Nic’s blog
I write about building businesses, failing and building a life, not a legacy.
Online politics - Zoopy and Helen Zille
I have quite enjoyed watching Zoopy's extensive coverage of Helen Zille over the past few months. But today for the first time I found myself questioning their coverage.Why is it that Zoopy covers Zille so extensively? Why is the coverage not more representative. I am sure that Jason is going to come on here and tell me that they have covered Patricia de Lille too, but that really doesn't count as extensive.Just as the SABC is pressed for equal representation I think that an organisation such as Zoopy should be too. If nothing else, they need to be weary of aligning themselves subconciously with a party. It appears to me that this might already have happened...This comes directly from the Zoopy "about us" section:
Who’s behind it all?At Zoopy HQ it’s just the three of us, for now: Jason, Gerry and Pat. And a few carefully selected contributors.
Hmmm... carefully selected, sounds intersting, lets find out more.I emailed Jason from Zoopy to get some comment on the issue and see if this is a definite trend that is to continue or an incidental happening. This is what he had to say:
Thanks for giving Zoopy some blog space – and on such a relevant topic too. It needs to be said that we’ve personally spoken with Ebrahim Rasool, Jacob Zuma, Trevor Manuel and indirectly with Patricia de Lille. None of them have responded in any way. Helen grasped the technology available from the first meeting we had with her and her team. They have a handheld video camera with them and have chosen to upload a range of political and non-political issues, ranging from aerial shots of a dam through to her new electric car and more. She responds in person to users who send mail via Zoopy and those who leave comments on her Zoopy profile.There are also occasions when we’re out at events that she happens to be shaking hands at, or attending, and in those cases we upload any relevant footage ourselves. So really this is not a case of us showing favouritism toward any party or individual. It’s a case of the individual getting involved themselves, and us facilitating it as much as possible. We’d love to host social media relating to every South African on Zoopy (politicians, lawyers and bloggers included! hehe) and always promote the possibilities when meeting with interesting people.That said, there are more high profile people going Zoopy very soon. Because of the technology, functionality and community available to them. Not because of who they are or whether or not we believe in their cause.
I think that is fair and valid justification of their stance. I wait with anticipation for the "high profile" people to get involved with Zoopy. Let's see if this becomes a case of YouTube and CNN joining forces for the next American election.
Great men were destined to be great
I have been struggling lately with a bit of internal strife. I am a thinking man. I always have been. I think alot, all the time, non-stop, about everything.My latest mind-bender is whether great men (and women) would be great in any era or context or was it there social background and influences that moulded them?Please don't tell me that it's a mixture of both, that nature and nurture both apply in equal amount. A spoon full of sugar doesn't make the medicine go down. I want an answer. I have an answer in my head but it keeps becoming null and void as this week as progressed.Let me explain what I mean by great men. Firstly the reason that I don't refer to great people is because I am a man and I relate to great men moreso than I do to great women. Margaret Thatcher, Mother Theresa and others were and are still great women and human beings. But I want to focus more on men like Ghandi, Mandela, Richard Branson, Mark Shuttleworth, Bill Gates, Hitler, Stalin, Mugabe, Biko and others.These men may not all have been good men, but they were all great. One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist just as one man's greatness is another man's failure.But it is undisputable that Hitler was a great leader. He had the entire world fighting against him. That is greatness. He was not a good man, and was in fact an evil man, but great nonetheless.My question is this: Would these men still have been great if things in their lives were different? If they had loving parents, if they lived in Mexico instead of Germany or were wealthy instead of poor. If Branson was a trust-fund baby would he still have had the drive? If Ghandi lived somewhere that promoted equality instead of segregation would he still have been great? If Mandela was white would he have helped to end apartheid?I personally believe that these men are great and would have been great irrespective of their surroundings. I firmly believe that great men are great and are destined for greatness be it evil or good, rich or poor, greatness prevails.
links for 2007-10-23
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The story of GautrainView the video "Phambili Gauteng"The route Gautrain will followStations where Gautrain will stop
I am a geek, but not too much
Thanks to Andy for pointing this one out.Just so you know Andy, I don't subscribe to alerts for myself (or at least I didn't until you blogged about it) and I found your post in my feeds!!68% Geek
Free California Personals
Will.i.am - Baby where'd you get your body from - Sexist bullshit
Here are the mindless lyrics that Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas wrote:Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it got it got got it…Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it got it…Honey lookin good from her head to her toe.Beauty overload, body out of control.She twenty-four, she could be a model.So beautiful, also natural.Mommy lookin good from her head to her feet.She forty-four, but she still lookin sweet.And you can tell her daughter aint even at her peak.Cause her mama lookin so hot, packin that heat.So be a good girl and thank your mama.She make me steamin like a sauna.Look out, look out, here she come now.Look out, look out, here she come.Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it got it got got it…Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it got it…Girl, your beauty is a sensation.You sittin in, in a temptation.I never knew a girl could shine like a sun.You better thank your mama, cause girl, you the one.We should have a date of celebration.Celebratin god’s best creation.Girl you got a beautiful vibration.Everyday should be your birthday, hun.You make the guys all dumb.Maybe cause you’re blessed with the beautiful buns.Maybe cause your beauty keep the dudes on sprung,Wonderin just where you got that from.[I Got It From My Mama lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it from my mama.I got it got it got got it…Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.You can tell all this right here,I got all this from my mama…All of this stuff right here,I got all this from my mama.Ladies... x7Here we go…If the girl real fine,Nine times out of ten,She fine just like her mama.If the girl real pretty,Nine times out of ten,She pretty like her mama.And if her mama real ugly,I guarantee ya she gon’ be ugly like her mama.And if her mama real ugly,I guarantee ya she gon’ be ugly like her mama.If the girl real sexy,Nine times out of ten,She sexy like her mama.If the girl real hot,Nine times out of ten,She hot just like her mama.And if her mama real ugly,I guarantee ya she gon’ be ugly like her mama.And if her mama real ugly,I guarantee ya she gon’ be ugly like her mama, like her mama…Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.Baby where’d you get your body from?Tell me where’d you get your body from.You can tell all this right here,I got all this from my mama…All of this stuff right here,I got all this from my mama.If you pretty, make some noise.If you pretty, make some noise.If you pretty, make some noise.Make some noise, make some noise.This is the biggest load of shit that I have ever read, heard or listened to.
