mate who’s addicted to ‘Comedy Central‘ and sends copious links through to me, keeping me amused listening to mostly Dubya bashing by John Stewart on the Daily Show. On a more relevant (to me) level, I’m reading a book by Richard Dawkins at the moment, and on a recent visit found many short interviews with Dawkins on all kinds of issues.
Just before going on leave I picked up a couple of books to read while I was away. I’ve never read a ‘Noam Chomsky‘ (apparently he’s one of those must read human beings before you die) and found this one, “Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World“. I chose it because it’s written in conversation style (interview by David Barsamian) around issues pertaining to the US imperial ambitions for the rest of us.
“I think not only the region (Middle East) but the world in general correctly perceives the U.S. invasion as a test case, an effort to establish a new norm for the use of military force.”
It felt like it could be an easy ’slide’ into Noam, and it was. What surprised me was that it didn’t turn out to be a monster, thud-factor, academic read that I was going to have to work hard at getting my mind around. It turned out to be a straight forward, in your face, heck of an interesting read. He, in fact, spoke regularly of academics and I enjoyed his abuse of them and their role in making things more complicated than they should be.
If you’re looking for an easy to read overview of Noam Chomsky’s view of the world post-911, and haven’t read anything of his before, then I’d recommend this as a good starting place.
His book left me with a few paradoxical thoughts. One being that on one hand the voice of the average person has never counted for more and has the ability to change things; sharply contrasted with the idea that there are powerful people and governments out there, and that if they can take out an entire country, they don’t even work up a sweat when contemplating me.
“The new doctrine was not one of pre-emptive war, which arguably falls within some stretched interpretation of the UN Charter, but rather doctrine that doesn’t begin to have any grounds in international law, namely, preventative war. That is, the United States will rule the world by force, and if there is any challenge to its domination-whether it is perceived in the distance, invented, imagined, or whatever-then the United States will have the right to destroy that challenge before it becomes a threat. That’s preventative war, not pre-emptive war.”
There is increasing work being done looking into the effect games have in the real world. One one level it seems like a waste of time, effort and money. The stuff of Hollywood.
Aparently not. South Korea is the most connected country in the world, and online gaming and social networks are presenting a dark side. A very dark side. Gamers, whose task it is to destroy fellow online gamers in the virtual world are finding their antics ‘bleeding’ through to the real world, sometimes unconsciously, and sometimes very deliberately.
See here for full article.
“They are very serious. They said ‘I’m going to kill you’, that they’d pray for me. It was a kind of curse. It was the worst day I’ve ever had.”
The spiteful comments and threats continued for 12 months. This is a mild case of a growing phenomenon Koreans call cyber violence.
South African Airways (SAA) launched its new low-cost airline, Mango, this week. Today (2 Nov) there were rumours that the site had crashed, and then I came across this amusing article from the Mail & Gaurdian.
Mango has registered a list of derogatory variations on its internet domain name, Flymango.com, in an attempt to ward off websites that could be launched by its competitors.
Domain names such as Mangosucks.co.za, Vrotmango.co.za and Rotten-mango.co.za have been registered by the company.
It even registered Neverflymango.co.za, clearly having learnt from South African Airways’ (SAA) ordeal with an annoyed American passenger, Vernon E Six, who started the now-discontinued Neverflysaa.com in 2002 to air his views on SAA’s alleged poor service.
For why I used the image I did, check this link
This question has been around about as long as blogging has. Is blogging just another fad, another fringe happening, and does it have the momentum to make it into the realm of main stream? Of course anecdotes abound to illustrate just how much gravitas it has. Perhaps it’ll be a case of ’slowly slowly catch the monkey’ as these seemingly light-weight anecdotes band together to create the kind of splash blogging enthusiasts have always predicted?
Here’s another of those stories. This one isn’t as light weight as others, and one wonders if this is just Microsoft spin, or whether they really would re-consider their China policy over the persecution of bloggers?
You gotta read about it to believe it. So large pilots apparently adjust their flight paths to take a little look.
Approximately 360 feet long, the ramp is 75 feet high at its apex. That is where riders begin their run, speeding down a 180-foot-long roll-in to a ramp that launches them across a 70-foot gap with trapeze netting below.
Maybe it’s just my lack of skill and ability, and so I submit this post, open to learning from those who know better….
* I’m looking for the details of a Holiday Inn Hotel in Cape Town. I go to www.holidayinn.co.za. Seems reasonable right?
