Woohoo! I'm into the big leagues!
I've had so many comments lately - half of them are spam but the other half are dinkum people! I've failed to respond to them and also the comment mode for Blogger doesn't lend itself nicely to replying to posts, so I've gone an installed Disqus now - hopefully not a bad move!
Showing posts with label Ramblings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramblings. Show all posts
25 August 2018
14 April 2015
Rallying against the culture of violence and hatred in South Africa - Durban especially has an opportunity right now
South Africa, as far as I can remember (probably actually for my whole life), has experienced some serious incidents of extreme violence. People doing blatantly inhuman things against one another in the name of one or other extremist ideology. Judging by the current debate going on around a host of inanimate (yet somehow racist) statues and memorials, it is clear that South Africa has a lot of hurt and pain resurfacing that hasn't really been dealt with and we haven't truly recovered from the dark past. There is truly a lot of work still to be done.
What I sometimes forget is just how blessed I actually am to be largely apart from this dark side of South Africa. I read about it in the news, I witness some of this lingering anger through interactions with people now and then but largely I am so far removed from it that I don't often think about it. I can't really say that I am as aware about the lingering pain people are carrying about the wicked past as I am about social injustice which is something I see almost every day. That's something I am more intrinsically aware of and it stirs a host of emotions (anger, frustration, sadness, despair) in me, which I consider to be a blessing because it means I have the energy to want to effect change. Empathy is being aware of other people's feelings but compassion is what spurs us on towards action.
I'm not really sure how much people know about the xenophobic attacks going on in KZN at the moment but it's really quite dire. Reports of disappearances, people's entire businesses being looted and their livelihoods being destroyed, and even young children being attacked. The actual state of affairs is appalling.
What I sometimes forget is just how blessed I actually am to be largely apart from this dark side of South Africa. I read about it in the news, I witness some of this lingering anger through interactions with people now and then but largely I am so far removed from it that I don't often think about it. I can't really say that I am as aware about the lingering pain people are carrying about the wicked past as I am about social injustice which is something I see almost every day. That's something I am more intrinsically aware of and it stirs a host of emotions (anger, frustration, sadness, despair) in me, which I consider to be a blessing because it means I have the energy to want to effect change. Empathy is being aware of other people's feelings but compassion is what spurs us on towards action.
I'm not really sure how much people know about the xenophobic attacks going on in KZN at the moment but it's really quite dire. Reports of disappearances, people's entire businesses being looted and their livelihoods being destroyed, and even young children being attacked. The actual state of affairs is appalling.
These foreigners are fleeing for their lives from South Africans who are hellbent on venting their hatred and anger. The ironic thing is, I don't think most of these aggressors realise that it's these same foreign countries that offered refuge for many of our political exiles during Apartheid. There's simply so much anger and resentment lingering in the hearts of so many of us that any opportunity to vent it is taken up and all rational conscience is lost (it reminds me a bit of James DeMonaco's The Purge, where one night of the year all laws are revoked and a nation-wide free-for-all lawless and ultraviolent catharsis commences).
For now, the refugees are currently being holed up in police stations to avoid being attacked, kidnapped, or murdered. I don't think there's actually much that I can do right now because I have a baby about to arrive but on a more general issue, what are we as Christians (for my friends and fellow church members, we are effectively on the front-line) doing about this?
I don't know if anyone feels moved by this as much as I do but I reckon there must be something we can do - pray, provide food, blankets, urge community buildings to offer refuge, or just even raise our voice against this injustice. I don't really know. Surely there must be something (more) we can do to bring the love of Jesus to these people. The foreigners even tried to march in Durban to protest the violence and plead for protection and were prevented from doing so (to protect them). They fled their homelands to avoid persecution and settled here for a shot at giving their families a future and it's as if they have leapt out of the frying pan and into the fire. Surely we have enough resources to at least provide them with some comfort during this difficult time?
The first five minutes from the link below gives a bigger context for the extent of the damage right now...
Maybe I'm on my own about this, who knows? I feel quite powerless to take action at the moment but I am praying for them which is a powerful thing. Hopefully others feel the same way and we can spring into action...
22 November 2011
Stop the Secrecy Bill today!
I just tried phoning Deputy President Mr. Motlanthe to voice my objections to the Secrecy Bill that is being pushed through Parliament today. After a very long wait on the phone (call it persistent), a gentleman answered and told me to email my comments through.
