Thornfest

Thornfest, is a new rock festival, held over the past three days at a farm about 70Km south of Jo'burg. The festival was with camping facilities etc. but I only went on the Saturday; and even then only got there around 5:30.

It was a very well organised festival - lots of space, lot of food and merchandise stands and 3 stages. The only complaint is possibly the lack of rubbish bins; which made the grounds seem like a dumping ground at times. But beyond that, it was well organised, with seemingly no problems.

I think the festival tried to do too much at the same time. I think there were just too many bands and not enough people. I think in future, two big stages may make more sense than three. I am also not sure of the rationalle of smaller bands playing during the headline acts on the main stage. Unlike festivals where the bands cover different genres of music; larger bands would tend to draw most of the audience away from the smaller bands.

Second Guess'd



Apparently, Second Guess'd had got the billing after winning a battle of the bands competition. For a new band; they were quite impressive - with some humorous lyrics and generally good performance.

Knave

For me, Knave was the best band of the evening - with the best combination of great music, lyrics, stage presence and performance. I even ended up buying their latest CD. They first came into prominence last year (or year before) with their single "Taunt and Tether", but their other songs are also worth listening to. The promo girls from Jagermeister did use the opportunity to throw out a lot of freebies; but somehow dancing girls do not seem to tie to metal bands - well their type of dancing anyway.

Fuzigish


Fuzigish should have been a main stage attraction - and the Stand Firm stage was not only filled to capacity inside; it had a rather large number of people outside craning to see some of the action inside. I have seen Fuzigish a number of times, so after their first song; I decided to head outside to see the visiting band from the UK.

Seven Year Kismet

They were one of two international acts, and at first look they certainly did not fit the stereotype of a metal band. With Fuzigish drawing the large majority of the crowd; they played to a rather small audience. Dressed in white T-Shirts and shorts; they don't seem to have any visible tattoos or piercings. The vocalist had good stage presence; but to be honest they were nothing remarkable.

Agro


I had not heard of Agro before, but they have an impressive CV. Easily the oldest band on show last night, they had a really impressive stage show and their instrumental pieces were simply amazing.

I met the vocalist (Cliff) and Bass Guitarist (Robbie) and their roadie (whose name I forget) just before their show while waiting for a pizza. The conversation started around my Nightwish t-shirt; but while I simply watched them; they had played in a festival alongside Nightwish and a few other major bands.

They are also very proud of their metal music, with Cliff commenting that there were too many "jocks with long hair" who don't actually appreciate metal music. He was rather verbose about defending metal on stage too, proclaiming that agro "was not core-metal but metal to the core"; and wanting to proclaim metal as a religion (that should give the bible-belt something to talk about).

All said, although their first song was rather crap; their show just got better and better - with some really interesting lyrics and music. Definitely worth going to see again.

Cutting Jade



Cutting Jade has been one of the "big" South African rock bands; but somehow they haven't been as successful as some of their contemporaries. I am not such a big fan of Cutting Jade - they have a few good songs; and a generally good performance; but somehow I never come away really impressed with the band.

Fokofpolisiekar



Fokofpolisiekar was the biggest attraction of the festival, and attracted by far the biggest crowd of the evening. The band certainly lived up to their billing as one of the foremost South African bands; and can be enjoyed even without understanding Afrikaans. Incredible stage presence; great music and great performance. In many respects, they were the headline act of the festival.

Pestroy


Pestroy has long been South Africa's leading metal group; and they were worthy headliners, although the crowd had thinned dramatically after Fokofpolisiekar's show. Similar to Limp Bizkit, Pestry features a rapper/singer as the main vocalist, with a very energetic (almost frantic) show. I have only heard their music on radio; and I was quite impressed with both the performance and the music.

Mozart's Anniversary Concert

Wednesday (27 Jan) was Mozart's birthday, and the Mozart Anniversary Concert was held at Linder Auditorium as part of the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, the second such festival held in Jo'burg. While the program did feature Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor K 466 (featuring Florian Uhlig, who is also the festival's artistic director), the majority of the program featured South African based/influenced composers.

The first piece "Fatse la Heso" (My Country), by Michael Moerane,started of slowly before finishing with a very impressive flourish. It is supposedly based on African traditional music - but without the drums that would accompany such music - I am not sure where the relation lies.

The final piece, which was also the longest, was "Song of Four Winds" featuring an orchestra, a soprano and a baritone. The background to the piece is quite interesting; and overall, the music itself was also quite impressive - using a variety of musical instruments to great effect. However, the singers and the song itself was rather ordinary - and in my opinion rather detracted from the music.

