Nic’s blog
I write about building businesses, failing and building a life, not a legacy.
Google does own the internet
I recently read a brilliantly written article about Google owning fiber optic networks. They have been very careful to not actually purchase any companies that own the networks but have entered in to agreements with the companies to control the networks themselves. Thus avoiding all monopoly trouble in the industry.Read the article, watch Google grow and fear the takeover. Google might be good, but anything that is secret and growing this quickly must have some flaws somewhere in the organisation.
Laws Newton Forgot
I was sent this email and thought is was very, very appropriate.
typogram.com - Nice time waster
typorganism is an extremely interesting site that has amazing design and playful "games.There seems to be some sort of intelligent reason for the site to exist but it's a bit above me. Maybe someone with a bit more brain power can tell me. Check it out.
Vodacom steals my time
I can never get back the time I have wasted at Sandton Vodacom trying to fix their rubbish.I hate Vodacom.
FNB loses a client
Today First National Bank (FNB) lost a me as a client forever.I have been using an FNB Smart Account for seven months. The last 30 days (Holiday period, december, no work etc) has been slow and thus I made no great use of my account. I drew out money and was left with R35 in my account. I thought that this amount would be OK. Not so much apparently. This amount was quickly taken from me after Saswich charges and service charges from FNB for the use of my card. I was then left with R1.80 in debt.My account was subsequently closed because of R1.80. I was not warned, I was notified and I am never going back to FNB. Ever.
Taxis are amazing, a-ma-zing
Sometimes I shout. Sometimes I laugh, but most of the time I feel the need to get out of my car and crack a taxi driver over the head with some road sense.Today I just laughed.This is a picture of a taxi that pulled in front of me from the far left lane of a three lane road to turn right. I was in the turning lane. He looked and me and smiled. I cracked up and took a photo. What A beaut.
Yes, I am stuck.Clive Simpkins tells it like it is
This morning I was forwarded a url to an article off the moneyweb blog sites. Mr Clive Simpkins has written a fantastic article about the wonders of our Prez Mr "Denial" Mbeki. Simpkins has a wondrous way of placing idle banter amongst phenomenal discussion and intricate thought.Give this article a read and let me know what you think. I was very, very impressed by his discussion, opinion and style of writing.
We have all been Glogspotted
Thanks to the gents at Chumps for this one: Glogspot has ripped off just about every known blogspot blog and used them as porn fronts.My personal glogspot (www.shutterview.glogspot.com) represents a porn site providing ebony loves for lost souls!It's amazing what the guys at Chumpstyle stumble upon late at night while surfing porn.
Too many things to do
I am struck by an overwhelming sense of urgency in my business life at the moment. Not only is there this urgency but there is also a sense of being in over my head. I am hoping that this feeling will pass and that I will manage my growing work load.Things to do this week (Tomorrow):
- Edit and produce St David's Old Boys newsletter (Marist MOB)
- Go to FNB and ABSA to sort out my banking and my pay from Freelance Job #1 (FJ1)
- Get final touches done on three stories for FJ1
- Begin Production on various stories for Freelance Job #2 (FJ2)
- Send in Graduation form to Rhodes University
- Email the student newspaper editors affiliated to Studentwire.net (one of my online projects)
- Continue the relentless work that Courtenay and I have been doing on the production of our next online project (total of 9 hours work today alone)
- Register my company as a Cc ASAP
- Register various products and names under a copyright license
- Fix Phone (D900)
- Complete Medical Aid change
- Research new business project in "real world"
I am understandably feeling pressured. But I think that this is the way that I like things to be so I am definitely not complaining.
nicharalambous.com goes live - kind of
So after much thought and many confused looks on my face I sought help. And help I found in the form of Mike and Rafiq. I asked Mike for some assistance and while he thought he was of little help he asked Rafiq to drop me a line who not only helped me but did it without even looking at a PC!I am happy to be the happy moron in this case as I am guessing that there are others like myself who overlook the little things in life and create much trouble. Rafiq, you were right, an 0mmitted "www" sorted me out without a second attempt necessary.And with that shutterview is no more (in a manner of speaking) and 3jobblog is born, again.