In order to assist everyone else in airing their same concerns, here are the email addresses to consider sending an email to, starting with the infobill one first...
In order to assist everyone else in airing their same concerns, here are the email addresses to consider sending an email to, starting with the infobill one first...
- infobill@parliament.gov.za
- idavidson@parliament.gov.za
- gmagwanishe@parliament.gov.za
- mmotshekga@parliament.gov.za
- nntwanambi@parliament.gov.za
- vcalvert@parliament.gov.za
17 November 2011
In Your Arms - Kina Grannis
Fan of stop motion?
Ever tried to create a stop motion video yourself?
If you have, then you'll appreciate the immense labour of love that this music video is.
22 months.
1,357 hours.
30 people.
2 ladders.
1 camera.
288,000 jelly beans.
Ever tried to create a stop motion video yourself?
If you have, then you'll appreciate the immense labour of love that this music video is.
22 months.
1,357 hours.
30 people.
2 ladders.
1 camera.
288,000 jelly beans.
11 November 2011
In less than an hour ...
The time, date, and so on will read as follows:
11/11/11 11:11:11
(2011/11/11 at 11h11m11s)
That really won't happen again except in 12 hours' time so you have this momentous occasion and only for a second. Enjoy it. Remember where you are and what you were doing when that second passed you by.
11/11/11 11:11:11
(2011/11/11 at 11h11m11s)
That really won't happen again except in 12 hours' time so you have this momentous occasion and only for a second. Enjoy it. Remember where you are and what you were doing when that second passed you by.
03 September 2011
An easy way to profit in retail
If I weren't such an honest guy, I swear, some of my ideas would make me super rich or super (in)famous.
Here's my latest pearl: going retail without much capital or effort.
The concept is simple. Many retail stores out there offer you a "we'll beat any price" promise provided you can furnish proof of a competing store's advert. All you need to do to exploit this is to either (a) print out a pamphlet promising below-cost prices for products that other major retail chains are selling or (b) set up a home office or website that fakes a storefront.
Let me elaborate:
Here's my latest pearl: going retail without much capital or effort.
The concept is simple. Many retail stores out there offer you a "we'll beat any price" promise provided you can furnish proof of a competing store's advert. All you need to do to exploit this is to either (a) print out a pamphlet promising below-cost prices for products that other major retail chains are selling or (b) set up a home office or website that fakes a storefront.
Let me elaborate:
- GAME will match any competitor's price on a product they sell provided the competitor has the same product in stock. Not only will GAME match the price but they'll offer you a further 10% discount on the product price difference.
- GAME will usually look at a printed advert and then phone the store to verify that the price is valid and stock is available.
- All you need to do is see what GAME sells (for example, a 46" FHD 3D LED TV for R19,299) and then print out an advert for the same product at some insane "opening sale special" of R1,929. Organise a landline or cellphone number as your store's "front" number and have two friends (or more if your friends can't put on accents) man the phone.
- Walk in to GAME and show them the advert and say it's an opening special and will they match the price. They have to because it's their policy but they'll first need to check that the special is valid.
- Dialing the number on the advert your first buddy answers the phone with appropriate background noise generated by a TV or a fake PA sound effect etc. and says "Bargain Discounts Electronics, Ronnie speaking, how may I direct your call?" and then GAME will ask about the product special at which point 'Ronnie' says, "hold on a moment, let me put you through to the Home Entertainment division" and hits a HOLD button to make the classic elevator music.
- Buddy #2 picks up the phone and says something official like "hello, despatch" and then undertakes a small conversation about how they've been put through to the wrong division and they'll transfer them.
- Buddy #1 picks up and says "hello, switchboard" and then transfers the GAME guy to Buddy #2...
- "Hello, showroom"... "yes sir, that product is on special - we have one left"... "okay let me put you through to my accounts department"
- Buddy #1 "hello, Gavin speaking..." and so on.
- The key to making this whole process work is faking a call-transfer and using big words like "warehouse", "showroom", and "despatch" to flummox the GAME guy.
- At a loss, they'll have to mark their TV set down to R1,929 and then knock off an additional ten percent difference, which is R1,737, rendering the whole TV set to a new price of under R200. Even if you score just one, you've scored a huge bargain ;-)
Of course, from here, how you hit it big is if you really did genuinely advertise the product at your shopfront (assuming you want to go into retail) and then sell the TV at the advertised price (R1,929) - you'll have earned a R1,737 profit on one product and undersold GAME.