The festival carries on until the 9th of Feb, with a concert almost every night. However, the Linder Auditorium was hardly half full - and while there are some very interesting pieces to llok forward to (I am quite keen for at least 3 more concerts), I am not sure if the festival will be a commercial success of anysorts.

Chrome and GMail

I have had lots of problems with Chrome and Gmail in the past, especially when the earlier releases seemed to be buggy for proxies. But this error message takes the top prize! For the record, I was not using a proxy, and am on a direct connection to a Tier 1 ISP.

For those who are not inclined to click on the pic, the error states "It seems there is a problem. Please try using Gmail with a supported browser".

Music: To Bring a Gun to a Shark Fight, Sesling and Enmity

It has been a few months since I last went to a gig at a club, and Back 2 Basix was the only place I could find gigs at. I suppose, people are still recovering from the festive season. Last night's line-up was all metal bands

To Bring a Gun to a Shark Fight
They are probably the worst band I have seen in a long time. It is not only the fact that their vocals are entirely composed of screaming (there seems to be no change in tone to what they were screaming, so I assume there were no lyrics); but there was also no change in the music itself. In fact, I think there was a song in which none of the guitarists moved their hands for the entire song - they seemed to be plucking the same chords, over and over again. Now repeat that for 30 minutes. The testament to how bad they were, was how much of the audience just left (even the club) while they were still playing!

Sesling
The warm-up and sound check for Sesling was more interesting than the full set of the previous band. Sesling, a 5-piece, Afrikaans band comprising of band-members from a number of a other well known metal bands. While they sing in Afrikaans, so I cannot say much about their lyrics, they have a very interesting sound - and the two vocalists combine well on stage. It was unfortunately a very short set; but definitely enjoyable.

Enmity
A young six piece band, I think also from Cape Town, they have a really good combination of vocalists with their keyboard player Chloe providing melodic backing and their vocalist Alainite providing the usual angry screaming. Their lyrics are also interesting, although they are deffinitely the type that gets bands labeled Satanic. After-all, Alainite described every song being about serial killers. They have a great presence, and they play very well together. I think they still have to get set-up correct, as their mixing could have been a lot better - but it's a band that could do well. Their cover of the Beatle's Eleanor Rigbby, was also quite good - and different.

Fuel price regulation

South Africa has in theory, regulated fuel price. In theory, there is a set price per region - and this should have both a stabilising effect on the price of energy in the country; as well as reduce the effect of distance/low population density areas on the price of fuel. In theory at least.

The following table gives the fuel price in the towns I filled up in.

Town	Octane	Price per litre
Kempton Park	U 95	R 7.92
Vryburg	U 93	R 8.04
Pofadder	U 93	R 8.28
Lamberts Bay	U 95	R 7.79
Bellville	U 95	R 7.69
Three Sisters	U 95	R 7.90
Warrenton	U 93	R 7.97
Midrand	U 95	R 7.92

This table is skewed slightly by the fact that Unleaded 93 Octane fuel is the only fuel available in North West and Northern Cape (and unavailable in the Western Cape). That said, there is a massive difference of 59c per litre, between the fuel price in Pofadder and the price in Cape Town! What is also quite perplexing is the difference between Pofadder, Vryburg and Warrenton - especially as they are almost equidistant from each other!

I am not sure how the regions are broken up with regards to the fuel price; but there is certainly a big fluctuation in the price. I am not sure if this is the outcome of regulatory intent; or the bad policing of regulation.

All the data in a few graphs (click for a larger version):

Roadtrip: Three Sisters to Midrand, via Kimberley

Until Potchefstroom, the road to Midrand was largely uninteresting and boring. That was not unexpected, but that does not detract from the boredom. Furthermore, the horde of cars I saw at the Three Sisters Ultra City (almost all with Gauteng plates, and all seemingly heading northwards); all seemed to take the N1. Thus, this road was rather quiet on the traffic front too.

It all changed in Potchefstroom - not because the scenery got more pleasant, but because of a massive thunderstorm which reduced visibility and thus at least made the driving a lot more interesting. The storm passed, just past Carletonville, but by then it was a slow merge into the N1 and then Jo'burg traffic shortly thereafter.

Including the driving around in Cape Town, it was a fairly long trip in total - almost 4300 Km, and about R3000 in expenses such as accomodation, fuel, food etc. Not bad for what ammounted to two weekends away (since I did work during the week in Cape Town).

Kimberley

Kimberley, is one of the main towns in South Africa. In some respects, it is known only for its diamond heritage; which has not only fueled the South African economy, but had an impact on other South African life; as the plaque by the Big Hole suggests. I was surprised how big the city was, but I shouldn't have been. It is not mentioned as one of the major cities in South Africa, but it clearly is.

