T5 and the Mountain Sanctuary Park

I sort of had a vague idea where I wanted to go (or thought I wanted to go) - a nature reserve in the Magaliesberg. I ended up taking a scenic back road - the T5, a small dirt road that goes up from the town of Magaliesberg (near Krugersdorp) and over the mountain towards Buffelspoort (near Rustenberg). It was certainly not a road that I would drive after rains, and I was glad I had 4 wheel drive. But the scenery on top of the pass was well worth it.



The lack of rains made much of the park uninteresting - the landscape was largely yellow, and the rivers were mostly dry. That said, there are some awesome rock formations, and I could have spent a lot longer in the various nooks and cranies. The reserve also has camping and cabin facilities, and it was only when you reach the rest camp area, that you realise that this is actually quite a popular place; and there is a reason why the brochure (from the reserve) says you should book.

Model Exhibition at Sci-Bono

I heard an ad snippet on the radio about a model exhbition somewhere in Newtown - models being model trains, cars and aeroplanes. I decided to investigate yesterday, and found the exhibition at Sci-Bono.

Sci-Bono is a facinating science and engineering museum/activity centre with some really impressive hands on displays on all sorts of funky things. Supported by a number of corporate sponsors, displays such as details on how a car works (from BMW) featuring not only cut outs and detailed information but also great exhibitions on fundamental engineering concepts such as pulleys and gears. Other displays include a section on electricty, lasers, magents and radios. It's a hands on exploration centre, and the kids definitely seem to enjoy it. It is also danm cheap - free after 2pm on weekdays, free on weekends and public holidays and a nominal charge of R10 (IIRC) otherwise.

As for the exhibition, the stand out display was the Model Train section by the N-Gauge Guild of South Africa. The landscape modeling was spectacular featuring cliffs, glaciers and even a crashed train in a tunnel - and there was also a great variety of trains on show.

Standard Bank Joy of Jazz

I missed last year's Joy of Jazz for some reason or another, and after a reminder through both inflight magazines of BA and SAA, decided to try and attend at least one "session". I was a bit surprised at the high prices of the tickets, but the festival was well organised with good parking options, lots of signage and cops.

Sterling Electric Quartet (or Sterling EQ for short), was my main motivation to go the Saturday evening session at the historic Market Theatre. Sterling EQ is a band comprising of 4 hot female artists - Carina Bruwer on the electric flute, Eriel Huang and Magdalene Minnaar on electric violins and Ariella Caira on the electric cello.

It's a bit difficult to really rate Stirling EQ. Their classical works are only slightly different to Vanessa Mae and bands like Bond, and that is mainly through the use of the electric flute. And while Vanessae Mae makes use of a live backing band (at least in all the live recordings I have seen), Stirling EQ makes use of a pre-recorded, pre-mixed drum and bass mix - limiting the flexibility of their music playback. But at the same time their interpretation of non-classical musical pieces such as Nkalakatha (their producer also worked with Mandoza) and Mbube as well as their original pieces such as Nova and Bach's Kitten at Play show what they can really do (and do it very well). None the less, it was a great show and very enjoyable (and I even bought their CD).

Arlee Leonard was a more traditional singer and poet helped with a back up pianist (who also did a brilliant beatboxing routine for an entire song) and for a short while by a saxophonist and trumpeteer Brian Thusi. Her songs were some times racy (the second song was titled "Self Pleasure"), some times humourous and mostly thought provoking.

It seems most of the audience was there for the last act, Phil Perry, and although it was not really my genre of music; it is easy to see why. Phil Perry has an amazing vocal range, and he uses it to amazing effect. As the MC put it, Stirling EQ was for the guys, and Phil Perry was for the ladies - and he had seemingly every lady in the audence swooning to his love songs.

What I really like about Jazz is its variety, and on that last night was amazing. It could have been worthwhile going to some other stages in the future - as it seems that there was some rocking shows elsewhere in the festival.

Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens

Although I had heard of the gardens, I did not know much about it. It is probably most famous for its nesting Black Eagles at the Witpoortjie Falls, close to the source of the Crocodile river. I found out through my hiing book that there is a nice hike inside the park - and it is actually quite a facinating area.




