Authentication Failure

Hot of the wire ... A Standard Bank branch was robbed by men who posed as security guards. The guards followed the same protocols as the security company, and made off with R1.4 million. It all boiled down to the fact that there was no real authentication mechanism at the bank to verify the identity of the security guards, other than a name. When names are hardly unique, they make really bad authentication elements anyway, so the flaw was bound to be exploited.

Hardware Blues

It started the week before Christmas; I bought a TV Card (manufacturer: Gigabyte) but I just couldn't get it to work. On Windows XP (SP2), the drivers would just not install; giving an error "Access is Denied", and would always rollback just after getting to the "registering" phase at the end of the installation. Trying out all tricks suggested from Google didn't help a bit. So I tried Linux, with little success ... and even KnoppMyth did not work. Surprisingly enough, it did "work" in Windows Vista, but my machine is too slow, and the sound does not work anyway (XP drivers in Vista that is).

The card itself works, and I suspect the main reason for all these problems is the VIA chipsetted motherboard. Many comments on Linux based TV card sites seem to confirm this theory; and it is yet another let down by the VIA based motherboard. My USB ports are already very dodgy and the onboard sound card does not seem to support 5.1 surround channels in Linux. And to compound all these problems, my Windows hard drive seems to be on its last legs, making all sorts of weird noises.

Off course, with a 2.5 year old computer, the best answer is to buy a new one; but I really want to save my money and buy a laptop and travel. So for now, I hope my other hard drive lasts until I finish my thesis (yes I do have back ups on two other machines).

Movie: Little Miss Sunshine

I had seen the trailer a long time ago, and the descriptions at first did not really appeal to me. But after recommendations from a number of people, I decided to see it; and I was quite impressed. As a comedy, it is superb; and has all the right ingredients. The motivation speak father, who is a failure, a nutcase uncle, a pervert grandfather, a young girl (Olive) wanting to be a beauty queen (but does not fit the mould of the traditional beauty queen) and the brother who has taken a vow of silence. The mom is the only one who seems normal ...

In part this is a road trip movie, part a movie about family and all those "msuhy" things ... I just think it is a great comedy; anda comment on the absurdities of life. And the final scenes involving Olive's talent show is easily one of the best comedic I have ever seen.

Trailer Park Lynching

That was the theme for our house warming party (and incidentally, our housemate Donal's birthday). And although not many people (including, I am ashamed to say, the hosts) dressed up - the party itself was a great success. A whole lot of people pitched up, and counting the number of people who had a bit too much to drink, most seemed to have enjoyed themselves. My new place, is simply a great spot to host parties; and it showed. A special mention must be made of Sara who definitely had the best costume. I would post a picture, but I am afraid I could be lynched ... .so if Sara is brave enough, she can post one on her blog :p

Movie: The Departed

With a cast of Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg; at a glance, The Departed seems to be yet another movie trying to make it through the names of the stars. Yet, for once, this is a movie where the stars actually prove why they should be stars - the acting is just absolutely amazing!

The story is about cops and robbers; focusing on "the rat". Matt Damon plays a cop, who effectively works for the Boston Mafia boss Frank Costello (Nicholson). DiCaprio plays a cop, who infiltrates the Mafia and to bring down Costello and the whole movie is about the parties on either side trying to catch the rat(s) for their paymasters.

Nicholson is simply amazing as the Mafia boss; and DiCaprio puts in a performance worthy of an Oscar ... indeed I think both will get nominated for Oscars this year. And even Mark Wahlberg can act ... something I wouldn't admit to after watching The Italian Job. But perhaps the best part of the movie is the amazing script ... with brilliant twists and the scene in the elevator at the end of the movie reminded me a lot about the classic standoff scene in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Movie: Flags of our Fathers

The Iwo Jima Memorial (or it's official name - The US Marine Corps War Memorial), is one of the most impressive war memorials in the Washington DC area. The memorial itself is based on a famous photograph, of US soldiers raising the US flag on top of Mount Suribachi, in the island of Iwo Jima, during World War 2. This movie, directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Steven Spielberg, recounts the raising of the flag, but instead of focusing on the war itself (like Saving Private Ryan for example), it talks about the how the photograph was used as a publicity machine to generate support (and money) for the war.

It is amazing how lies are created, and the men are almost forced to parade these lies. It is an anti war movie like none before ... and challenges the very notion of heroism and hero worship. In the times of Jacob Zuma, Robert Mugabe and Iraq, the movie raises some very relevant questions for right now.

Cell C - Sound of the City

Instead of focussing on sport like the other telecoms companies in South Africa, from the start, Cell C has promoted South African culture, especially music. Their "Sound of the City" concert series basically features local music from bands based in the cities they tour. And at R50 for entry, they are great value for money.