* I get re-directed to their UK site - Seems strange but I’ll go with it.
* I search for ANY hotel in their group in Cape Town - I get nothing
* Maybe it’s FireFox so I try in IE - still nothing
I can only conclude that tourism has finally taken off in South Africa, and Holiday Inn hotels are booked for the forseeable future. Or perhaps they’ve taken Robbie Williams advice when he was here, that we keep our beautiful country a secret from the world? Or perhaps they’ve levelled every Holiday Inn within a 30 mile radius of Cape Town (that’s what the search most suggested)
Whatever it is, I’ll be in the stable this evening : )
Click on the smaller image, for a larger image of what my search returned.
Keith and I will be in Hawaii for two weeks working with the Asia pacific Leadership Programme based at the Uni of Hawaii in Honolulu.
I’m just working through the list of Students on the APLP course. I made up a map of where they come from to give you an idea of how diverse this group is.
Here is a list of the countries they represent… Australia, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Canada, China, Federated States of Micronesia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Lithuania, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, USA and Vietnam.
They breaking story around the 1 people arrested in London this morning had me all over BBC’s web site. What was interesting that i’ve not seen before was a bit at the end of the main article asking for people’s experiences around delayed flights and even for photos.
After 911 and the London Bombing last year there was publicity around the use of ‘Citizen Media‘, as people sent their stories and pics (their initiative) to ‘Traditional Media’. But here for my first time I see a formal request.
Have you been affected by the new security measures, seen disruption at an airport or witnessed any police raids? Please use the form below to tell us about your experiences
You can send your pictures to us by emailing them to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or by MMS: 07725 100 100
Straight from BoingBoing…
Humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years, the British scientist told a news conference.
“We won’t find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system,” added Hawking…
Hawking said that if humans can avoid killing themselves in the next 100 years, they should have space settlements that can continue without support from Earth.
“It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species,” Hawking said. “Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of.”
Originally from CNN
In light of an earlier post today about a web site working hard to ‘warn’ foreigners of a dangerous South Africa’, here’s a great article from iol. It’s around 2010 and the South African host. Thabo Mbeki is in Germany for the final this weekend and here are some exerts from him….
“We said we will host in 2010 the most successful Fifa World Cup and we will keep that promise,” he insisted, describing the tournament as “a beacon of hope”.
“Football is all about hope - hope for a better world,” a pastime which will “touch the world and build a better future.
“Africa is ready, Africa’s time has come, Africa is calling. Come to Africa in 2010,” said Mbeki, urging fans to “celebrate Africa in all its magnificent splendour” and seize an opportunity to spread “human solidarity” as Africa emerges “from many many centuries of great difficulty”.
And from Sepp Blatter, Fifa President…
“It is African day. Today is a day of joy and a day of hope,” said Blatter turning his gaze to 2010.”You can call it justice for African football, but also justice for Africa - for all the women and the men of this continent,” Blatter said, calling on South Africa to show off the beauty of its landscapes and depth of its cultures.
Technorati Tags: South Africa, World Cup 2010, Soccer, Football
I was sent a link to a site today called CrimeExpo. It states it’s aim as,
CRIME EXPO SA aim to provide foreigners with detailed information and regular updates regarding the issue of safety in South Africa.
But as you read the site you quickly discover this site is not about ‘information regarding safety issues’. It’s a one-sided very angry and emotional view of crime in South Africa. As a fellow South African I can understand where the emotion comes from.
In fact, I smiled as I wondered whether those responsable for the site recognised that instead of creating a useful, conversational, constructive site resulting in a positive contribution to the crime crisis South Africa is struggling with, they have created (in my opinon) an angry, emotional response, employing bully-boy tactics to threaten those in authority to do something. It is a pity that so much energy is being spent on being so destructive. I imagine if those responsable for this site where to constructively engage with the problem, they’d make a significant mark on creating a solution. A real pity cos the fringe often only exists to alert the rest of us to when we’ve arrived at ‘the edge’ and need to turn around and go back if we are to engage again.
So as a balance I offer up Homecoming Revolution to any foreigners looking for more views on South Africa in order to create a wiser picture.