The hike itself is basically uphill and downhill on the one side of the gardens - and covers a lot of ancient geological history - not only of the area but the world at large. The area (which includes all of Johannesburg and most of Tshwane) is one of the oldest geologically speaking - with rocks dating back to almost the formation of the earth. Thus markers along the trail give some facinating insight into the formation of the world as we know it - and together with a display later in the main gardens itself - a history of how gold, platinum and other precious minerals came to be in such abundance in this area of South Africa.



Although it is almost Spring, the landscape was largely very yellow. I suppose it is the general nature of the African savannah - but at least there was some colourful areas in the main gardens.



What is also nice is to have a protected place of nature and greenery in the middle of ever increasing development in Gauteng. Although there will be always pressure given the lack of any buffer zone (this lucky guy has a house right against the boundary of the park) - it is better than nothing; and given the power of Walter Sisulu's name, I doubt the park will be buldozed in the name of development. I just wish there were more of these areas in Gauteng.

Tswaing Meteorite Crater

Not too far from Pretoria, I heard about the Tswaing Crater (SAInfo, Wikipedia) via a book on hiking trails in South Africa. In an effort to get more physically active (Gauteng is just not condusive to doing things outside in my opinion), I am trying to see how many different day hiking places I can get through - especially in Gauteng.

The crater site is facinating - massively large, quite untouched, and quite empty. The site can definitely do with a lot more marketing (more signs from the N1 would help), but the quietness within 100KM of Jo'burg-Tshwane megapolis is refreshing. And even with the dull winter colours, it is a facinating landscape.



The hike itself is fairly easy - not too much up and down; although the route down to the crater is fairly steep. It is 7.2 km in length, and nothing too taxing. I hope I can continue and find other places as interesting.

West Coast National Park

It is flower season again, and together with my sister and her friends (many of them involved in the restaurant walkout), we went to the West Coast National Park, a short drive from Cape Town.

It did take a longer time to get there - particularly because I drove for a bit longer than I intended to on the N7 and thus overshot. The scenery along the N7 was spectacular though, and we did drive through an interesting small town (whereupon its closeness in resemblance to Zeerust was debated thoroughly in the car).

West Coast National Park is beautiful and provides a stunning combination of sea side sand dunes, the fybos vegetation and the Langebaan lagoon.

Walking Out

Friday night, a whole bunch of us (mostly friends of my sister) went to Chai Yo, a Thai restaurant in lower Mowbray. It started well - they found a table that could seat 8 people, drinks orders were taken, and soon thereafter starters and mains were ordered. The starters arrived, and were particularly tasty - which indicated that the mains should be good too.

However, close to 90 minutes after the starters had arrived, there was still no sign of the mains. In fact we started counting down - initially 5 more minutes and then we would leave. After 5 minutes, there was no food - but the waitress came with a jug of water. One of the girls decided to tell her that if there is no food within 2 minutes, we would walk without paying the bill.

After the two minutes, we got up (well two of us got up, and the rest followed, some more reluctently than others); and it was another 2 - 3 minutes before we all assembled by the exit, where we informed the manager that we were leaving. At this point, the food was more or less ready; but most of the party had enough - and had already decided to leave even if the food was free.

I have never walked out of a restaurant before - and maybe it was unethical given the number of starving people around the world. It was not the fact that the food itself was late; but rather that no one told us that the food was delayed and why it was delayed - especially as tables around us seemed to be getting their food.

It was strange, and quite liberating in some respects. And we ended up going to Bruegels nearby - where the food was ready within 30 minutes of walking in; and ultimately proved to be a great place to have a meal with a group of people.

Bruegels Pizza

Went to Bruegels Pizza restaurant last night, in Little Mowbray (part of the little strip with Fat Cactus and the Thai restaurant). The prices were a bit high, but definitely one the best pizzas I have had. Except for the Margherita, the pizzas are named after artists and have very interesting combinations of ingredients. You can also have 1/2 + 1/2 where you can combine two different pizzas into one pizza. Highly recommended.

