Pergamon Museum

I love museums, and the Smithsonian Museums are a major attraction for me in Washington DC (I think I have been to every one of them around Washington DC). The British museum has a huge collection of all the stuff they stole (sorry acquired through gifts) from their colonies, the Cairo Museum has the Tutenkamen, my personal favourite has been the Smithsonian Air and Space Museums (there are two of them) in Washington DC simply because of its massive collection: the Spirit of St Loius, the Lunar Lander back up, moon rocks, a Concorde, a space shuttle and a Black Bird. So given all that, to say that I think that the Pergamon is the most impressive museum I have ever been to, makes it quite special.

The Pergamon museum's collection is largely composed of art from the ancient world: Roman, Greek, Byzantine, Assyrian and Sumerian empires as well as a large collection of Islamic art. In terms of actual items on display, it is probably a lot smaller than other similar collections; but what is impressive is not only the quality but the scale.

To start off, take the Great Altar of Pergamon, after which the museum takes its name. I think pictures say a thousand words ... so I will leave it at that :P












I love the detail in the work. The is is a close up of the hand of Zeus. Part of the arm is missing, but his Torso is still largely intact. The hole allowed him to actually hold something that was meant to resemble a lightning strike he was about to do on some giant he was fighting.



The collection of other art works from the Greek and Roman empires include a recreation of a Greek temple (of Athena IIRC) where the level of detail in ancient buildings is truly astounding. The statues and artifacts are largely very well preserved, which is in itself quite impressive.




This is part of the top of the pillars of these temples. The lion's mouth acts like a gutter taking away rain water from the roof.







One of the other big attractions, Market Gate of Miletus, is under restoration. It is mentioned in the audio guide (every one gets an audio guide ... much easier than writing the descriptions in multiple languages), that this is one of the largest and heaviest archaeological installations in any museum.



But walk through the Ishtar Gate and then there is start of the Babylonian and Assyrian section. This gate and the recreation of Procession Street of Babylon (with only the width of the street being the only change from the original) is more colourful but less dramatic that the Altar of Pergamon. Built by Nebuchardrezzar II, it was apparently once considered part of the Seven Wonders of the World before being replaced by the Lighthouse of Alexandria.







The actual collection of works from the Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian empires is a lot smaller than the British Museum I think, but it certainly wins on the impressive scale.





The Islamic Art collection is lot more than a collection of carpets, and again, there is a a grand scale about it. Huge prayer murals, intricate wood carvings, and yes, well, carpets.







There is also a partial restoration of the Mshattas Palace, a now deserted palace from the Jordanian desert. The real origins of the palace are unknown, so it is rather mysterious. Oh yeah, this is on the second floor!

Good Fences Make Good Neighbours

The famous poem, Mending Wall, by Robert Frost, the only one I vaguely remember from high school, in a convoluted way, could be an apt description of the Berlin wall. Before the wall, a quick history of divided Germany: after WW2, the Allied powers carve up Germany between themselves into four parts (the Americans, the British, the French and the Soviets), according to population. The soviets, who are effectively on one side get a large chunk of Germany, which include the whole of Berlin. The other allied powers are reluctant to give Berlin away, so they divide Berlin into 4 parts also, again in terms of population.

The Iron Curtain is a well known term, but lesser known as a wall. So, people wanting to flee East Germany, rather chose to get into West Berlin (as refugees, who were accepted with open arms) which was easier to get into. Facing mass migration, the Soviets built the wall around West Berlin, almost over night. Initially it was a simple wall, not too high (there is a picture in the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer where residents from opposite sides of the wall are shaking hands), but it later grew to two walls, with an effective dead zone inside with land mines, barbed wire and patrols.

The wall scarred Berlin - it is clear even now, with many parts of where the wall used to be still laying barren. Neighbourhoods were torn up, and off course there is the case of the famous escapes. What I find most interesting is how the remaining wall has been treated.