Technorati Tags: crimexpo, south africa, crime, homecoming revolution
There’s a company in the US called ‘American Apparel‘. They’re well known for being a ‘non-sweat’ shop business that gives everyone who works for them a better deal than possibly other T-Shirt Manufacturers. Google them to connect to links that describe some of who they are. From their web site…
“We offer the following benefits to all of our employees, sewers and administrators alike, as a matter of policy: paid time off, affordable healthcare for them and their families, company-subsidized lunches, bus passes, free ESL classes, on-site masseurs, free parking, proper lighting and ventilation, and the most up-to-date equipment (be it the latest cutting machine or software). We are continually striving to improve the work environment.”
But when it goes wrong in a connected world it aparently can go very wrong indeed. The blogosphere has attached itself to them and resulted in the following stories breaking on The Consumerist Blog…
* The story that American Apparel may be selling rubber flip flops built in a Thai sweat shop (check out CherryFlava for all the links)
* The resignation letter of one of their employees (check out CherryFlava for all the links)
I can’t tell how true any of this is? American Apparel’s web site doesn’t mention anything. But the point of this post is how things can go wrong, all over the place, in a connected world. If your dirty washing gets out there, and someone thinks it’s blog-worthy, then there’s no telling where it can go. And in that world, what kind of PR do you use to protect yourself?
Got this via e-mail (where else) the other day…
1. BLAMESTORMING : Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.
2. SEAGULL MANAGER : A manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.
3. ASSMOSIS : The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard.
4. SALMON DAY : The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed and die in the end.
5. CUBE FARM : An office filled with cubicles
6. PRAIRIE DOGGING : When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people’s heads pop up over the walls to see what’s going on.
7. MOUSE POTATO : The on-line, wired generation’s answer to the couch potato.
8. SITCOMs : Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What Yuppies get into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.
9. STRESS PUPPY : A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.
10. XEROX SUBSIDY : Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one’s workplace.
11. IRRITAINMENT : Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying but you find yourself unable to stop watching them. The J-Lo and Ben wedding (or not) was a prime example - Michael Jackson, another…
12. PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE : The fine art of whacking the heck out of an electronic device to get it to work again.
13. ADMINISPHERE : The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.
14. 404 : Someone who’s clueless. From the World Wide Web error Message “404 Not Found,” meaning that the requested site could not be located.
15. GENERICA : Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, and subdivisions.
16. OHNOSECOND : That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you’ve just made a BIG mistake. (Like after hitting send on an unedited e-mail by mistake)
17. WOOFS : Well-Off Older Folks.
18. CROP DUSTING : Surreptitiously farting while passing through a Cube Farm.
To be honest this post is all about beating my colleague Mike Stopforth to the punch : ) I see that one of his icons, Robert Scoble, rated as the world’s most famous corporate blogger, is leaving Microsoft to join a recently formed Internet Media Start-Up.
The world’s most famous corporate blogger, Robert Scoble, credited with helping to break down a siege mentality at his employer, Microsoft, confirmed on Sunday that he is leaving to join a recently formed Silicon Valley Internet media start-up.
For a full article click here
Posts on this Blog that include Scoble are - Microsoft, Mini-Microsoft and the Talent Exodus and The Feedster Top 500 - blogs of the month
Technorati Tags: Robert Scoble, Mike Stopforth, Microsoft
I’ve always said that the people who sell bottled water, especially in countries that have perfectly good water in their taps, are genius. They’ve taken what is essentially a very cheap commodity and applied sufficient marketing spin in orer to increase the price, by thousands of times, and then sell it to the very same consumers who can buy it for next to nothing. In another world it’d be like me buying a BMW from BMW for R500 000, applying sufficient marketing spin to sell it to my friend who owns the very same model BMW for R500 000 000. It’s great business if you can get it.
But then I come accross this post. A post about Seven Eleven Japan, who have launched ‘canned oxygen’. I kid you not. If these guys can pull it off, and there’s no reason they can’t based on bottled water why they can’t, then they become king of my list of people I wish I was.
Suck it up baby!
Technorati Tags: canned oxygen
I spent the day with a group of Xers on Tuesday. And a smart bunch at that. Toward the end of the session there was some free-wheeling that happened and some good conversation started up. I was contacted by one of the group who re-raised some of the issues. I said I’d post her thoughts (below in my own words) to see if there was any response or thoughts from anyone else.
- The discussion centred around gen x’s general lack of hanging around. So where boomers have created forums and searched for solutions as a group, xers look for solutions as individuals and if nothing is found they move on. In a business context it means that less is being done in groups to search for solutions and a lot more movement is taking place. The implications for business is fairly obvious. Should xers be concerned with this behaviour?