ID Numbers, ID theft and Privacy

There has been a lot of talk recently on the rise of identity theft in South Africa. Popular press has recently jumped on the bandwagon, and there are articles talking about how ID numbers should not be disclosed to anyone and that there is a need to keep the ID numbers secret.

In addition, there is the new privacy bill (which I still haven't read) - but since it is based on the EU privacy directives, I am very confident that it will list the ID number as private information and ask that it should be protected.

The problem is, we are trying to shut the gate once the horse has already bolted. The need to supply ID numbers is ubiquitous - and in many cases it does not make sense. Some buildings require you to provide a number (not any supporting documentation, just the number) to enter. Interact with a bank or any personal business relationships (credit applications, phone applications, post box etc.) you need an ID number. Need a job - you need an ID book. The numbers are everywhere, in multitude of systems, and they are also published online with no regards to data sanitisation. For example, here is a PDF I found detailing ID numbers of restaurant owners who applied for liquor licenses in Gauteng. I was looking for the address of one of the listed restaurants ... Oh, and Government gazettes are public documents, and the bylaws require that the information should be published.

The problem is that we use ID numbers for things we are not supposed to be using it for; namely authentication of persons. To illustrate, let's examine the definition of authentication (as a process) in RFC 2828.

An authentication process consists of two steps:

1. Identification step: Presenting an identifier to the security system. (Identifiers should be assigned carefully, because authenticated identities are the basis for other security services, such as access control service.)


2. Verification step: Presenting or generating authentication information that corroborates the binding between the entity and the identifier.

The ID number is an identifier. It is a 13 digit numeric string that is unique to all legal South African permanent residents (citizens and non-citizens). The verification step rests solely with the Department of Home Affairs. However, companies never make that leap - the Identity number and the associated Identity book has become a one stop authentication solution which it was not designed to be (or it would have other built in verification steps). Since business rely solely on the ID book and the ID number, the verification step is incomplete and thus ID fraud takes place.

The ID number does not necessarily need to be private. it is after all an unique identifier for persons - a more unique name. What is required is an easier, usable and secure verification service. That is the answer to identity theft resulting from "stolen" identity numbers. As for privacy of identity numbers - the number itself does not need to be private - it is after all an identifier. However, that does not mean that every one should collect the numbers. There should still be a reason to collect information, and should it be collected, there needs to be secure storage of the data. In these regards the EU privacy directive is absolutely correct.

Music: Chromium and The Frail

It's another thing I have not realy got used to in Johannesburg - gigs start a lot earlier and finish mostly around 12. Maybe it's bylaws - so while there were quite a few bands at Roxy's last night - I only got round to seeing two.

Chromium, is an ex PE based, currently Johannesburg based, metal band. I am impressed that they even have a Wikipedia page! A 4-piece band - they have great music, and well written songs. And they seem to have a fairly large following - it was really packed for their gig, and it wasn't all friends and family.

The Frail, are a band from Secunda - and are a testament to the possibility of great music being produced by bands from obscure towns. Great songs, and great stage presence (from the vocalist at least). The crowd was not as big as Chromium's, but I think the mosh pit was a lot bigger.

Neotel's Neoconnect Service is Kak

I got a Neotel account in April, and it has been a big waste of money. Yes, price wise they are very competitive - but if only they would deliver a service that they are offering. This is supposed to be broadband, but I have never got download speeds exceeding 100 KBps (or 800 kbps). The normal speeds I do get on a good day, is usually half that - averaging between 40 and 50 KBps.

But it is not the speed that is the most frustrating thing - it is the latency. And coupled with that - the failure to really deliver true broadband usage. Streaming video - forget it; unless you are willing to buffer it all and then play it back (so not useful for any live streaming). Streaming audio - if you must, at very patchy and unusable rates. File downloads ... hope it does not cut out - but sometimes it is so bad that even download agents give up because they exhaust the number of retries!

As for their phone service - I don't really use it to give real input. But the speaker phone functionality (on the hardware side) is awful and the voice quality is not exactly crystal clear. It has come to the stage that I am seriously considering cancelling the contract and going with Telkom - because I have no faith that Neotel will actually manage to fix all these issues with their service.