I know it's a very rough concept but it's the concept that intrigues me. GAME is not the only store to match and beat prices: Hi-Fi Corporation, House and Home, Hirsch's and many others do the same so you could just cut-throat market against them using their own policies and make a bit of cash on the side.
To be really authentic looking without running a store, just grab a picture off the internet of some store front and then edit it to make it look like your opening special. Here's an example:
- GOOGLE for "electronics store" images and grab one that looks good
- Spruce it up a bit
- Take it in to GAME :-)
Again, this is a really simple concept that I am putting out there to show how my mind thinks. If someone were crafty enough to put something like this into action I am certain they could pull off a few bargain purchases or at least make some cash on the side before GAME et al wise up to it.
29 August 2011
To boldly go...
I recently upgraded to a BlackBerry Torch 9800 and I have to say, in a small nutshell, it's the worst BlackBerry I've ever used. Really bad on so many levels. I won't go into that now but suffice to say I have tried to have it swapped out.
I phoned VODASHOP Westwood (the store in question) and requested the procedural information to swap out a handset for a new model if it's within seven days (which in my case it is). The manager said it's not possible to exchange a handset unless it's faulty, in which case you still get a replacement model of the same type in return. I then politely referred him to the Consumer Protection Act and said it was, by law, possible to exchange a handset for another one. He insisted that even though there is a CPA, I have already signed all relevant CPA documents when I upgraded so I am bound by the contract.
(boxing gloves were lying next to my desk but I resisted putting them on)
I politely pointed out he was incorrect and added that I was simply not prepared to fight about it. I could get lawyers involved and it would just become messy for everyone and rather I just wanted to know if there was a stress-free way for me to be assisted and he said he was very sorry but no. Fine. I'm not bothered about it - I am not keen on bringing in the law either; my energy is far too sapped for that. The Old Bryan would have fought tooth and nail but the New (Older) Bryan is more mellow.
As I was about to go the manager asked for my information and said he would put out some feelers to see if anyone would be able to help with a new 9780 Bold for me as a swap out and I said that was great but that I wouldn't hold my hopes out. We departed on very amicable terms with him promising to help me get a replacement if he could and me promising not to fight them for breach of CPA.
The moral of the story? You can get a lot of cover through the CPA and if anyone at a store tries to be obtuse then just thrust those three magical letters and stand steadfast behind it. If they insist you're wrong, insist back that they are wrong, even if you're not sure, and chances are 99% of the time they'll back down because they won't want to have hefty penalties or law suits on their hands. Just act confident (even if you're not sure) and you can get your way now and get the quality customer service you deserve*.
* I am not trying to advocate petty intimidation or arm-twisting but rather encouraging you to use the CPA that is there to protect you and to hopefully encourage most retailers to improve their customer service to the level we, as consumers, are entitled to.
I phoned VODASHOP Westwood (the store in question) and requested the procedural information to swap out a handset for a new model if it's within seven days (which in my case it is). The manager said it's not possible to exchange a handset unless it's faulty, in which case you still get a replacement model of the same type in return. I then politely referred him to the Consumer Protection Act and said it was, by law, possible to exchange a handset for another one. He insisted that even though there is a CPA, I have already signed all relevant CPA documents when I upgraded so I am bound by the contract.
(boxing gloves were lying next to my desk but I resisted putting them on)
I politely pointed out he was incorrect and added that I was simply not prepared to fight about it. I could get lawyers involved and it would just become messy for everyone and rather I just wanted to know if there was a stress-free way for me to be assisted and he said he was very sorry but no. Fine. I'm not bothered about it - I am not keen on bringing in the law either; my energy is far too sapped for that. The Old Bryan would have fought tooth and nail but the New (Older) Bryan is more mellow.
As I was about to go the manager asked for my information and said he would put out some feelers to see if anyone would be able to help with a new 9780 Bold for me as a swap out and I said that was great but that I wouldn't hold my hopes out. We departed on very amicable terms with him promising to help me get a replacement if he could and me promising not to fight them for breach of CPA.
The moral of the story? You can get a lot of cover through the CPA and if anyone at a store tries to be obtuse then just thrust those three magical letters and stand steadfast behind it. If they insist you're wrong, insist back that they are wrong, even if you're not sure, and chances are 99% of the time they'll back down because they won't want to have hefty penalties or law suits on their hands. Just act confident (even if you're not sure) and you can get your way now and get the quality customer service you deserve*.