A large part of it, at the East Side Gallery, is exactly that - an open air art gallery. Much of the exhibition is distinctly anti-war, anti-wall reminding people that even after the fall of the Berlin wall, new ones are being built elsewhere: whether it is in the Middle East (the now, not too mentioned wall in the West Bank) to the fence along Southern US/Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration. These walls are probably more in the line of what Robert Brown was talking about, but neither of these are et along the lines of the Berlin wall - where one nation were effectively prisoners.

East Side Gallery: Sadly there is just so much graffiti, some works are beyond recognition.







Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer: Includes a recreation of the dead yone, complete with patrol path, and some sort of machinery.







Church of Reconciliation was originally in the dead zone, and eventually demolished by the East Germans. This is the reconstructed church.





Checkpoint Charlie: Well known for the many incidences that took place here ...



Remembering Since the fall of the wall, Berlin is trying to keep it in memory. A brick line runs along parts of the areas where the wall used to be.

Nannying the Internet

This post is primarily motivated by this article. Basically, in an attempt to fight botnets, a US ISP is diverting traffic intended for suspected botnet addresses to "safe" addresses. So far, a noble goal? Except off course, if the suspected botnet address is actually a legitimate address - i.e. a false positive. This is when things get complicated, because customers get angry and companies loose business.

There is a ton of products out there that can be used by ISPs to control network traffic and block access to certain sites. Most of them work at the DNS level (which largely makes sense) by blocking out DNS entries; although others go the extra mile and block out reverse lookups also. Primarily the products cite controlling/blocking porn and phising as the primary motivation, but at an ISP level?

Should any network provider have any control over what the customer wants? Even if it is illegal? Even if it is against the customer's best interest? It is a tough legal question; but it all really revolves around who controls these lists? And can these lists be reviewed by the public?

In the battle for safety, giving the control over safe areas of the network to an ISP, while easier for the general public, is one step closer to Big Brother in many ways. What is the difference between this and the big China firewall? In both cases, if you can't see it - it doesn't exist! "Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither" ... it is equally applicable to virtual world as it is to the real world.

FIA - WTF?

There has been a spy scandal of epic proportions brewing in the Formula 1 paddock. The story so far, in point form:

1. Ferrari announce that they are investigating Nigel Stepney (part of the dream quartet) for sabotage. Eyebrows are raised, internal politics is the general consensus.
2. A copy shop in the UK alerts Ferrari that their IP is being copied in their shop.
3. The person doing the copying was the wife of Mike Coughlan, chief designer of rivals, and current points leader, McLaren.
4. Coughlan home is searched by the police, and a 780 page dossier of Ferrari data, plans etc. of the current Ferrari F1 car, tests, practices etc. is found
5. Stepney and Coughlan are both good friends, going back years.
6. Stepney and Coughlan both approached Nick Fry of Honda for a potential job as they were both tired of their current environment.
   
7. McLaren gets hauled off in front of the FIA World Motor Sport Council charged with the breach of article 151c of the International Sporting Code, which basically states that they were in possession of rival team's data without consent (i.e. espionage).
8. The FIA finds McLaren guilty of possession but they hand out no punishment, because there is insufficient proof that McLaren used the data they had access to! The FIA does provide for future punishments though. Full FIA statement.
   

And this is where it all becomes farcical! What's the point of finding them guilty of one charge (a very serious charge at that, whose maximum sentence is the ultimate: expulsion) but not hand out any punishment? One thinking behind why no punishment was given is that there is a close championship battle, so docking points or exclusion would harm the show. Fine, what about monetary fines? The FIA fined the Turkish GP organisers 5 million US Dollars for hosting a controversial podium celebration!

This is off course not the end of the story. The full spy saga has a long way to go, and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered, including Coughlan got the data in the first place. As for the Honda link, no idea if they are involved. But the FIA's current decision is neither here nor there ... and just plain stupid.

Kunsthaus Tacheles

From the outside, it does not look like much. In fact, it looks like a dilapidated building, which should have been demolished long ago. In reality, it is one of the best art and culture centers I have ever been to. It is a haven for art of all types, and the building itself has a very colourful history (according to Wikipedia anyway).