So far, in my experience, the 3G services from Vodacom has been the most reliable and the only service that offers reliable and usable broadband. However, it is just too expensive to really use it for everything - but Neotel is certainly not competing on quality.

Music: Sun to Moon Festival

Jo'burg clubs seem to have a lot of "festivals" - days where a number of bands come togetehr and play for more or less the whole day. The prices are very cheap (usually around R50) but the bands are usually not much to sing about; and hence I only go in the evenings and catch the final few bands. This time around (last Saturday), the bands had decent 45 minute sets, and the mixing was of a much higher quality - definitely increasing listening pleasure.

I only saw the last couple of songs from Laconia - a Pretoria (sorry Tswane) based metal band - and they seemed quite interesting; although none of the songs seemed anything particularly special.

Soil 7t7 was a wierd addition to the playlist at this point - as their music has quite a bit of reggae/ska influences. They also try the Linkin Park idea of combining rap and rock - but not very well. The guitarist is very good though - and they have excellent variety in music - so they are worth checking out just for that.

Runica, a goth/metal (of some label or other) band, had a great performance - and had some good music; although I cannot say that there was something that stood out. I quite liked their show, and would like to see them again sometime.

The interestingly named Mrs B, was the last band of the night. Playing mostly classic rock, they were definitely the standout performance of the night - with an amazing stage presence. They really combine well on stage, and look like they are all having a lot of fun. The music is very lively, and combines well with their stage antics.

Nothing to Hide

Air New Zealand's new ad campaign has gone viral on YouTube, and is certainly a lot more interesting when compared to other viral videos. The ad features pilots, air hosts/hostesses and ground staff in nothing body paint, with a tag line that they have nothing to hide - especially in their pricing.



They have also redone their safety video (Bare Essentials of Safety) - and what struck me as a fairly frequent flier; is that is actually a lot more effective in conveying information - even if the staff were to be dressed normally. The information on different brace positions, how to correctly inflate a life jacket (and not just telling you to pull tags) or what the indication lights at the floor level actually look like, is a lot more effective than safety videos of any airline I have flown in the past two years.

No fences for the neighbours

My business meeting in Sweden was in a town called Norrköping, about 150 Km south of Stockholm. The train ride was through a very picturesque country-side - very much picture perfect of forest and rivers. After the meeting, I was given a short tour of the area, and one very striking thing was the almost complete lack of fences between properties. Coming from South Africa, it is a very weird sight indeed!

Summer, Finally

It has been a strange week so far, weather-wise. Darmstadt and Frankfurt was cold - with almost no difference to the temperatures in SA. Berlin was warmer, but misty, overcast and mostly not too much fun (today at least, yesterday was not too bad). But finally in Stockholm, there is glorious sunshine and no forecast of rain for the foreseeable future. And it is in the mid 20s!

The SAS flight from Berlin was interesting - and unfortunately did not feature any hot blond hostesses :( The plane had three classes: business class which was basically the first two rows on the plane, economy seats and some legroom; economy plus (where I was) and economy. It was only when we got on air, that the differences became clear - business got food and drinks on nice cutlery; economy plus got food and drinks in the standard plastic/polystyrene packaging and economy had to pay for their food and drinks! It's the first time I have seen this kind of distinction on a plane - and in many respects it makes sense. I wonder who else will copy them ...

Awesome World Cup Ad

While flipping channels, saw this awesome World Cup ad. It starts with a young boy juggling an imaginary football, and slowly getting a lot more people juggling footballs, with a great tag "Rhythm like you you've never seen before".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMlKb1npzQ0



I have seen quite a few ads by Tourism South Africa, and they are generally very impressive, and many of them are available on YouTube. What is interesting however is the comments that are usually attached - especially the highly negative ones along the lines of South Africa is a den of evil and everyone who goes will step into a warzone to the defensive.

Many of the comments are by ex-South Africans (or from neighbouring countries) such as one I have seen calling himself "ex-Rhodie-racer". In those terms, the labelling of comments as racist is justified - but the fact is, many of the comments have some seeds of truth. After all, there are not that many places in the world where people live behind electric fences - although in other parts of the world, security guards for complexes wield machine guns ... so not exactly too different.