* I am not trying to advocate petty intimidation or arm-twisting but rather encouraging you to use the CPA that is there to protect you and to hopefully encourage most retailers to improve their customer service to the level we, as consumers, are entitled to.
22 August 2011
The dot DEALS blow-out
Here's me just throwing out some thoughts and observations. And maybe a prediction or two.
These social deals that are doing the rounds as GROUPON, MYCITYDEAL, TWANGOO, WICOUNT, etc. (they vary from country to country but I'm speaking specifically from a South African perspective here) have practically ballooned in the past year and I can't see how this is a sustainable model at all.
To start, we've got the actual concept of the system - a supplier engages one of the various deals providers to promote their product and then gives away their product at a tremendously below-margin price while still paying the deals provider for the advertising service.
There are already problems with this model. Firstly, how do you know which provider to pick? Everyone probably has the same audience by now (come on, admit it - you've signed up to more than one deal service already, haven't you?) and the audience is becoming saturated. For a provider to outdo another provider they need to claim a larger portion of the audience pool but there's a limited number in the pool to begin with. By now I'm fairly sure 80% of the entire target audience has been snapped up by one (or more) of the deals providers so their life expectancy based on this fact must be severely limited.
Secondly, how can a supplier survive as a business if they're selling off their products at well below cost to scores (or hundreds) of consumers? The third problem stems from the second problem, and that's the problem of commission. Not only do the suppliers have to see a value in selling a hundred products at below-cost pricing but they have to still pay the deals provider for the service which even further erodes their cashflow.
The concept of aggressive marketing isn't new by any stretch but the next challenge is ensuring that your potential clients don't just sit around lurking and waiting for you to set up a social deal just for them to snatch it up - it's almost like we're creating a generation of lazy consumers that will rather wait and hold out for a deal than buy something at full price. A risky business.
I haven't even mentioned the email farming that's taking place so there's a lot more to this whole story but I won't bore you with the details. Instead, I'll just finish off with this observation (which has led to my prediction): how often do you receive adverts for weight-loss, hair treatments or gym sessions? Now compare that to how often you actually find a really good deal nowadays. See where this is going?
These social deals that are doing the rounds as GROUPON, MYCITYDEAL, TWANGOO, WICOUNT, etc. (they vary from country to country but I'm speaking specifically from a South African perspective here) have practically ballooned in the past year and I can't see how this is a sustainable model at all.
To start, we've got the actual concept of the system - a supplier engages one of the various deals providers to promote their product and then gives away their product at a tremendously below-margin price while still paying the deals provider for the advertising service.
There are already problems with this model. Firstly, how do you know which provider to pick? Everyone probably has the same audience by now (come on, admit it - you've signed up to more than one deal service already, haven't you?) and the audience is becoming saturated. For a provider to outdo another provider they need to claim a larger portion of the audience pool but there's a limited number in the pool to begin with. By now I'm fairly sure 80% of the entire target audience has been snapped up by one (or more) of the deals providers so their life expectancy based on this fact must be severely limited.
Secondly, how can a supplier survive as a business if they're selling off their products at well below cost to scores (or hundreds) of consumers? The third problem stems from the second problem, and that's the problem of commission. Not only do the suppliers have to see a value in selling a hundred products at below-cost pricing but they have to still pay the deals provider for the service which even further erodes their cashflow.
The concept of aggressive marketing isn't new by any stretch but the next challenge is ensuring that your potential clients don't just sit around lurking and waiting for you to set up a social deal just for them to snatch it up - it's almost like we're creating a generation of lazy consumers that will rather wait and hold out for a deal than buy something at full price. A risky business.
I haven't even mentioned the email farming that's taking place so there's a lot more to this whole story but I won't bore you with the details. Instead, I'll just finish off with this observation (which has led to my prediction): how often do you receive adverts for weight-loss, hair treatments or gym sessions? Now compare that to how often you actually find a really good deal nowadays. See where this is going?
19 August 2011
To monetize or not to monetize?
I hit my blog account this morning and Google popped up with this fairly tempting offer:
I don't really know what to say - Google thinks my blog is popular! Now all I have to do is make it even more popular (I'll reconsider AdSense when I'm getting around 100 hits a day) and then maybe you can all help me pay for my next holiday to New York City :)
I'm not a total sellout though, so only when I hit a decent turnover of visitors and produce something meaningful will I consider it. Nice to know that Google cares though. And that they're watching me.