Kimberley has also played a major role in the history of the ANC, and was Sol Plaatjie's (one of the core founders of the ANC) home towards the end of his life. His house is apparently a museum and a national monument, but the signs in Kimberley are confusing, and do not lead anywhere (one sign says left, then the next sign makes no mention etc). I did go to another museum (McGregor Museum, which documents the siege of Kimberley); but did not get any help their either.

As it was getting late; I decided to carry on to Jo'burg instead.

The Big Hole

It is probably the world's most famous hole, and also probably the richest. The Big Hole, in Kimberley is now also a proper tourist attraction, converted to a proper museum. There is a recreation of the old town, an ampitheatre that plays a 20 minute documentary on this history of Kimberley, a fake trip down the mine (you have to experience it to understand what I mean), a display on the formation of diamonds, a display in a massive safe of real diamonds (but the main attraction - Eureka, the first diamond to be discovered was on "leave") and off course the hole itself.

Roadtrip: Bellville to Three Sisters

I deliberately decided on a short first day for the drive back to Johannesburg. Yes, I could do the whole trip in one day; but the intent was to see the country - not get from A to B. If it was the latter, I would have flown - it would be cheaper; and faster.

I started in the adternoon, and spent a considerably amount of time on Dutoitskloof pass looking at the view and taking pictures (and trying things out with my camera). The Hex River moountains, which follow directly after, were fun to drive through also. But thereafter, it was a drab drive to Three Sisters, where for the first time in the trip, I had made prior reservations.




There is no town or village called Three Sisters - it is actually a very large sheep farm, named after the three hills. Apparently there are two accounts of the name - stemming from a San tale about three naughtly sisters turned to mountains as punishment and a rival account of being named by an English lady who alighted at the station here.

The farm has been in the same family since inception, 5 generations ago - and the current family also runs a small, cosy guesthouse - set in a great garden that makes you forget that this is the middle of the desert. Dinner was an interesting experience in some respects - myself and three other couples sat around a common dining table for a three course meal of chicken soup, lamb chops and ice cream. Quite a few guesthouse apparently have this, but this is the first time I have experienced it. The conversation was mostly dominated by one old lady, who was returning from Mossel Bay; and talked about the drought and the cost of liquid beverages (of all kinds) in Mossel Bay, and the surrounding area.

Dutoitskloof Pass

Start of the pass (left), N1 to the Huguenot Tunnel entrance (right)

In the seemingly mad dash between Jo'burg and Cape Town, the Huguenot Tunnel (part of the N1), is the popular course; with few people taking the slightly longer time to travel over the mountain on the stunning Dutoitskloof Pass. Absolutely stunning views of Cape Town and a brilliant road - why would anyone travel through the tunnel?


A view of Paarl


The curving road through the hills


There's a little village up there!

Ken jy die see?

The only poem I remember from matric (now over 10 years ago!) is in Afrikaans - a subject I was not good at, and still do not comfortably converse in. Uys Krige's "Ken jy die see", for whaetver reason, sticks to my mind (I had to Google the poet's name though).

Cape Town understandably has a strong fishing community and the poem is really about the difficult work entailed by fishing - especially the small fishing enterprises making up much of the Cape coast.

Kalk bay harbour is one of the freshest sources of fish - both ready made in the surrounding restaurants and takeaways; and for sale. It is a facinating place to walk around; and great place for pictures in my opinion. And the harbour, catches a lot of the emotion and context of the poem ...

Roadtrip: Lamberts Bay to Bellville

The drive was fairly short; but impressively scenic - especially the pass around the Cederberg mountains. On one side, there is an impressive valley with vineyards; and on the other side a flat landscape with more conventional agriculture. The rest of the drive was rather boring; but short.

Roadtrip: Augrabies to Lamberts Bay

Today was the longest drive, starting with some spectacularly long and boring roads between Augrabies and Springbok; which then turned to a really spectacular road down to Lamberts Bay.

The first part of the road from Springbok, to around the town of Bitterfontein meanders through rocky mountain passes, with some fairly spectacular colours of Fynbos (imagine all that in full bloom!).

The second section, around the Olifants river valley, from about Klaver to Clanwilliams is spectacular due to the contrast of the green vineyards, the river below and the irrigation scheme on the hillside. All contrasted with the rest of the rocky landscape! And the twisted roads make a spectacular combination!

Muisbosskerm: A Seafood Experience

A colleague told me of this restaurant at Lamberts Bay, but he did not give me any details. I only decided to come through to Lamberts Bay after passing Springbok, and struggled to find a place to stay - until I got hold of the owner of a brand new campsite directly opposite Muisbosskerm (they are the same family).

