White River Rafting, Cos Chicks Dig Scars!

First off, apologies to Garrick Orchard for using his phrase, but it is appropriate... My colleagues and I spend two days of team building and fun as a precursor to the busy retail season ahead. This 'bosberaad' culminated in an afternoon of white river rafting on the Palmeit River, just outside Klienmond. Thanks to Gravity Tours for a wonderful afternoon!!

Bad White Legs... Need to get out more before summer....

CAPESTORM Retail (Pty) Ltd. Minus Leo, Sharon and JHB

Barrel Roll Practice...

Handbrake Turn - Deon and I...

Going Down! Deon and I

It All Goes Pear Shaped for Shevan and Greame

Pop a Wheelie! Deon and I

Going like a Boeing! Deon and I

Me holding on for dear life... Deon paddling for dear life...

Chloe goes for a swim...

Jacques Steers, Siya Panics...

The ever-so-graceful Lee and Tammy....

Guts and Determination - Chole and The Guy from Go! Magazine

Teneal and Hano Ramping an Awesome Rapid...

The Executive Team... Managers always leading from the back... Just Kidding Malcolm....

"Telkom Internet Costs Remain High"

business.iafrica.com | business news | Telkom Internet costs remain high

Well well, why are we not surprised? It seems that South African ADSL users are always getting the raw end of the deal. Especially considering that Telkom has Icasa in their pockets.... Roll on the second network operator!!!

ipod, therefore I am...

A study was done in the US to see what people defined themselves by. Most people said that it was their job and music. Think about that... whats the first question you ask someone you've just met... "So, what do you do?" and usually some where in the process of meeting someone you find out what kind of music you listen to. I saw a book in the UK called 'ipod, therefore I am' and that about sums up how our world and culture define itself.

Look at the people who frequent Claremont for example... They listen to a particularly poppy type of music. Commercial and easy to sing along to, not much in the way of complected dancing and as deep as the puddle outside my front door. The songs also become easier to dance to the drunker you are. The 'chicks' are then subjected to the drunken mating dance of these rugby/hockey/other jocks (circle applicable) who end up either 'scoring' or as is usually the case not...

Obs can be just as interesting! The music of choice ranges from psy-trans to heavy metal to scar/punk/funk to plan old rock 'n roll. Go to Observatory in Cape Town and you'll find a huge mix of people, with chilling out as their common goal. From the girls who are angry with their dads who dress in black, black and more black, to the hippies who are so deep they are drowning in their own philosophies, to the heavy/death/(add own dark adjective here) metal guys, who for the most part are actually quiet friendly, unless you mention Justin Timberlake. You do, however see Average Joe's who just come down of a laugh and a quiet beer.

On a whole, Obs wins out over Clairmont everything, unless you are really into your 'eye candy' and can stand the loud guy who wants to tell you 'you know how many chicks... etc' (put on Afrikaans accent and slur slightly).

All in all we seem to be what we listen to. A lest we know that the music makers aren't starving in the streets... For those who hate ipods visit ANTI-ipod

It was going to happen....

Well it has finally happened! I have joined the masses of the world to become a blogger. It seems in the relatively short time that blogging has been around it has become a tool for those who wish to express their feeling in the last truly 'free' medium of the Internet. No longer is anyone allowed to express their views are certain issues in public. And in South Africa, where I live, the Dept of Home Affairs has reopened the censorship can of worms. (journalism.co.za / SABCnews.com / Business Day) This is why I see blogging as such an important medium, because it's not controlled by Governments, Religious Org, Sects, Weirdos and the like who don't wants truth to be exposed or don't want to look bad. Hooray for true freedom of speech!

A little bit about me then. I'm 22 years old and live in Cape Town, South Africa. I am currently studying a B.SocSc at the University of Cape Town (UCT), majoring in Organisational Psychology and Philosophy. I am also currently doing a part time masters degree (MPhil) in Applied Theology in Community Building. I also work for an outdoor clothing company (Capestorm) in their retail division.

Now the Astrologists are Screwed!

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) have just finished two years worth of work which has been dedicated to defining the difference between 'plants' and 'smaller solar system bodies' (IAU Website: News). Now the fact that scientists took two year to debate the difference is not my concern. Most astronomers I are too high in the clouds to be of any use to normal society, and who can understand them anyway. Even if their discoveries are brilliant and they have some sort of grasp on the sheer amazingness of the universe, how can they simply tell us now that what we have been learning for the last 75 year since Pluto was discovered is now horribly wrong!

It now seems, according to the IAU that we have in fact 12 planets in our solar system. School kids who learnt that there where 9 last week are now disillusioned! As far as i can see, this new defining has come about only because when Pluto's so-called 'moon' Charon was discovered to be larger than Pluto, the Astronomers had to do some soul searching. What are these bodies that now find themselves on a par with Earth and Jupiter? The first one is 'Ceres' which until this new definition was an asteroid. Take a look at the picture below from Hubble.

NASA, ESA, J. Parker (Southwest Research Institute), P. Thomas (Cornell University), and L. McFadden (University of Maryland, College Park)

Doesn't look like much, but it has enough gravity, under the new definition, to make it round enough for it to be a 'planet'. It is located between Mars and Jupiter and as far as we can tell, is dead boring! The second body that has been elevated to planet status is Pluto's moon, Charon. Although it orbits Pluto, it is allowed to be a planet for the same reason as Ceres. Look below for both Pluto and Charon in orbit.

NASA, ESA, H. Weaver (JHU/APL), A. Stern (SwRI), and the HST Pluto Companion Search Team

Lastly, the lovely named 'Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313'. We are assured that a proper name for this planet will follow soon, lets just hope its sounds better than it looks...

NASA, ESA, and M. Brown (California Institute of Technology)

So there we have it! Now here is the kicker... What are all the Astrologists going to do? No longer will just Uranus be rising in your Taurus, but Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313 will be blocking your sun energy causing you to have luck in love. Or something to that effect. This only goes to show what bollocks Astrologists spout about how the 'heavens are aligning to your energy fields' etc.... Just when they thought they had everything maped out on their funny star chats, now they have to juggle 3 extra planets!