...
I'm not a total sellout though, so only when I hit a decent turnover of visitors and produce something meaningful will I consider it. Nice to know that Google cares though. And that they're watching me.
...
21 June 2011
Counting down to going BLUE!
Here's a hint: Tra la la la la la, la la la la laaaaa.
Although I hate to admit it, hearing that tune brings a smile out of an otherwise cynical and grumpy BrYan. Yes, I may nowadays be more akin to Gargamel but when it comes down to being full of fun and excitement and I'm cornered, I suppose I'm more alike to Jokey Smurf.
But I digress.
The 25th of June is Global Smurfs Day! Why should you care? Well, on Global Smurfs Day you can participate in a Guinness World Record attempt and also celebrate the impending arrival of the new Smurfs 3D movie (like that was never going to happen)!
Go here for more information: http://www.globalsmurfsday.com/ and remember to WEAR BLUE!!
Although I hate to admit it, hearing that tune brings a smile out of an otherwise cynical and grumpy BrYan. Yes, I may nowadays be more akin to Gargamel but when it comes down to being full of fun and excitement and I'm cornered, I suppose I'm more alike to Jokey Smurf.
But I digress.
The 25th of June is Global Smurfs Day! Why should you care? Well, on Global Smurfs Day you can participate in a Guinness World Record attempt and also celebrate the impending arrival of the new Smurfs 3D movie (like that was never going to happen)!
Go here for more information: http://www.globalsmurfsday.com/ and remember to WEAR BLUE!!
14 April 2011
My blog is ... useful?
(Random rambling mode on...)
Some may argue that having a visit counter on a blog is an obvious confession that the blog owner wants their ego boosted. My response to that is that one's ego is only boosted if the visit counter actually has a significant number on it and only then if it's not counting local or repeat visits within a specified time period. Well, my blog isn't tracking repeat visits within a specific time period (not sure about the local) and I've been amazed that I've almost hit 10,000 hits on this site. That's a lot of time wasted for you folk out there :)
Out of curiosity (and because I wanted to allow my ego to be boosted) I did some delving deeper to find out where the visits were coming from and I picked up some interesting (and ego boosting) information - my blog is being referenced!!
Check this out - I've been referenced just over a week ago on STACKOVERFLOW as an answer to a problem (pretty cool), and I've even been referenced as the third spot on an unofficial FAQ for the DSTV Drifta. It would appear that those 10,000 hits weren't just my mom and my wife after all :) Further digging included a google search for "Super 15 rugby fixtures" and my blog was in second place, just above www.superxv.com. That's pretty darn cool, people!!
If you want to, please feel free to leave a comment about what works (and what doesn't) about my blog so I can be sure to get that magical number of 1,000,000 and start to monetize! Your comments may one day pay for my daughter's education! Do it - think of the children...
Some may argue that having a visit counter on a blog is an obvious confession that the blog owner wants their ego boosted. My response to that is that one's ego is only boosted if the visit counter actually has a significant number on it and only then if it's not counting local or repeat visits within a specified time period. Well, my blog isn't tracking repeat visits within a specific time period (not sure about the local) and I've been amazed that I've almost hit 10,000 hits on this site. That's a lot of time wasted for you folk out there :)
Out of curiosity (and because I wanted to allow my ego to be boosted) I did some delving deeper to find out where the visits were coming from and I picked up some interesting (and ego boosting) information - my blog is being referenced!!
Check this out - I've been referenced just over a week ago on STACKOVERFLOW as an answer to a problem (pretty cool), and I've even been referenced as the third spot on an unofficial FAQ for the DSTV Drifta. It would appear that those 10,000 hits weren't just my mom and my wife after all :) Further digging included a google search for "Super 15 rugby fixtures" and my blog was in second place, just above www.superxv.com. That's pretty darn cool, people!!
If you want to, please feel free to leave a comment about what works (and what doesn't) about my blog so I can be sure to get that magical number of 1,000,000 and start to monetize! Your comments may one day pay for my daughter's education! Do it - think of the children...
11 April 2011
New Layout
Times change. So too does BLOGGER and, along with it, my blog.
