Feeling beautiful?

The A380, A Movie Star, Jump and Being A Dick

Hectic morning after a very busy and productive week - photographed a delightful pixie-like model in my hotel room (with my interpreter and her friend in tow), and probably got the best pictures of the lot. She reminded me a lot of my girlfriend actually - very petite, short pixie hair, very petite (oh did I say that already). I think she said she weighs 43kg. She also has her own online store, and so the outfits she wore she is trying to flog online, so it was very current, and she also provided a lot more insight. So that went well.

I got a huge shock downstairs when my room bill came to W180 000. That's around R2000. Even my American Express choked on it. I must have just gone over the limit with a few books that I bought. Fortunately (and by some miracle) my ABSA card was in a better financial state.

And guess how I got those expenses? From making a handful of calls every day (no more than 5 lasting an average of 2-3 minutes each), eating from a small cylinder of Pringles each day, drinking the odd Coke and chomping on the odd Snickers. My biggest expense was using the internet during business hours (one time) - that sucked out a whopping W36 000. After that i could only use it for free after 22:00, which helped perpetuate already critical levels of jet-lag. I think I went to bed twice during the week after 3am (we had to breakfasted, and ready to leave by 8:30am).

That said, I had a limousine service to and from the airport, luxury accommodation (if only I wasn't so utterly stretched out from jet lag and a frenetic schedule) and all our daily transport, lunch and dinner meals paid for, bar one.

Speaking of which, by last night I was falling victim to the sandman...I even managed to get lost on a small little walking tour - not lost; I just lost the group, and basically went looking for them in every direction except for the unassuming alley they apparently took. I did run into a Korean movie star and snapped a few pictures of her, so maybe it was a fateful mistake ;-)

I was actually looking forward to Club Day and Hongdae all week. Thought I might show the group all the fun spots. As I saw, I was a bit ragged by Friday night, and because I was pretty pooped, a few things were bothering me more than I should have let them - like the fact that none of the 5 people I'd called in Ilsan had really made an effort to get back to me. I think I got one message. Pete (in Jeju) and I spoke a few times. David for example left a private message on Facebook and with the time ticking and having so many numbers to juggle, it just wasn't visible enough to be 'top-of-mind'.
I scribbled it in my diary, but other than Allalie's Facebook messages, there wasn't much new communication that would lead me to believe my Korean buddies knew anything different with regards to me being in the country. I didn't get hold of Wendy at all. I left a message with her room-mate, called again and just got this Mysterious Wall of silence. I checked the email I'd printed out and sure enough she'd said we should meet for coffee/beer.

Still it would have been nice to not have to schlepp all the way back to Ilsan after a Club Day night, and cruising around Itaewon. Kind've incredible that we were so busy that we didn't even do JJ's in the hotel itself. I didn't even get to swim in the Hyatt pool, and was way to poegaai to even think of using their in-house gym. I did sign up for a run but on the day - this morning actually - it was raining and cold. The weather was cold. One day went down as low as 2 C. I believe it's just as cold in Johannesburg right now.

I called Michael Hurt (one of the photographers I invited on the shoot, and an editor of a fashion mag in Seoul) from the hotel just before I left and had like a 40 minute conversation with him, so only had time to call Sarah before I left. We had a great first day together. After that I think I said something about me (a man) not seeing myself as a PA and it was construed that I discriminate against women. If I do discriminate would that comment even bother me in the first place (coming from a woman), would I want to tell the story of Korean women's fashion? Would I buy my girlfriend a handbag? It did bother me. So did some of the kimchi err...on the way out, if you get my meaning ;-)

On the bright side I've worked out that I'll probably be able to produce 12-14 quality stories on a whole variety of topics (From Korean Zen to The World's Best Airport 3 years in a row). Yes, even at Incheon I was running around shooting pictures. Lovely airport though.