Puzzling isn't it?
I officially completed my first puzzle yesterday and documented it! The weather in Umhlanga has been up and down so we prepared and brought along a puzzle.Here it is:
URL change failed
I know, I know. I'm on holiday by the sea but I am blogging. I have an excuse: Jen is studying so I gave her the room alone without distractions.I noticed that my blog has not been up since I tried to change the URL on Friday morning. So I have changed the URL back to shutterview for the meantime but have left you all with my new blog look, direction and feel. I know this is another redesign but I promise it will be last.I hope that things get sorted out soon. Check out my flickr account for photos of my trip. I will be blogging about issues and things when I get back on Saturday next week. Have a great week.
New blog, new template, new me
All the changes have been done. Everything is in place and now I wait for Google to pick up on my url and pray that my DNS settings have worked out OK.I have changed my template. I know that I changed my template a couple of months ago but I think that it is necessary when obtaining a new url to obtain a new identity. So I have.The blog is more sleek, darker and more interesting to look at. It is also a lot more accessible in my humble opinion. This will be the last blog template change for a long time as this has detracted from my actual work. My actual work included designing the St David's Old Boys newsletter today as well as designing a couple of logos for a company and doing an interview for the Sunday Times.So that's it for now. I'm on holiday now.P.S: the new blog is called 3jobBlog.
Going, going, gone
It's time. I am going on holiday tomorrow and it is time for me to make the move to nicharalambous.com.After much thought and many decisions altered. I will be relocating my blog and renaming the theme of it to 3jobBlog. I will be altering the discussion slightly and will be talking more about my experiences as a working freelance journalist, an entrepreneur and a social person with a girlfriend, family and friends.I hope that this all works. If it doesn't this post serves as a warning that things might not work out!! If they don't I will be back online on the 20th of this month.
Fresh Faced Comic - Russel Peters on Arranged Marriage
Wow I have heard so much about this guy and finally managed to find a snippet of his act. Will definitely be getting more of Russel ASAP!!!
TechAttack #9 - Wiki's
What the hell is a wiki you might ask. Now I am not writing this TechAttack for the geeks out there (apparently that is not a derogatory term these days) cause you all know and use wiki's all day long!I have recently discovered the joy of wiki's thanks to Shnitz and Mike Stopforth. I am officially attending the 27 geek dinner for the first time (who knew I was a geek).So now on to wiki's. PBWiki says the following:
A wiki is a kind of free-form website that is easy to edit.
So basically a wiki is a collaborative website that is easy to edit and easy to view. You can start one at PBWiki by simply placing square bracket [] around a word. They offer easy to follow videos and FAQ's for users to glide through their first wiki creation.Now get in to the wiki side of life and collaborate with a friend today.
I join South Park - Meet Little Niki
Thanks to Joffers from Chumpstyle for posting about this. It did occupy some of my time, but definitely not ten minutes!Here's Little Niki:
Get your own South Park character here.
TIME magazine relaunches website
TIME Mag is one of my personal favourites. I love reading it, I love the photography and (I was about to say they are one of the most impartial reporting sources out there) they have partnered with CNN (not sure how recently) on the website.The site is easy to navigate, well designed in terms of placement of stories and legibility. This is one news site that does not sacrifice quality of photograph for speed. The photos are well taken and well placed. They make use of good eye track processes and ensure that the site is not cluttered for the reader.Very nice. Check it out now.Thanks to 901am for the heads up.
DNS setup complete
So after all my big talk and fast walk the custom domain wasn't as peachy pie as Blogger makes it out to be. This is especially true if you have made use of a South African site to purchase your url (nicharalambous.com). I had to pay an extra R160 to setup my DNS services. I have now paid R360 in total for one year and DNS issues. Not too bad but still, cut me a break.I am going to Durban for a well earned holiday from this Saturday to next. I will only be setting up the custom domain on Friday as I wont be posting it wont matter if it takes 2 days for the settings to kick in. So for now enjoy shutterview until Friday. If the site shuts down for a couple days you'll know why.