Huge, brilliant detail, ad?



Even bigger, but more true to the artform

Berlin has a lot of graffiti - but this is one of the best places to see the real grand work - murals and art works that are 6 storeys high - with both the the really beautiful and precise and the freeform. I have been here a number of times since I have been in Berlin, and I think I will keep up coming back.


By the main entrance


Up the stairs to the top

Tacheles features a number of bars, two movie theatres with really plush sofas (should try it out sometime) and off course, a number of artist studios and exhibitions.

Potter Mania

I was introduced to the series by my younger brother, and I have become a fan. Normally, I buy the books online, but I decided to experience the whole, midnight release experience at one of the largest bookstores in Berlin, Dussmann das KulturKauufhaus.

The whole queuing thing is quite interesting - esp when you consider the massive queues for recent gadget launches like the iPhone last month and the Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation 3 last year. The staff were all dressed up as witches and wizards (and a few more specific characters (none of the main characters though!) and the media was there to off course. It was actually quite an interesting experience. There was probably not much difference between those launches and Harry Potter; except the queues were comparatively lot shorter, and the gratification a lot faster - after all you can start reading the book almost immediately. I had already finished 50 pages on my way home!

Spolier Alert


Real Spolier Alert

As for the book, I must confess that I did not like the ending. Overall, the book is quite dark, and a lot more grown up. The twist involving two of the most important characters was good, but the ending was too simple, and at some level too expected. It is too much of a Hollywood ending; but then again, it is a children's story; and good does triumph over evil and all that.

Great Ad

Have seen this a few times on German TV ... brilliant ad for Mercedes Benz featuring Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Mika Hakkinen. Click on title, for the direct YouTube link. And, turn up the volume, the sound track is also brilliant!

Cheap Bandwidth?

We are quite used to complaining about the cost of bandwidth in SA. But are we always justified? After a week in Germany, I am no longer convinced.

Yes, when it comes to ADSL, our costs are much higher. But some claims by forums such as Hellkom are myths. For example, line rental. Germany has them too - yes, about 50% of what Telkom charges (using the lowest line rental price), and at a much higher bandwidth - but still it exists. And the cost of a connection is also much lower together with higher caps. But that is to be expected - compared to South Africa, more people in Germany can afford computers, and thus connection to the Internet; and Germany, like most of Europe, has a pretty high population density (on average) when compared to South Africa. All this makes the provision of broadband cheaper.

But where South Africa definitely trumps Germany is in mobile Internet connectivity. The fact is, for travelers and people intending to stay in a city or town for a short period of time (like me), ADSL and other fixed broadband services are impractical. In Germany, it can take 2 weeks or more to get ADSL installed - which makes it impractical for me in Berlin for example. And the cost of mobile broadband is astronomical (when compared to South Africa). Since the phone I am using was locked to Vodafone, I had to get a Vodafone service (or buy a new phone); so I can only confirm Vodafone prices. However, prices between the different operators should not differ widely!

GPRS costs 20 Euro cents per 10Kb! In South Africa, before the recent price cuts, we could get 1Mb for the same price! That's right - that is a full 100 times cheaper! And with recent price cuts, it would make mobile Internet connectivity in South Africa about 400 times cheaper!

The implications are quite interesting. Firstly, mobile broadband is not affordable except for emergency. it also means that mobile network applications such as Mixit or Yeigo have no place, as they are going to be uneconomic.

I am currently investigating other options (UMTS/3G based) but the prices I was quoted by Vodafone were very high (though much lower than just GPRS prices). Will have to investigate more on this. So, for fixed line connectivity, South Africa is behind. But when it comes to mobility, South Africa is far ahead!

A brief note about keyboards

German keyboards have to incorporate four more letters: ö, ü, ä and ß. For this reason, the keyboard layout is slightly different to the normal US keyboard layout. And that is annoying - because it is not just the incorporation of different keys.

To start of, the z and y kes are swapped around. So, I often end up with tzping mistakes.