I am moving with the changing times. Kind of. I decided to embrace the new template designer offered by BLOGGER after months of resisting (and also since my old template doesn't always integrate so nicely without me having to hack some CSS or HTML). This is the result. Do you like it? Please vote on the poll ... I don't expect too many responses but hopefully at least one vote will indicate if it's considered an improvement or not :)
* I am not very artistically inclined so if there are horrible clashing colours then vote NO!
To see what my old BLOG looked like, click here:
I am moving with the changing times. Kind of. I decided to embrace the new template designer offered by BLOGGER after months of resisting (and also since my old template doesn't always integrate so nicely without me having to hack some CSS or HTML). This is the result. Do you like it? Please vote on the poll ... I don't expect too many responses but hopefully at least one vote will indicate if it's considered an improvement or not :)
* I am not very artistically inclined so if there are horrible clashing colours then vote NO!
To see what my old BLOG looked like, click here:
03 December 2010
My 11,600th day on Earth!
Crack out the bubbly and get your party hats on because tomorrow (Saturday 4 December) is my 11,600th day on God's beautiful green Earth! Yes, that's right! I'm turning 11,600 days old tomorrow!
12 November 2010
Getting the date and time right: YY/MM/DD vs. DD/MM/YY
A recent comment made by one of my readers (yes, you know who you are, since you're the only reader :)) has spurred me on to writing this reply. It's simply to put the world in the know, because I fear South Africa will forever be trapped in the cycle of inefficiency and stupidity until we see the logic in the way the date should be organised:
First of all, I don't change the time standard as my esteemed reader alleges. I USE THE LOGICAL time standard. Have you ever wondered why the USA is leaps ahead of RSA in terms of efficiency and development? Here's why:
USA uses the date format of YY/MM/DD vs. the RSA standard format of DD/MM/YY.
If we had a phone bill received on the 1st of every month, then they would be sorted by date as follows:
USA:
2010/01/01 (January)
2010/02/01 (February)
2010/03/01 (March)
and so on
RSA:
01/01/2010 (January)
01/02/2010 (February)
01/03/2010 (March)
and so on
If we want to file all of our telephone bills into folders, if they all arrived on the 1st of the month, then in the USA they'd be filed in a cabinet labeled 2010 in a folder labeled "January", "February", "March" and so on. In RSA they'd be filed in a cabinet labeled "Day 1" in a folder labeled "January". In the USA you'd need one cabinet per year, and in RSA you'd need one cabinet per day (i.e. 31 cabinets per year).
If we wanted to filter out the a phone bill from November 2010, if it was sorted by RSA format we'd need to dig into the file of "1st's" and sift through piles of notes from January through to December 2000 through to 2010 before we found the one we wanted. In other words, to find November 2010's phone bill, you'd dig into a folder of about 120 notes because they've been filed by the Day and then the Month and then only the Year.
The US standard of YY/MM/DD is much more logical because to find November 2010, you start in the 2010 (YY) folder, then the 11 (MM) folder, and then hey presto, there's only one phone bill in that folder.
I am not for the illogical pounds and ounces and inches stuff, but the date sorting makes sense, and that's how I've always used it.
To verify my explanation, go ahead and see for yourself: click on the DATE tab in your explorer and see how it sorts your files - if it's DD/MM/YY does it help you to find your date-organised files as efficiently as if you sorted by YY/MM/DD?
First of all, I don't change the time standard as my esteemed reader alleges. I USE THE LOGICAL time standard. Have you ever wondered why the USA is leaps ahead of RSA in terms of efficiency and development? Here's why:
USA uses the date format of YY/MM/DD vs. the RSA standard format of DD/MM/YY.
If we had a phone bill received on the 1st of every month, then they would be sorted by date as follows:
USA:
2010/01/01 (January)
2010/02/01 (February)
2010/03/01 (March)
and so on
RSA:
01/01/2010 (January)
01/02/2010 (February)
01/03/2010 (March)
and so on
If we want to file all of our telephone bills into folders, if they all arrived on the 1st of the month, then in the USA they'd be filed in a cabinet labeled 2010 in a folder labeled "January", "February", "March" and so on. In RSA they'd be filed in a cabinet labeled "Day 1" in a folder labeled "January". In the USA you'd need one cabinet per year, and in RSA you'd need one cabinet per day (i.e. 31 cabinets per year).