From the outside, it seemed very disorganised and chaotic. But inside, it has to be the most organised concert I have ever been to. DJ Ready D was already spinning the decks as people filled up, and played during band set ups. Each band (there were 8) played for only 20 minutes or so, which was a bit sad, especially considering how well The Rudimentals and Springbok Nude Girls were received by the crowd.

And the Nudies, recently reformed, with their original line up, was simply heads and shoulders above the rest of the line up. They just had the extra something that others seemed to be lacking, not that Judith Spehuma and the Rudimentals didn't get the crowd going.

It was not a great end to the night unfortunately ... I had left the lights on before going in, and my battery had died. But thanks to Tim and a helpful car guard, I got it started, and is all working now! I need to remember to switch off lights next time though!

Gatecrashed

Tim and Murray had a braai on Friday night, with the occasion apparently being Tim's graduation (he graduates on Monday, so congrats to him!) and end of Murray's exams. Anyway, excuses are rarely required for a social occasion, right?

Anyway, there was a strange gatecrashing event ... which was very interesting. One of the guys at the party (sorry don't remember his name) wanted to meet up with a friend and her party, and Tim just asked him to invite them over. And so they came - a party consisting of two Americans (including the friend), a South African (also the owner of Butlers) and a Canadian of Japanese decent, who now lives in Japan.

Anyway, Mr. James Nakagawa (call me Jamie) and one of the Americans were attending the Diabetes conference at the Cape Town Convention centre, and Jamie, is the CEO of an IT firm, Lifewatcher.com, which specialises in delivering medical information on mobile phones. From things like reminding people to take drugs, to some really cool ideas (that I have previously read of) like: taking a photo of a meal, and getting an approximate estimation of calories and other important information (like, do not eat - too much sugar content for your diabetes condition). And we had an interesting conversation on the backward mobile technology in the USA to image rendering of X-Rays on mobile phones. Many of the projects are similar to some of the projects in the CVC lab (like Andrew or Marshini's telemedicine project) but what was most striking for me, was how true six degrees of separation seems to be.

Prison Break

So I went to Pollsmoor Prison today ... not something you do everyday really. The Western Province Badminton Association (WPBA) runs a development program in the Female Prison, and today was the official launch of the program (after 4 months of the program actually running!). The WPBA goals in this area are simple really - prison is not only about punishment, but also about rehabilitation. Most of the prisoners, will, one day, be back in the society. It is therefore necessary to allow them some level of interaction, skills and base for them to re-enter society. Sport is one such link, and Pollsmoor offers other sports including cricket, football (soccer) and rugby.

While going to the playing area (which serves as the dining hall at other times), I saw other prisoners (although I did not interact with them), and young children, who are incarcerated with their mothers because they do not have anyone else ... I suppose it is better than foster care. I was later told that for the most part, most of the female prisoners treat the kids as their own, and the kids are actually loved and cared for very well ... most, as some prisoners, like the infamous Dina Rodrigues (who was incidentally being led to counseling when I arrived) are apparently not tolerated or liked by the general prison population.

As for the participants - they may not be out for a while. Some of the ladies, including the most accomplished player to date) are there for the long term - 10 to 20 years, serving for, amongst other crimes, murder and robbery. But I suppose, judgment has been passed, and they are serving their punishment ... it is up to the society to also make sure that they do not commit again, and most of all perhaps, do not allow for a scenario where they feel they need to commit a crime?

Obz Fest 2006

It was supposed to be bigger and better than ever before.And in most respects it was ... but the weather on Sunday just messed up all the plans. For the uninitiated, Obz Fest is a big street festival in Observatory, the hippie quarter of Cape Town. Lot sof great live music, "interesting" stall and good food.

Movie: Casino Royale

Wow ... I have not watched every bond movie, but of the ones I have watched; I would vote this new one to be my absolute favorite. Sure there was no Q, or Moneypenny but the evolution of Bond from just an agent to a 00 is impressive and the movie is really backed up by an impressive script.

This new Bond is less of an action hero ... he makes mistakes, and gets hurt in the process, he bleeds and almost dies. But you can also see that he is, as M puts it, not just a thug. That said, it is hardly a perfect movie - the romance scenes are too drawn out and seem forced - but again, they do serve a purpose (another break from Bond tradition I suppose).

Moving House

After two years at Mowbray, I moved out of the flat and into a four bedroomed house in Rondebosch, a stone's throw away (literally) from UCT. Moving is tough work, especially with the amount of junk I have ...

Anyway, one of the best parts of the new place is the large garden ... ideal for Summer Braais ... so maybe one should be organised soon.

Movie: Borat

Or to give its full name: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

First and foremost - it is an amazing movie - because of its content. It is effectively one long, candid camera tale, but at the same time, provides very interesting view of America - uncovering racism, sexism and homophobia.