The restaurant holds a spectacular position - on the beach, about 3 Km from town, so quite secluded. And it seems very popular, such that most people book in advance to get in.

Basically, it is a buffet style restaurant, and you pay either for the option with Crayfish, or without Crayfish. You are adviced to pace yourself, because the food keeps on coming; and it keeps on getting better. It starts with some roasted mealies (corn/maize), fruits, smoked fish etc; then the mains start - variety of fish grilled, then hot bread, variety of potatoes, salads etc, then the meat before more fruit, coffee and koeksusters. The food is basic, but very good - very hearty and homely. The atmosphere is amazing and the scenery stunning.

Need to come again, and bring a party!

Pofadder

Forever the butt of jokes, Pofadder is not really remote nor is it that small. The people (or those that were hanging out by the petrol station anyway) are very friendly too.

Where can one get such a permit?

Where does one get such a permit, and what are the requirement for such a permit. The long straight road between the Augrabies turn off and Pofadder is calling.

Augrabies National Park

One needs more than a few hours to really explore Augrabies National Park. The main attraction, the waterfall is created by the Orange river being pushed into a narrow gorge - and while it is a spectacle, it cannot really be compared to a falls like the Victoria Falls (not that I was expecting that). Once it is in the gorge, the river seems a lot calmer. But the highlight for me was the really alien like landscape of the park itself - lots of rocks with some greenery by the water.


There is some wildlife, but I didn't see much more than birds, a gemsbok and a lot of dassies.

Roadtrip: Delareyville to Augrabies

Vryburg was a surprisingly large town, as was Kuruman - and the only restaurant open in Upington at lunch time was the local Spur (which was pretty full). Beyond, that the road to Augrabies was pretty deserted, and except for a few places; pretty long and straight. It is no wonder that the next challenge for the land speed record will take place in the Northern Cape.

Even after a fairly early start, I arrived at the Augrabies National Park, just after 3:30pm, which I discovered was a bit too late. Due to the public holiday, visitors who had no reservations were only allowed in before 3pm, and since I had no reservation, I had to make some alternate arrangements to stay the night. The Falls Guest House, just outside the reserve is beautiful, in one of the wine farms, and quite well priced. Slight change in plans, so the falls will only be tomorrow.

Desert Wine

Upington may not be as famous as Stellenbosch, but it is the centre of the "Orange River Wine Route", which apparently specialises in sweet wines. This picture does not do the contrast of green vineyards against the surrounding semi-desert landscape justice.

Engineering Birds

Quite a few telephone and electricity poles on the N14, near Upington, is covered with humongous bird nests. This one was particularly impressive.

Long Road Ahead

The 160 Km of tarmac between Kuruman and Upington, was rather lonely with other vehicles very few, and far between. The road wasn't particularly interesting either - largely long and straight.

Cattle Country

Vryburg and Kuruman advertise a lot of cattle ranches - but this one particularly vexed me. Since "Brahman" refers to the high caste in Hinduism, the priests and scholars. Does this imply that the ranch is owned by a Hindu (an Indian rancher in Vryburg would be particularly interesting cultural mix at farm fairs I would think) or does the rancher think that his cows are particularly holy (and thereby much better than the rest). And off course, the stand out question - is the rancher ranching for beef or for milk?

Roadtrip: Morning Notes

It is easy to wake up early when camping; especially when you go to sleep a lot earlier :) I have not had so many mosquitos pestering me, since my time in the Amazon (where even heavy duty DEET had very little impact) - however, these mossies were definitely of the lower evolution chain - very slow and easy to kill - and my all natural insect repellant did work quite well (except it did nothing for the annoying buzzing noise). There is also a very strong wind this morning; and while my tent was very secure; it did make quite some noise!

The campsite/B&B is quite nice - much nicer than I would expect in a small town to be honest. The cheese maker and his wife also run a conference/wedding/function venue and it seems to be very well organised. There are also two caravans here - but these are more permanent residents - two contractors; working for about 15 months in a nearby plant (I assume it is the towering NWK mill by the road). The two contractors have gone home for Christmas; and the other two people from last night who were also looking for accommodation are not here; maybe they did find somewhere else.

Today, the intention is to drive all the way to Augrabies; and maybe have a good lunch at Upington; since it is the only big town between here and Cape Town, and it should have restaurants/takeaways open.

Roadtrip: Midrand to Delareyville

I got away later than expected; closer to 15h30 instead of the wished 13h00. Part of that was due to work commitments; and part of it due to delayed planning in packing a few minutes before leaving.