Ultimately, the success of the world cup will depend on visitor's overcoming the negative imagery of South Africa's security. Transport problems - people at some level expect them. I have been to sporting events outside South Africa, where it took hours to get to the gate because of traffic ... and I started at dawn; or where people had to queue for the next train or the one after that, because there was no space. And stories of players and supporters getting robbed (even if the players might be the ones to blame) does not help the image of South Africa's security. But in the same vein, the success of the IPL does give us hope - but how do we combat the negative image?

Co-incidence

While queueing for the flight to Frankfurt last night, I met an old friend I had last seen at UCT about 4 years ago. He was on his way to Dusseldorf, and was seated in the row behind me. Furthermore, he actually lives in Centurion, not too far from me (last I heard, he was in a different province altogether)... it's a small world.

I arrived in Darmstadt early in the morning, and the hotel allowed early checkin. I had originally planned to travel to Stuttgart, but the journey times was not attractive (or I had to pay a lot of money for the fast train tickets) - I should have planned better. Instead, I took the opportunity offered by the hotel, and rested :) 10 hour flights on board Lufthansa economy class are quite tiring.

Although it is supposedly summer in Europe, it does not really feel like it. It is in fact only a few degrees warmer than it was in Johannesburg. And there is a slight drizzle - so exploring Darmstadt is not much of an option either. Well, at least Berlin is a lot more promising.

Vodacom Funny Festival

The Vodacom Funny Festival kicked off for the 3rd edition last night, starring a number of highly regarded local comics and two international acts. Of the local acts (3 dedicated acts excluding Marc Lottering himself), Trevor Noah was my personal favourite. I have seen him before at the Blues Room in Sandton, and he has an amazing ability with languages and makes full use of it. Tumi Morake, the opening act, and the only lady, brought a fairly different set of jokes to the stage; while Nik Rabinowitz was very much a comic taking the maximum advantage of Western Cape politics.

Of the international acts, John Lenahan's magic show was certainly very different to standard comic performances - although, as he himself commented, the magic itself is not the focus of the act.

But by far the best act on show, was the crazy Japanese duo called Gamarjobat. Part mime, part slapstick and very clever - they managed to get the audience laughing (in fact it probably ranked as a ROFL and not a LOL :D) without a single spoken word. Their act is theatre and comedy at its very best, and somewhat similar to the comics of the silent screen. They are not playing for the whole festival - only until 1 July, and if nothing else, they are the reason to go attend the festival.

Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra - Again ...

After my first visit to the JPO, 2 weeks ago; I was hooked. Hooked enough to be contemplating a "season" ticket for the next season, starting in August. This time around, it was a Russian evening once again, with a young American pianist Pallavi Mahidhara, as the soloist.

The first short piece was the overture to Glinka's Russlan and Ludmilla Opera followed by Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2 in C Minor a very impressive musical piece, and Mahidhara's performance was brilliant, richly deserving the standing ovation at the end. The last piece, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 4 in F Minor was really a celebration of what an orchestra is all about - a lot of different musical instruments combining with perfect timing. Particularly humourous for me, were the guys standing up to play the triangle and cymbals (after sitting down for about 90% of the piece).

Wonderboom

Wonderboom are old hands on the rock scene in South Africa. With numerous hits, and a long time on the South African scene; they are one of the most professional bands - and their gigs show it. They have their own crew, mixing was perfect and guitars and equipment were all set up before the gig. But most of all, the band has chracters and great on stage performance - from the drunk and essentric drummer (Danny), the subdued lead guitarist, Martin to a very energetic bass guitarist, Wade and great vocalist in Cito - they combine well, and give a great show.

Back 2 Basix is a strange venue in many respects - it used to be a house - and so it feels quite intimate. But despite the great band, the crowd was quite small - about 30 to 40 - and not the 100 odd expected (as per the barman). But despite the small crowd, it was a rocking show, and definitely one of the best rock shows I have been to in Jo'burg.