If we wanted to filter out the a phone bill from November 2010, if it was sorted by RSA format we'd need to dig into the file of "1st's" and sift through piles of notes from January through to December 2000 through to 2010 before we found the one we wanted. In other words, to find November 2010's phone bill, you'd dig into a folder of about 120 notes because they've been filed by the Day and then the Month and then only the Year.
The US standard of YY/MM/DD is much more logical because to find November 2010, you start in the 2010 (YY) folder, then the 11 (MM) folder, and then hey presto, there's only one phone bill in that folder.
I am not for the illogical pounds and ounces and inches stuff, but the date sorting makes sense, and that's how I've always used it.
To verify my explanation, go ahead and see for yourself: click on the DATE tab in your explorer and see how it sorts your files - if it's DD/MM/YY does it help you to find your date-organised files as efficiently as if you sorted by YY/MM/DD?
11 November 2010
Prepare your clocks! 2010/11/12 @ 13:14:15
Yes, you got it; another fancy time moment is upon us, and this one is kinda nifty...
12 November 2010 at 14 minutes and 15 seconds past 1pm it will read:
2010/11/12 @ 13:14:15 ... that's 10/11/12@13:14:15 ... set your alarms!
Cool huh?
12 November 2010 at 14 minutes and 15 seconds past 1pm it will read:
2010/11/12 @ 13:14:15 ... that's 10/11/12@13:14:15 ... set your alarms!
Cool huh?
29 October 2010
Stefan Terblanche is still so fit
[ UPDATED with more entries at the bottom ]
Following on from the mad craze that hit the world a year ago, and in honour of the Sharks impending victory over Western Province tomorrow in the final of the ABSA Currie Cup, comes the next iteration in Stefan Terblanche idioms (* The whole collection is now available from http://tinyurl.com/STisfit):
A friend's offering
Following on from the mad craze that hit the world a year ago, and in honour of the Sharks impending victory over Western Province tomorrow in the final of the ABSA Currie Cup, comes the next iteration in Stefan Terblanche idioms (* The whole collection is now available from http://tinyurl.com/STisfit):
A friend's offering
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ...Stefan Terblanche went for a run with Chuck Norris and made him sweat for the first time.
- This subsequently lead to Chuck Norris shedding his first tear.
- Which lead to excessive flooding in America
- Which lead to the start of global cooling
My version of his offering:
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ...
He goes for a relaxing stroll alongside Chuck Norris on Chuck's daily run. - This is the only time Chuck Norris has ever sweat.
- This is also the first time Chuck Norris has ever cried.
- Chuck's tears led to excessive flooding across the world
- Which resulted in the beginning of global cooling.
- So
Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... That he cools the earth down.
Other offerings:
Stefan Terblanche is so fit ...
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... he can pop a wheelie on a unicycle.
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... if you call them, Stefan will come.
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... if you pass it, Stefan will score.
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... every street in the WORLD has been named after him ("St.").
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... light wishes it could go at the speed of Terblanche.
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... he already knows what the result will be (for tomorrow's final), but he's not telling
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... he's hot, so HE is the reason the global temperature raised in the first place
... but realising that no-one else can live at his level of hotness, Stefan fixed the problem just by being amazing.
"Wasn't Stefan the reason the global temperature was raised in the first place? So ... He caused the problem, and fixed the problem just by being amazing? Amazing..." - Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... Stefan Terblanche IS the Force!
- Stefan Terblanche is so fit ... his future is bright. So bright in fact that he doesn't need sunglasses - the sun needs STEFANglasses.
22 October 2010
It's X days until ...
If you need to know how many days it is until ... whenever, then you can count the days yourself with a calendar, try to work it out yourself, or cheat and use this handy little tool grabbed from http://www.jarusa.com/daysuntil.htm.
How Many Days Until How many days until an event? |
There are some other handy calculators there too, one of which I've just used work out that I'm 11,555 days old and my 12,000th birth-DAY will be 9 January 2012!
Days Old Calculator How many days old are you? |
20 October 2010
Tonight, at 8:10pm, brace yourselves!
At 8:10pm tonight, 20 October 2010, it will be:
2010 20/10 20:10.
Remember to record WHAT YOU ARE DOING at this momentus moment (because it will last only one minute of your life, ever, finished and klaar - never ever to be repeated on the Roman calendar, ever).
2010 20/10 20:10.
Remember to record WHAT YOU ARE DOING at this momentus moment (because it will last only one minute of your life, ever, finished and klaar - never ever to be repeated on the Roman calendar, ever).
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