There are also other keys out of position ... ' and " are on different keys (both, have to be used with shift). And I am dreading latex usage on this type of a keyboard; {, [, ], } are all third keys, which are accessed with a combination of alt and a another key.

Forget langauge issues .... getting to grips with the keyboard seems more difficult!

Ich bin ein Berliner

Ok, maybe JFK getting it wrong is an urban legend, and this is not a post about jelly filled donuts. Regardless it is one of the most famous statements made about Berlin, so a good way as any to start of the first post about Berlin. Unlike my previous trips in the last four years, this is the first time, I will stay in a foreign country for an extended period of time, and really "living" in the country instead of just visiting.

So far my knowledge (or the lack thereof) of German has not been too much of a problem, but I should probably make an attempt to learns some basics, as everything is in German. Except for CNN and BBC, everything on TV is dubbed, from the B and C grade American movies to the blockbuster movies, series and sitcoms. This extends to shops, where almost nothing is in English.

And talking of shops, things are more expensive that South Africa - but that was to be expected. For example, my first expense in Berlin was to acquire a monthly travel pass, which gives me unlimited use of the Berlin public transport (trams, buses, S Bahn (a intra city train network) and the U-Bahn (the underground train network) within the AB zone (the Berlin city zone), for 70 Euros. A day pass would cost 5.50 Euros, so it is a big saving, but expensive none the less. Except for Trams, I have traveled in all the other forms of public transport. So far, everything works like clockwork, and everything seems synchronised (for example, U-Bahn trains wait for trains on other lines that stop at the same station). The U-Bahn is very similar to other underground train systems, and does not have the complexity of the New York subway. One interesting point though: it seems that some lines are narrow gauge while others are wide gauge. Can't really confirm this - just commenting from the seating arrangements in the trains. It could just be a matter of perspective. Oh one more U-Bahn weird fact: the ticket inspectors (there is no enforced access control wear no uniforms (do carry id) and so blend into the crowd. Very cool!

Berlin is a very cycle friendly city, with cycle lanes and bike racks everywhere! The fact that the city is mostly flat helps off course. I have yet to see more than a handful of cyclists wearing helmets though! Maybe they don't get knocked down too often. That does not mean that there are no cars on the road; but there is definitely less cars than other European capitals I have been to, especially Paris and London. As for cars, it is not much of a surprise to see Mercedes, BMW, VW, Audi and Opel being the dominant brands. However, that does not mean that there are no other makes on the road.

I am staying in a studio apartment, similar (from the outside) to apartment blocks I have seen in East Berlin (I am not sure whether I am in West or East Berlin). It is a big apartment block, with a very confusing door numbering system (they do not use the floor number followed by flat number convention); so working out where my apartment was took some time. While certainly not the lap of luxury, it certainly has everything I need, and I have sort of worked out most of the logistics - most because I have no idea where the laundromat is. Not required now - but will be in 2 weeks time! The complex also has a well kept garden, tennis courts, a braai area and my flat has an awesome view!

I went on a 4 hour free walking tour of the city (by Brewers Berlin Tour), a company that I actually stumbled upon, rather than intending to find them. It was a good overview of the main sites of the city, and I intend to go back to many of the areas for a more detailed visit. So, I will phlog according to subject matter rather than daily activities.

Welcome to my office

"Good evening sir, welcome to my office". This was the greeting by a toilet cleaner at O.R. Tambo International Airport (previously known as Johannesburg International Airport, which was previously known as Jan Smuts International Airport). While the airport has been improved considerably inside (after check in) at the international terminal, I think the domestic terminal is miles ahead with the other related infrastructure of shops, and commuting between different levels of the terminal before check in. I know it is the older terminal, but hopefully, once the new terminal is built the rest of the older terminal is remodeled.

Munich airport is all steel and glass - a far cry from Frankfurt. And for the first time, at any security check, I felt that the security staff actually knew what they were doing, and most importantly why they were doing it. So much so, that the lady behind me commented: "you are so much stricter than the US". I did not have any time to actually look around the airport: I had a very tight connecting flight.