- And her other question was (in her words)
what I can do about my need for my change “fix”?
If I’ve got it wrong then I’m sure I’ll be corrected in one of the comments.
Technorati Tags: Generation X, Xer, change
There’s a well used analogy around the buggy-whip and the introduction of the motor-car. It didn’t matter how good your whip was. Didn’t matter how cheap. Didn’t matter how well you could make them. No market = no sales.
There was an interview in my Sunday Times (newspaper) with Dr Ismail Jakoet (SA Rugby’s Medical Officer) this weekend around school rugby and injuries. One of the questions asked revealed that the headgear worn by Rugby players,
has proven to be useless in preventing certain injuries, but is still being worn.
When the reporter asked why they were still being worn, because that was the primary reason for wearing them, Dr Jakoet responded with,
No, no, no. If you look at your professional players, it’s the revenue they can derive from wearing those things. High-powered players have told me they know it doesn’t wor but they get payed for wearing them.
So rugby headgear has learnt at least something from the buggy-whip… when you’re looking down the barrel of a gun, market your way right outta there.
Two or three weeks ago I told Telkom Internet that they could kindly take their service and…. well, take it somewhere else. This after one of the most incredulous customer service experiences I’ve ever had.
It all started a few months ago when Telkom hard-capped me because I used 16gb of data in a month. Hard-capping refers to them basically suspending your account. Investigating this uncovered at least one piece of interesting info.. while the call-centre rep didn’t say it is as directly, he did hint that Telkom may be having some problems with usernames and passwords being leaked out, and that someone could easily be stealing my share of the 3gb I purchase each month. I monitored it, and it stopped as mysteriously as it started.
But then last month while away in Durban for a weekend (away from my DSL connection) my account clocked up over 11gb in 4 days. Telkom call-centre suggest I send an e-mail to abuse@telkom.co.za. I did this and the results were as suspected… someone else was logging into my account from a different location. But here’s the kicker… on the day I sent the mail, Telkom Internet once again hard-capped me. when I phoned they told me I had to buy more bandwidth, and when I pointed out an investigation was happening by Telkom through e-mail (the only channel available) and therefore would not be able to resolve it, the call-centre rep offered to e-mail abuse@telkom.co.za for me. This after I’d just waited the normal 30 minutes on the phone for her to answer. I politely told them, ‘no thanks’, and went to NewsCafe to get access to get the results of the missing data.
I spoke to a group of Estate Agents last week. At the lunch break a person came over to me, to tell me of an experience she had handled differently because of her understanding of how different age groups, generally speaking, prefer different chanels of communications.Somewhere during the last year she recieved an sms enquiring about a piece of property. She was about to pick up the phone to contact the person, when she said she remembered what I’d said about ‘young people finding sms communication easier’. So she responded through an sms. Aparently this person has gone on to purchase 3 properties through her, and the only time she connects with him on the phone or face-to-face is when the docs need to be signed.
A great story of generational difference and preference.
On the whole I’m not a big fan of team building. I think that it’s lost it’s way during it’s life time and meandered into events that were more about the experience than the team. Enter the ‘Spy Game‘. I can’t tell you much about it. I can’t give it a rating or advise you on whether or not it’ll add value to your team. But having read about it, it’s the kind of experience I’d like to participate in. If not just to experience the inventiveness of those who put it together.
I couldn’t find a link to a site about it directly, but I did check the ‘Go Game‘ out, which is apparently it’s baby brother.
If you noticed a post a week or two ago (Where in the world is Wally) then you’ll know that I had a brief trip to Japan last week. In fact it was so brief that I spent more time travelling there and back than I did in Japan. The flight was around 26 hours going there and 28 hours coming back. Wild.
I had some thoughts around my experience and observations while I was there. This then, is the begining of a multi-thread post on those thoughts.
As part of my preperation I contacted all the people I knew who’d been to Japan (or thought of going to Japan) to ask them what I should know before I go. I also visited my local book store and picked up two books on Japan. Both written for travellers to Japan from a different culture. Amazingly I managed to find someone who had a contact in the South African embassy in Tokyo. I figured it couldn’t hurt to have the name and number of a person like that. You never know the amount of trouble you’re capable of getting into, and having the name of someone who has influence to get you out can never hurt. Ever.
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