As expected; the scenery on the road was rather dull - miles and miles of farmland; although the greenery against the red soil; against a clear blue sky could be quite a contrast at times.

The traffic was quite light; so it was easy to maintain a decent speed limit; but with the amount of police coverage; I didn't try to go too fast. I counted at least 5 roadblocks in the trip, with many more patrols.

Initially I thought of stopping at Baberspan Bird Sanctuary, but there was a notice on an e-coli outbreak in the dam; so I didn't see the point in risking the area. Delareyville was only 30 Km further, so it made sense to continue - although I started regretting the decision when I couldn't find a single place to stay. The first B&B I tried was open when I got there; but the receptionist abruptly said they were closing down for Christmas. After driving around the town a bit (small, pretty unremarkable), I came to a B&B and camping site (Pigmy B&B) just outside the town. Owned by a cheese farmer and his wife; it has pretty good facilities (decided to save some money and camp) although there are a lot of mossies around.

Roadtrip

I am taking the long way to Cape Town - via the Northern Cape; visiting Augrabies, and then the west coast. It's a long weekend; and a good time to travel I think. Haven't really done much planning - booked no accomodation; though do have a tent, sleeping bag, lots of water and some snacks. Will try to post blog posts along the way ... if there is 3G coverage off course!

Movie: Avatar

Part Sci-Fi, part fantasy, part a crusade against greed and rampant destruction of the environment; Avatar is a visual feast. It is a stunning blend of CGI and live action; and the CGI is better than any other movie I have seen before; in terms of facial animation, movement and even the explosions. I watched it a 3D cinema, and while the 3D imagery was immersive; I think it actually detracted from the movie.

The storyline of the movie was however rather thin and predictable. This was a standard storyline from other movies that explored colonialism. It is a mix of "modern" people meeting a new race, not understanding them, infiltrating their ranks, falling in love, gaining acceptance, betrayal as the "modern" people try to commit genocide; and off course requiring the adopted hero to save the day. And even the alien world - while fantasticaly created in amazing level of detail; is not really that much different from Earth - the Na'vi (the intelligent alien race) has similar cultural traits to most aboriginal cultures in the world; the animals are a lot like existing or past animals on Earth (the triceratops look alikes etc).

But it does push the boundaries of movie making; and champions environmentalism and the impact of pursuing large civil projects over understanding the environmental impacts. It is a movie worth watching simply because of its scale and visual beauty.

Coming Home

Part classical, part jazz and part gospel; Coming Home is a production by South African composer Isak Roux, which played last night and this afternoon at The Joburg Promusica, in Roodepoort. The production, was effectively a story of a young man who leaves his home to seek his fortune and his journey back when his dream crashes due to a depression in his adopted country. I suppose the story is very topical; but to be honest the story was not very awe inspiring - just a glue and reason behind the musical pieces.

The musical pieces were mostly adaptations of traditional works; but it was the amazing amalgamation of different musical styles that really made the performance worth it. The bedrock of the performance was a full classical orchestra (which featured many members of the JPO); complemented by the Chamber Choir of South Africa, a jazz band and soloist singers (a baritone, a tenor and a soprano). The Soprano, Sibongile Mngoma was particularly brilliant. Another notable highlight was the inclusion of traditional African instruments as part of the ensemble - such as the marimba and the pennywhistle.

It was a very different performance - a lot less formal than the JPO, and a lot more accessible. The audience was also a lot more varied - in terms of race and age group - and the performance was a lot more inclusive.

I don't know if there are further performances (A Google search revealed that it was also performed last year at the Johannesburg City Hall); but it is definitely worth it.

Best seat on the plane?

For the past 6 weeks, I have contributed a fair amount to global warming through my air travels. I have been on stand-by twice (incredible considering my seats are supposed to be guaranteed) and have also been upgraded to business class twice (although these are not that special on the Cape Town - Jo'burg trip :p).

Last night, was one of my upgrades, to Seat 2D which is basically the first full row on the plane. On the Airbus 330 (in the SAA configuration), this means that I had a business class seat, with massive leg room. In SAA's configuration for economy class on local routes, Seats 11A and 11C, are the best seats - business class seats, and legroom for the price of economy; followed by 12C - economy class seat with massive leg room. And although overwing exits are favoured, they do not lean back (since it would cause blockage in an emergency) - but BA's configuration on certain 737 flights, means that 10A and 10F also have massive leg room; and are definitely good seats for economy class.

So, I wonder, has anyone ever made a list of the favoured seats across multiple airlines (and their respective seat configurations)?

4 Years to Close a Call

This morning, I was suprised to get a notification that a call I had logged as a student was closed ... almost 4 years after the fact! I appreciate that they follow up I suppose, but it does raise the issue of why the call was not labelled as abandoned or closed much earlier.