Berlin Tegel is a much smaller airport, arranged in concentric circles, with the planes docking on the outside, the airport terminal building in the middle ring and the cars picking up people on the inside. My only complaint was the lack of clear signs to indicate where the information desk was (can't get into any city without a map!) - but people were courteous, and I was pointed in the right direction. For the record, there is an information desk by exit/entrance 12.

Movie: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This is probably the shortest movie of the franchise, yet the book is one of the longest. Thus, it is no wonder that there are numerous details missing from the movie. That said, the movie covers the important details, and covers the ground at good pace - a major problem with many of the franchise movies out this year (Spiderman 3 for example). And the things that are focussed on, are the real important stuff! Like previous movies, it is an excellent addition to the franchise.

Bomb Scare

I went to watch the new Harry Potter movie (see here) at the Musgrave Centre, in Durban, and half way through, the entire centre was evacuated due to a bomb scare. It was a hoax, but two points are worrying, and could have been fatal!

1) The general lack of panic: everybody I came across seemed to treat it as a hoax, and got into their cars, and then a massive traffic jam, and before clearing out. Some people even went to the loo before evacuating! If this was real, I am sure most of use would not have survived!

2) The general lack of information from the centre management. The security staff did not give much detail, just asked people to leave the centre. This was probably the reason why people were so apathetic in their approach: they had no real motivation for evacuating!

Don't get me wrong - the staff were courteous, and Ster-Kinekor did refund the tickets. But, in the age of terrorism and other such inflated fears, I am not sure the response was the most appropriate.

Roadtrip: Day 3: Kolga to Durban

For the first time, I actually managed to leave at 6am! And it was damn cold (well in South African standards anyway). I stopped very briefly by the Great Fish River, but it barely a stream. No sign of all the rain we had in Cape Town, ever reaching this far! In fact, most of Transkei looked very dull and brown. But the road itself, despite the potholes, is a lot of fun to drive. Long mountain passes and great views makes for interesting driving experience. Again, a nice car is really needed to make the most of it.

The one weird part of the whole trip through the Transkei was the amount of roadkill I came across. Not sure what the animals were - looked like cats and dogs - I didn't bother to really investigate. Regardless, it was somewhat creepy.

One other point of interest - there was a hint of snow on the mountains by Kokstad. That is however not too surprising - last week, the whole town was snowed in, and the roads were closed!


Another welcome change from the Transkei - Kwa Zulu Natal is so much greener! I more or less drove straight from Kokstad, with one stop to fill up petrol (which I didn't really need). A long trip, but I would love to do it again!

Roadtrip: Day 2: Storms River Village to Kolga

So, not contend with sliding half way across the Bloukrans bridge - I decided to go for more. In Tarzan, Tarzan always seems to enjoy swinging around the forest. There is something similar in the Tsitsikamma forest - instead of swing around though, you slide between platforms high up on the Yellow-wood trees of the Tsitsikamma forest. Some long slides, some fast slides, and through the canopies of the forest. Really cool, and beats walking around any day.

Our Guide Pam, Sliding to the last platform

There is so much to do around Tsitsikamma - there is a mountain bike trail to the Storms River mouth but that was closed until mid July (and I didn't have time anyway). There are also numerous hikes, and I went up to the Big Tree (a massive Yellowood tree), the starting point of some other longer hikes around Tsitsikamma forest. I think I can spend a whole week here!



Drove straight to Grahamstown (after a short stop at the Storms River bridge) with the road remarkably empty, and except the approach to Port Elizabeth, rather dull in scenery. I did consider stopping over at Grahamstown for the festival, but I was too disorganised, and did not think I could find accommodation or tickers easily.


Instead of following the N2 into East London, I decided to cut through the Transkei. It was getting dark, and stopped at a small town called Kolga (about 6 Km from where the road rejoins the N2. Found a (possibly only) B&B (Red Valley B&B) run by a granny (numerous items in the office testifying to the fact she is a granny :P). Not too bad, what can be expected I suppose. R250 for the night with dinner (I leave early in the morning, so decided not to take the breakfast option). Not the cheapest place to stay, but not a bad place to stay.