It is also a shocking movie ... the scene with Borat and his obese producer wrestling in the nude is just awful; but the followup where the two of them run (still naked) into a full convention centre - complete with a trip on an elevator full of people - is an amazing piece of film making and personal bravery.

But over all, it is not an easy movie to watch ... it is as Hans-Peter put it "very embarrassing".

Cricket Madness

Went to the cricket today with a whole bunch of people (mainly from badminton) ... SA played well to come back to a really good total, and Indian top order batted badly, so it was not really a contest, or a great game. But Kemp and Dhoni's innings were great to watch, so it was good value for money. I still have to see Sachin Tendulkar perform ... second time, and both utter disappointments.

Movie: Children of Men

In the near future, for an unknown reason, women cannot bear children; and as the movie starts out, the youngest person on earth, an 18 year old Brazilian has just been stabbed to death. The world is in chaos - with UK (the location of the movie), converted to a police state; where immigration is disallowed. Immigrants are treated as third or fourth class humans, confined to concentration camps, and subject to police brutality.

In this chaos, we have a miraculous 8 and a bit month pregnant teen, illegal immigrant from Fiji, who needs to be escorted to the ship "Tomorrow", which has connections to the almost mystical and legendary "Human Project". And off course, a pregnant woman is valuable commodity; and almost no one really cares about her or the baby - just the political gains that could be achieved ...

This is a brilliant movie; a definite must see, and the scene with Clive Owen (the bureaucrat/peace activist who ends up escorting/hiding/sheltering the woman baby through to the ship) coming through a warzone with a crying baby is really magical ... and also shows, how a crying baby is never enough to stop all the world wars.

PS3 Madness

So the PS3 is finally out, and it's already being sold on e-bay, and it's amazing how much people are willing to pay. A quick glance, some on bidded US $6 999! while there are a number of bids over US $1 000. This begs the question - why did Sony not just sell the initial units (limited availability after all) on auction in the first place ... I think they would have made a lot more money out of it.

Around the world on a plate

For me, one of the best parts of going to new places is trying out new food. Many years ago, a guidebook to Singapore claimed that you could go round the world sampling food from all over the world in Singapore. The same can be said about Washington DC, and as one of the attendees at WESII put it, the "food scene in Washington DC is awesome". But, being restricted by unfortunate things like "exchange rates" and "student budgets"; I could only restrict myself to the "budget" restaurants and food places; and unfortunately cannot give you any idea of how good (or expensive) the food is at some of the more well rated restaurants.

But even despite these limitations, I did manage to sample a variety of restaurants. This was helped off course, by the fact that, just two blocks from where I was staying, was a block of restaurants (about 12 in total IIRC) catering to the suburbia. I did not eat there every night, but it was the main area. So, in total I managed to go to the following different types (in no order):

• Japanese
• Afghan
• Italian
• Pizza and Movie place (see earlier blog post)
  
• Mexican
• Greek
• The American Diner (really greasy, really crap)
• A whole lot of Subway
• Chinese
  

I should have gone to the Bulgarian and El Salvodorian places ... but I ended up conserving money instead ... This list looks too small; I think I am also missing a few places ... oh well.

The "food scene" in Edinburgh was less diverse (from what I saw), and well, like everything British, more expensive. Thus, there was more eating at the traditional "English Pub" (well curry is a traditional English food right?) than anywhere else.

Movie: Kekxili - Mountain Patrol

First and formost - this movie is set in Tibet, so the landscapes are amazing; but that does not really distract from an amazing story; about a couple of people, risking everything to hunt down poachers of the endangered Tibetan Antelope. It is based on a true story, and is told in a documentary style; which makes the movie an even more harrowing tale, focussing on various angles of the situation - the poor vilagers who are almost "forced" into poaching, how patrolmen's lives are affected by their actions; and even how they have to make really, really dificult moral judgement calls. It is not a hollywood movie - so do not expect a fairytale ending; but it is one of the most impressive movies I have seen, and one of the most moving.

Movie: The Devil Wears Prada

It was billed as a darkish comedy, something different from the ordinary. Unfortunately, it was nothing special ... just a twist of an usual storyline ... girl (aspiring journalist) applies for job as a PA to a fashion editor, gets the boss from hell, refuses to quit and adapts, thus becoming a "different" person ... you get the idea. It was funny - only because of the number of outrageous tasks set by the boss .. like finding the new Harry Potter. A few laughs, but nothing special really.

Movie: Cars

Yet more reviews courtesy of the Virgin in-flight entertainment system.

Not much can be said in addition to what has already been written about the Disney-Pixar movie. It is a simple, predictible story, with the traditional Disney moral for the kids; but it is so much fun, and so well animated - it is weel worth watching. And if you like cars, you will appreciate the differences in the characters as represented by the different cars.