Your call reference number 00416274 as described below has been closed and
we trust that the call was resolved to your satisfaction. Should this not
be the case and you need follow up on it , please quote the reference
number 00416274 to the Helpdesk so that we can re-open the call.


Call Information:
-------------------------
Calltype: Bandwidth Access: Bandwidth Access
Date: 2006-06-06 10:14:50
Abbreviated Call Description:
...

Regards

IT Helpdesk
Information & Communication Technology Services (ICTS)
University of Cape Town
Tel: (021) 650-4500

Movie: Okuribito (Departures)

Winner of the 2009 Oscar for Best Foreign Film, it is a somewhat off beat story idea - a cellist without a job (after his orchestra closes down), goes back to his home town, to prepare the dead for their funeral.

It is a story above all about tradition and formality - you hardly ever see the main character without a suit. It is also a story about the value of jobs that do not have high social standing, but have a very meaningful impact on the lives of people; together with a story about lost families, and the need for forgiveness.

It is certainly a special movie - something most western directors would never be able to film IMO; and is a wonderful record of cultural practices.

Movie: Inglourious Basterds

This is probably Quentin Tarantino's best movie to date - combining all his trademark elements of great writing, cinematography, dialogue and story telling (inevitable about revenge) with exceptional acting performances. The setting of the movie itself is impressive - Jewish commandos that are out for revenge - going to collect 100 scalps of Nazis. And off course bring down the Nazi empire. Revisionist movie telling at its finest!

The standout performance is definitely Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa - the "Jew Hunter". Waltz's performance, and role - as the fluent multi-lingual SS colonel, is impressive and his performance alone makes it worth going to watch the movie.

Not so unfit after all ...

Lion's Head in Cape Town has always been a short hike up, and a good inidcation of fitness for me. A few years ago, I could easily do the trip up in under 45 minutes, without breaking in to much sweat. I decided that before I left Cape Town this afternoon, I should do the hike. I haven't been to the top for at least 2 and a half years, probably last time being just before I left for Germany for my internships.

Fearing a much longer trip, I got a very early start. The weather in CT was truning - and a there was a fairly thick cloud cover over the mountains, although the cloud over Lion's Head cleared well before I reached the top. I was fairly surprised that I managed to get to the top in under 60 minutes, although not as effortlessly as in previous attempts. The sun was still low on the horizon, and the clouds were still swirling around, and as CT awoke, it was a pretty amazing sight from the top!

I wish I had my camera along.

Concert in a cathedral

Last night, the JPO had a special concert accompanying the organ of the Anglican Cathedral in Johannesburg. With the misty weather, it was certainly a somber atmosphere, and I must say, most of the organ pieces were equal to the task.

Church organs are impressive, but I am not sure they can really play joyous music. It was certainly an interesting experience, and great to hear a complex musical instrument in full flow; but maybe not something to repeat.

Cape Town's new Departure Terminal

Went through the recently opened departure terminal on Sunday - and it was a great change from the old terminal. Very spacious, and really well designed. There are still some things to be sorted out - like lounges and access notices to the lounges, but overall a really good job!

One complaint about SA airports in general is the continued use of permanent aisle/queue markers. Instead of using temporary markers they insist on installing metal bars all over the place, which are damn inconvinient when you are the only person in the queue.

And one last point - the 15h10 flight on SAA was the big A340 plane, more or less, full capacity. Considering that the Johannesburg-Cape Town flight is the 6th most popular flight in terms of passengers carried in the world, it is not too surprising I suppose. It is a great plane too - a pity that I can't catch it all the time :D

Music: Big City Bash

I think it was the first time bands have played at the Alexander Theatre in Braamfontein. The Rockford Big City Bash was quite well organised, with lots of parking guards, visible security, clean venue, good bar service and a good set up of stage and sound. 5FM DJ Koula was the MC, except she didn't do much other than look pretty. I think she was on the stage less times than the number of bands! Although, I did miss the first band, so she may have done a song and dance before the first band - but I doubt it.

New Academics
I have heard a lot of the band, but apart from a few snippets, I had not really heard any of their songs. They do have an unique edge - the combination of rap like lyrics backed with rock music. However, I don't think their songs are particularly impressive, and neither was the backing music. It is certainly different - but in my opinion, it does not work.

Death Valley Blues Band
It's almost as if I am becoming a groupie, this being the third time I have seen the band live. The fact is, they are a great party band, playing really good music, and playing it very well. A large percentage of the crowd indicated that they have never seen the band before, and the fact that everyone was dancing to the music is good testament to the quality of their show.