My favourite picture from the trip

Roadtrip: Day 1: Cape Town to Storms River Village

Initially, I planned on starting the trip at 6am. But due to various reasons, including the fact that I was still packing at 6:30 am, I only started out at 7am. Still dark though! For whatever reason, regardless of trip, I always manage to misplace my lip-ice - today was no exception. So, first stop - the Engen 1-Stop near Somerset West to address this problem and to buy breakfast (Woolies food stop - yummy). Decided to delay breaking the fast until Sir Lowry's pass - eat with a view!

From here on, it was rather straight forward - just drive. I did stop a few times at some of the lookout/rest areas - but the rest areas I was really looking forward to - between Mossel Bay and Knysna were all blocked out due to road construction. :( Regardless, I must state that the road between Mossel Bay and Knysna is particularly stunning, and the lakes, mountain and greenery reminded me of the Scottish Highlands.

Every second car on the road seemed to carry a bike (so I sort of fitted in). Only when I came to Knysna, did I realise that the Knysna Oyster Festival was on, and there is a bike race as part of the festivities. The traffic was horrendous, so I did not bother going into Knysna.

I have been to Pletenberg Bay once before, I did not understand the attraction. But my (ex) house mate, Dan mentioned Nature's Valley, and I decided to give it a try. A brilliant suggestion!

Firstly, the road is exhilarating with all the switchbacks through the forest and mountains of Tsitsikamma. really need to come back with a better car :P Nature's Valley itself is very cool - a massive, largely deserted beach, lagoon, lots of birds. Very pretty, and I think it has a good potential for a very nice day/evening out.

After that, it was getting towards late afternoon, so off to Bloukrans. I have always wanted to bungee jump from the bridge. But to see it properly, looking down - I almost chickened out. But then, I decided, what the hell. And went for the combo - a slide down from the side of the bridge to the jump base. And then the bungee.

The slide was brilliant - you literally fly suspended across half the canyon. I think they should make a really extreme one that does the full canyon. The jump was interesting - it was a high (all that adrenalin), and it was really cool to see the world from a different angle. The whole falling thing is also quite scary, but cool. I preferred the rebounds however, much slower speeds, and thus, you get to see a lot more. Dangling over the canyon (even if it is head first) is an experience in itself. However, I am not sure if I would like to do it again. Would happily do the slide again, and again. I must commend the staff - they were very friendly, and were very safety concious. I do find the whole video, photo and t-shirts a bit excessively priced. I think it would have been better to offer at least some of it as part of the package and not as optional extras.

As it was quite late, I decided to find a place to stay for the night. The staff at the bungee recommended that I try Storms River Village - basically a whole tourist village with a number of guest houses and the like. God a very nice self catering unit (Ploughmans B&B) - R150 for the night, fully furnished. Went to a restaurant here, Rafters, which incidentally specialises in Cape Malay cooking - whose food was average and overpriced. Oh well - you win some, you loose some.

Farewell Cape Town (for now anyway)

I have stayed in Cape Town (with a few breaks during holidays) since February 2000. In fact, I have spend more time at UCT and surrounding areas that any other place in the world. Cape Town, for all intents and purposes has become my home city.

So I leave for Germany next week, and go for a (very) short visit to Durban before I go to Germany. I am not sure if I will be back in Cape Town on a permanent basis in the near future. I love the city - and of all the places I have been to, it is definitely one of my favourite places. However, I would also like a change of environment, see new things, do new things.

So until then, farewell Cape Town.

iPhone Thoughts

So after reading a number of reviews, watching a few of the iPhone videos, my ramblings on the iPhone, possibly the most hyped gadget ever.

I think, at the end of the day, the iPhone does what it can brilliantly.

First and foremost - it is an iPod. And it is a brilliant iPod at that. It does what other iPods do, only better, and that alone is a selling point.