Will I Am LyricsThis dude really pisses me off. "Music" like this really pisses me off. Notice the immense repetition in the song lyrics? That's thanks to lack of formidable writing skills. Will.I.Am definitely isn't much, of anything really.
Ron Luce - an extremist rallying teenage workers to promote his agenda
I have been watching an incredible expose on christians and the extremist christian warriors forming in the USA. Christina Amanpour takes on the leaders of these sects in various religions, not only christianity.God's Warriors is the title of the series. If these little children, teenagers and cooked up parents are the warriors then I want to know who I am battling? Is it them?On to Ron Luce. I think that in the series it noted that he has a school, a bible school on 42hectares of land. His students pay $650 per month to be at this school.Ironic his name don't you think, Luce? Short for Lucifer? Interesting.Anyways, I digress. Luce, let's call him Luce, he charges these kids to attend his school where they can't listen to any secular music, watch any rated movies or programmes and cannot read anything that isn't approved. That is scary isn't it? I think so. I also think that it is shocking that Luce has provided each student at his school with a computer and headset and asks them to sit, everyday, and preach the word of his lord to anyone they can get hold of on the phone.That sounds incredibly to me like slave labour. Hell, it sounds worse than slave labour because at least slaves are paid. These kids are paying to be his slaves.Throughout the entire programme on CNN there was a distinct lack of parental presence. All that I saw was young children shouting about the word of the lord, angrily fighting with gay people in San Francisco, violently protesting for their beliefs. I think it's great that these kids are involved and believe in something. But I am vehemently against brainwashing of any sort. These kids looked brainwashed.I cannot believe that anything this propagated can be good for anyone, for children, teenagers or adults. In fact, religion has done nothing for our world other than to create wars that have lasted centuries. Palestinians and Jews, The Crusades, US war on Iraq and many others. All inherently religious based wars. Where is the good?Now we are roping in our youth without giving them a choice or an alternative. This scares me, the Battle Cry and God's Warriors scare me, it is all very worrying.
Shun the psuedo celebrity role-model
Can anyone tell me why on this Earth we put people like Britney, Paris, Lindsey, Pamela, Christina, Tara and other ridiculous popstars in the public eye? Why?I can't understand it. Watch the video below and then tell me if these idiots should be on TV, selling music and themselves:
http://view.break.com/372438 - Watch more free videosIn today's day and age it is imperative to ensure that young people around the world have figures to look up to. These girls are not it. Definitely not.The South African rugby team are idols, heroes and men worth admiring. Grit, guts, determination and pride are things that we should be looking up to and admiring. Not drunken spells of abuse that lead to temporary stops in rehab.
My RSS feed
A while ago (maybe a month or two) I think I changed my RSS feed, or something. I can't recall and was meant to post about it but forgot.So here it is:If you are looking for it, or think you might want it:here is my RSS feed url(Click the link).Incase you want the nice little orange RSS button, look to your right, it's there, I promise.Thanks.
What is the first thing you do online?
I am really interested in what people do online. Not all the time, not everytime but specifically in the morning when you open up your browser for the first time.What do you do online?I head straight for my RSS feeds on Google Reader, then hop over to Gmail then check SA Rocks and this blog and then move on to Muti, Afrigator and Amatomu. Thereafter I pretty much do whatever comes my way.Facebook is the absolute last thing that I think to do online. Sometimes I don't even login in to Facebook till after lunch or in the evening.
Demetri Martin on Viacom vs Google
This might be a bit old, but man this dude is hilarious.
Technology and the student
I found this video over at PaulStamatiou.com. Visit that post to see the image that Paul uses, it clearly illustrates the different levels of comfort that are experiences by students.For now, watch the video below. It is an interesting view/study/outlook on student life and how students are making use of technology in their lectures and every day lives.
Visual representation of my Facebook community
I hate blogging about Facebook, I truly do. But I can see that value in it.Here's a nifty little trick I found at Labnol.These are my Facebook friends, all of them (click image for full view):
Try it out for yourself. Nice and simple.
Ever wondered if you are hated?
I have. I often wonder how many people I truly piss off on a daily basis. I am pretty sure the number is high.Controversy has never scared me off and probably never will. Being a loud, outspoken and a calculating kind of person I don't imagine that I win over many people on my first try - or even the second.But then again, who cares? I recently decided that I am probably pretty disliked on the blogoshpere and in "real life" without even knowing it. I cause alot of kak and that is definitely not helped by some of the bloggers that I am friends with.Now I know that there are some people who will comment on this post that I am trying to win over favour and get people to tell me how much they like me. I'm not. I don't really mind if you do dislike me.I'm just asking a simple question: Have you ever wondered if you are hated?I have.
Is the bloggers bubble bursting in SA?
More posts ahead I promise
It's been a busy day, a busy week in fact.When I get a minute I'll post a few posts here. I promise they will be cynical, skeptical and the usual load of banter from me.Don't I just sound like every blogger grasping for that extra minute in the day?