Zebra and Giraffe
They exploded on to the scene last year, from seemingly no where. I has not seen them live before, and this was the main motivation to going to the gig. It is even more impressive that they won the MTV Base Best Alternative Rock Band award this year, seemingly after just 18 months or so in existence. I am not sure how to describe their music - it's partly pop-rock (like Coldplay) but with a harder edge than most pop-rock bands. They have a good collection of songs that work well in a live gig, and present a really professional show. In these regards, it is not hard to see why they have been so successful.

Fokofpolisiekaar
I first saw Fokofpolisiekar, early in 2005, when they were known more for their name than the music. In that performance, the band was mostly completely trashed, with lead singer Francois Badenhorst more or less slurring his way through the sets. Given the line-up that day (they were followed by Karen Zoid and the Springbok Nude Girls), it was a great disappointment. The band has definitely matured, and there performance was truly impressive and well worth the extra 20 minutes wait (they arrived late from another gig). Even though they sing completely in Afrikaans (which I know very little of), it was a very enjoyable performance. While earlier it seemed that the band was successful more because of their name and being an Afrikaans punk band, they certainly deserve their success now. They certainly deserved being the headline act.

Music: Rocking the Gardens

I came to know about the concert quite late (Friday night actually), and I am glad I went. Similar in concept to the Kirstenbosch concerts, Rocking the Garden was at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens at Emmarentia Dam. It was certainly not as scenic as Kirstenbosch, but it did have a very cool family day atmosphere with an absolutely fantastic lineup of bands. They also did not have a restriction on cameras (which is quite rare for concert these days) and thus I took the opportunity to take a lot of photos.

Overall, I think the band timing could have been better. This was effectively a family day out; and thus one would expect the really popular family bands such as Freshlyground to play earlier; before all the kids nod off to sleep and people start leaving. Given the band line-up, I think it may have been better to have a band such as Freshlyground earlier in the day before getting into the more "Adult Rock" bands.

Ashtray Electric


I arrived about 10 minutes into Ashtray Electric's set, and to be honest, they didn't really make an impression. I honestly cannot remember much about their set. Going back on my blog looking for another band, I see that I did actually see them live when they were starting out, and they didn't make an impression back then either :(

Bed on Bricks



I think I first saw Bed on Bricks at Obz Fest, and I have always rated their live performances. They combine good music with great stage performance and are a pleasure to watch. However, I don't think I have heard a single new song since 2005, and although their website claims that they were working on a new album, I don't remember any evidence of that.

Gang of Instrumentals



Gang of Instrumentals are an awesome crossover act - fusing afro-pop/Kwaito sound with Rock backing band. And it really helps that the musicians and the singers are really talented and take the opportunity to show off. Unlike other pop bands, the backing band is not just for support, but are allowed to really showcase their solo playing skills. The lead singer has a really great voice, and they are really a great band to watch live. And this performance was better than their last performance I attended at the Jo'burg Easter Festival.

340 ml


The Mozambican band, based in South Africa has been around for quite a long time, and plays a combination of Jazz, Pop-Rock, Funk, cross-over music - and is actually great as a chill/laid back music. I haven;t really followed them for a long time, and except their last song, none of the songs were familiar to me.

Freshlyground




I haven't really seen Freshlyground too many times since they exploded in the South African public consciousness and became globetrotters. Their music and on stage performances has definitely not deteriorated with all their fame, and the saddest part of the show was actually their rather short set - it was over too quickly! A great mix of old, and some (I think) new songs and overall a great stage performance.

Just Jinjer




I wasn't too sure of what to expect from Just Jinjer - they have after all been out of SA shores for the last few years, and although they have had a number of SA top singles, they haven;t toured since they started their US adventures. They are back in SA (and now back to being based in SA), and they really did a performance showing why they are one of the biggest SA bands, and why they did manage to break out into the International market. It was a mixture of great songs, great music and a great stage performance.

Hog Hoggidy Hog, Death Valley Blues Band and Rambling Bones

Wow - what a pumped up gig. It has been a long time since I was last in a really packed club, for some great local bands. Back 2 Basix was packed, and except for the obvious lack of good ventilation, it's fairly intimate size made a great gig atmosphere.

When I arrived, a band had just started but I missed their name. One of the other people at the gig said they were "Acoustic Fuzzygish", and some quick Google search got me the name: Rambling Bones. What was really impressive about the band, was their variety of musical styles, and the ability to merge different musical styles into a somewhat rambling ska style - with some really hilarious lyrics. And it does help that all the band members are really talented musicians too! Highlight was definitely "Stevie Wonder vs Slayer" (I think it was Slayer at least), taking lyrics of the heavy metal band, and singing it in the style of Stevie Wonder!