It is a good phone. It is an intuitive to use phone. It has some of the features that I would like (silence button for instance) but don't have. The integration with the address book is also a lot more intuitive.

It is a good medium for writing SMS text messages. This past weekend I have had SMS text message conversations comprising over 200 messages in total (it is infinitely cheaper to have a conversation via sms than to use the phone, esp over such a long period of time). It is a pain to view and organise them as they are on the Nokia that I use. The iPhone's conversation view makes brilliant sense, as does Google's gMail.

It is a good web browser. I am not talking about the speed - that is the responsibility of the network. But just as a browser it is brilliant. As someone who regularly uses wap to check my mail (via gMail) or Autosport.com etc, I can say that a full blown browser, even without plugins is long overdue.

Could it be better - off course. It could have had 3G. It could have had better battery life. It could have had faster memory. All those are for the next versions. I am sure most of the UI and multi tap screen features has been patented, and like FairPlay, no other phone manufacturer is going to come out with a UI or phone with the core features of the iPhone in the next couple of years.

At the moment, the iPhone is a good iPod with all the basic features of a phone. The first batch is effectively serving a very core market of people who will buy it because of the emotional attachment and exclusivity. The second and third generation will have more feature, and will going to target the mass appeal so that people will start wanting a iPhone because the Joneses have it. And soon, like the iPod, almost every second Tom, Dick and Sipho will seem to have it.

And then they will launch another gadget that will cause long queues similar to other gadgets on the market, with smaller set of features, but allowing the user to inteeract with those features really, really well. After all it is the usage of the features that matter, not the features themselves.

Peace Breaker

Like Carl, I also bought a new CD recently (a highly unusual occurrence for me). I was browsing at Look n Listen when I came across the new Springbok Nude Girls Album: Peace Breaker.

I was very disappointed when the Nudies didn't play more songs from this album, esp as there is such a wide variety of songs. From the heavier stuff (like the first song, and one of my favourites Gang Gang) to less heavier ballads, it has it all. And above all, as I commented to Jay, it is loud enough to keep me awake for my upcoming road trip :P

Movie: Driving Lessons

Rupert Grint (Harry Potter's Ron Weasley) plays a devout teenage boy (almost adult) who takes a summer job helping an almost retired actress. As such th eplot wouldn't be interesting except that the boy's domineering mother is a control freak, and basically over mothers her son. To top it off, there is an undercurrent of hypocracy, as although the family is a strong christian family on the outside (the father is a preacher), the mother ends up having an affair with a younger preacher (apparently because it was God's will).

It is a good comedy that explores some of the links between common sense, legality, adventure and safety. It is a movie about friendship accross age groups (no nothing sexual) - and about having fun, regardless of your age.

Music: Cold Hand Chemistry, 12th Avenue & Autopilot

Last night, I went to the Independent Armchair Theatre on a whim - I knew that there were bands playing, and knew it was rock/metal - but nothing else. No idea who they were, how good they were etc. It is the best R 30 I have spent recently.

Cold Hand Chemistry is a relatively new metal band; and they played a short 30 minute set. Of the three bands last night, they had the most diverse range of instruments (keyboard and percussion), but it was their composition and mixing of their instruments that really stood out for me. To be honest, their vocalist was not impressive - she was not exceptional (but I suppose you don't need to be song bird to be in a metal group), and that did impact some of their actual songs. But their lyrics (esp their last song) was really impressive - and in my opinion, the last song was the best song I heard this weekend. I think this band could go places ...

12^th Avenue is a more old fashioned rock band, two guitars, one bass guitarist and a drummer. They are getting ready to launch a new album, so they played songs from old and new albums (not that it made any difference to me). Lots of energy, and generally good catchy songs. Not exactly pop rock, but good entertainment.

The main event was Autopilot launching their new music video. First and foremost - their mixing was atrocious. Too much bass, and too much volume - for everything - it just didn't seem to gel together. And although, like 12^th Avenue, they had some pop rock, catchy tunes, it just wasn't as much of a pleasurable experience. And the video seemed to have the same problems, so I don't think it is a venue issue - but more of a band arrangement issue.

Music: Captain Stu and the Llamas & The Rudimentals

I have always been a big fan of the Rudimentals, and went to see them perform at the Zula Sound Bar on Friday night.

The support act was Captain Stu and the Llamas, also a ska band. They are a big band - 4 brass players, 2 guitarists, a drummer and the vocalist - but they have lots of energy, and were really entertaining. I can't really comment on the lyrics for two reasons: 1) the vocal volume was on the low side, and 2) I don't really try to understand the fake Jamaican accents Ska and reggae bands try to incorporate. Their music however also encompassed some other styles including Hip Hop and rock, although none of these songs can really be considered special.

The Rudimentals are a brilliant stage act. Their CDs, for whatever reasons, just doesn't do them justice for their skills, and for me, they are a prime example of why live music can be so much better than CDs. The Rudimentals are opening for UB 40 when the tour SA in the next two weeks, and so this set was their "warm up" set. And after quite a while, I heard some new stuff from them - new songs and some new collaborations with another Reggae artist (name escapes me). And as can be expected from the Rudimentals, they were brilliant on stage, and got every one up and moving! Yet another great gig!

Lion's Head

The weather has been great recently, so I decided not to waste it staying indoors, and walk up Lion's Head. And, convincing Hans-Peter was not too difficult either! I really love Lion's Head - it is relatively easy to walk up, and has some of the best views of Cape Town. It was also a great opportunity to have more fun with the DSLR. (photos have been resized ... don't have the patience to upload 3MB+ pics)

There has been a lot of rain, so there were a number of streams on the mountain. The aim was to capture "frozen" water droplets from one of the small water falls ... worked out, but could have been better.

Table Mountain from the top.

Devil's Peak from the top.

Trying out the long range telescopic shots ... there seemed to be some oil rig mooreed in the harbour.

It has been cold recently - snow in Africa :p


A bird eating something.


Hans-Peter charging down the mountain!

Working Life: Differences between Google and Microsoft

I came across this article via Slashdot. It is primarily crafted at trying to improve working life inside Microsoft, but some of the insights are quite interesting.

The free food and clothes is well known, but the idea that there is no real career advancement is interesting. After all, is there a need for defined career advancement? Surely, the fact that you get paid better for being a better employee is equivalent? After all aren't titles meaningless without the associated salary increases? Maybe I am missing something - after all I have no corporate experience!

Movie: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Horrible plot, horrible acting, horrible script. And, an utterly, mind numbing, stupid ending. Good CGI though. An utter waste of time, otherwise ... why do they keep making stupid movies?

Movie: Ocean's Thirteen

The third installment of a rather drab series. I found it quite slow, and even the heist, rather uninteresting - particularly because, the opponent is a very advanced computer AI. It had its moments, but nothing spectacular.

Movie: The History Boys

There have been a number of movies with a similar theme, and I haven't watched any of them. The plot is simple - a group of boys, in a fairly non-distinct school (not exactly poor, but not very well off, lower-middle class probably) have a fighting chance to get into Oxbridge if they do well in their A-level exams. Thus, the teachers (in this case History teachers) and the headmaster are pushing a lot to try ensure that they do actually get to go to either Oxford or Cambridge, and if possible, get a scholarship to attend either. There is an eccentric teacher, a very modern teacher and there is fun and games. All in all, an entertaining story, with a bit of a sting in the end.

One thing that did stand out for me, was really the environment of the story. The fact is, people who get to go to the top universities, get to perform well at exams are often from the "established" schools. This is not because that the children are any brighter, nor because the teachers are any better - these are definitely factors - but the story pushes that it is a lot to do with the general environments - trips to Rome and Paris help a lot with learning French or Itallian, and similarly discussing renaisance art history is easier if you have actually seen a collection of Renaisance art. Ultimately, the movie argues, this is the hardest opposition for great students from poorer schools have to overcome, when competing with the affluent students.