I watched Death Valley Blues Band once a while ago, and was very impressed. Tonight was no exception - and in fact, in my personal opinion; they were even better than Hog Hoggidy Hog! An 8 piece band, they were a tight fit on the stage; but it was a trully rocking performance - and the fact that most people were rocking out despite never having been to one of their gigs before is a really good testament to the quality of their music. I really think this band has what it takes to be one of the foremost bands in the country - great music, great stage precence, great musicians and rounding it all up, brilliant performance.

It has been a long time since I last saw the Hogs play live - probably in early 2007, or more likely in 2006 (I do have a blog post from 2005 ...). They have definitely not lost their touch, and they put up a really impressive 75 minute set, with great energy and getting the entire club moving! There were quite a lot of new songs, but while their sound has changed slightly (matured?), their style hasn't - and it was a great show.

Movie: Dsitrict 9

District 9 is almost what a dream South African movie should be: starring South Africans, written by South Africans, directed by a South African and set in South Africa. That's not to say that it is an entirely South African production - the CGI is largely by WETA (of the Lord of the Rings Fame), music is not entirely South African (although Zola stars quite a bit) and it is produced by Peter Jackson.

And it should be; it has all the fundamental parts right: story, acting and production. A brilliant storyline (although it has lots of apartheid parallels, I think it rings closer to last year's xenophobic attacks than on apartheid) about an alien ship stranded in Johannesburg, and how they are put into slums and kept apart from the "humans". And the movie raises a number of very uncomfortable philosophical questions (which have been raised before in science fiction literature, but not in this manner) regarding the basic concept of human rights and would these extend to other "intelligent" species (or for that matter to non intelligent species.

The acting, many by new actors, is equally impressive with very believable performances. It is a South African movie starring South Africans - not Americans with fake accents. The dialogue and mannerisms are utterly believable making this movie very "authentic".

And lastly, the production values are superb; especially the CGI for the aliens and their technology. The aliens feature one of the best animations I have seen, and the scenes of alien weapons being utilised are spectacular.

I have seen a lot of comments on how well the movie can become a serial - I sincerely hope not. I think District 9 had a story to tell, and it told it well. Like the first Matrix movie, it may not close all the plot lines, but it is actually better that way.

Airlines and Airports

• Silver status on British Airways is hard to get (I got mine through asking nicely to be upgraded) but it really compares to "Gold" status within One World.
• Airport lounges are a great way to get away from the general crowd at airports. Except maybe when dealing with SAA Lounge at OR Tambo, which seems to be overcrowded all the time.
  
• Priority lugage handling is not what it is promised to be ... except at OR Tambo, where my BA priority tag was read as belonging to SAA :)
• SAA is far better than Lufthansa, at least on the long haul between South Africa and Germany.
• Lufthansa however gives more frequent flyer miles than SAA on cheaper economy class tickets
  
• Finnair has an ad on TV (at least in Europe) on how different they are ... it is a lot of hogwash.
• Frankfurt airport is usually a pain; but Terminal E is quite nicel and it is possible to travel between a few terminals without requiring a visit through the (thorough) security checks.
• Berlin's Tegel is probably the worst airport I have been to in Europe when it comes to ease of use and facilities.
• Helsinki's airport is rather uninspiring.
• Finnair's lounge in Helsinki however is very cool with lots of funky seats.
  

Virtual Goods 2009

This was my 3rd Virtual Goods Workshop, and my first as program chair. Without blowing my own horn too much, I think that although the number of papers in the workshop was not as high as I would have liked it to be, the quality of the papers was amazing.

The highlight for me was the keynote talk by Bill Rosenblatt, on the past, current and future of DRM. Like many in the DRM research community, it is well accepted that the biggest fundamental problem with DRM was not necessarily the technology, but the economics and the marketing that went in. More and more, DRM is being proposed as a means to enforce privacy legislation, one of the original use cases of DRM, that was overlooked in favour of pushing for a very small control set of copyright regulation enforcement. Bill Rosenblatt has been in the field of DRM for a long time, and the presentation was insightful on the many aspects that led to the current outlook on DRM.

Another interesting talk was Mario Kubek and Jürgen Nützel's paper on "Novel Interactive Music Search Techniques", which takes a number of different search techniques including text analysis, melody analysis, frequency analaysis and much more to derive the various genres that correspond to a musical item; and also look for similarities between musical pieces using sources such as Google and Wikipedia. It is certainly an interesting way for powering future media exploration.

Next year's Virtual Goods Workshop will take place in Namur, Belgium.