It was also quite funny when I left the hotel (and the Lost in Translation Movie that I'd lived in the for the past week - seriously) the guy sees I'm wearing flip flops, my worn out green cap and a dodgy brown coat over camouflage trousers) - he asks if I want to catch the bus to the airport. A bit unusual for someone leaving the Hyatt. "Kannanan?" I say. (Poor? - gesturing to my clothes and general appearance) He calls a taxi closer and I explain the VIP service has been arranged for me. He motions me to a black Equus. During the drive we go by a Chrysler flowing with pink balloons (someone just married) and skirt plenty of the Han's massive red and green bridge structures. I enjoyed the 6 hours flying here, especially the last piece - flying at night - were some of the most beautiful and magical views over Singapore. Does this remind me of a story called Toni's Oil, or The Magic Lantern. Just lots of blinking lights, ships, and a city sparkling like an emerald at night, sinewy traffic diamonds flowing in to fill the Matrix with even more sparklers.

After touching down I glanced out of the corridor to see GIANT writing. The giant writing was in proportion to the plane - an A380. It seems - almost - to have the dimensions of a normal plane, except it is really a double-decker plane, and because of the additional heft, there is a wider wingspan, and bigger (and heavier engines). With the fuel prices going where they are, we have to wonder - will it work?

I have a couple of cost saving tips for airlines:

- no newspapers on board or in flight magazines
- no blankets or pillows
- no metal cutlery (Singapore Airlines still uses)
- energy bars/meals
- no flying duty free shop
- passengers exceeding a specified BMI should not be allowed to fly
This last requirement may seem absurd or extreme, but the opposite is true. Obese people are a danger to themselves, and often place a tremendous strain of resources, including medical, often because they require lifetime treatment for their self-inflicted symptoms. One is diabetes. The disease is often caused by a very unhealthy lifestyle, and then more money is spent treating the symptoms. The future needs to have some sanity in terms of learning to not only be more efficient on how we consume the lives of other creatures, but also how efficiently and effectively we can live our own lives. Up until now, the milk, egg and meat industries have favored making money at our (and the environment's expense) - that needs to change.

Wow - aren't I going off on a tangent!

In the plane on the way here to Singapore (it's now 17:44 SA time, 23:44 Singapore time) I watched JUMP. It's teen fantasy but I really enjoyed it.

On Facebook David - obviously a bit stung that I didn't get hold of him - left me this message: "You're a dick." I was trying very hard not to be. But you have to be careful of these South Africans. Isn't the preponderance of evidence that they're all a bunch of racist, discriminating assholes? I tried to meet a lot of people despite a very busy schedule. I did but I couldn't get around to everyone, especially if they weren't trying hard to get hold of me (eg. getting my contact number during the day). But just to be clear, although I've heard the sentiments loud and clear the name is actually Nick. But it's interesting that that can be the way someone is summed up when all is said and done.

Oooh well. I - scary South African that I am - nicked a pillow from my flight and I think I have been standing here long enough. Gonna get horizontal, listen to music on my iPod, read World Made By Hand, and try not to wish away a single moment. I'm still not sure if I want to go where I'm going.

The Facebook Frame

My sister, Candice van der Leek, would have made a great example of overt and extreme racism in Francois Rank's Sunday Times article: Young racists in cyberspace . Her profile picture had an obese, semi-naked black woman masturbating, and in the political views slot were the words: 'Fu&# Ka##ir$." She'd be the perfect example to cite of a young Afrikaner racist in Cyberspace.

Except that:
1) she isn't an Afrikaner
2) she isn't racist
3) her original Facebook profile was hijacked.

She emailed me the following message after she'd seen what I was talking about, and since I had been 'removed' as a 'friend' from her account.

No Nick! Facebook has disabled my account. Another thing I would not do, is remove my own brother from my account! Im not pissed [at you], Im just shocked !!! If your personal profile pic changes to a pornographic picture, it is highly unlikely that it is a girl, or your own sister that would be that dumb enough to put a masturbating obese black porn star there instead!!! Never mind everything else!

This happened recently, and at first I found the timing of this article and what happened to her profile oddly coincidental. But the actual hijacking of the profile assumes a certain kind of modus operandi: that she did not log off at the internet cafe (which she is using temporarily since she is based in Bloemfontein -unusually - just before flying to the UK at the end of this month), and someone then paid for the pleasure of hijacking her profile. I'm curious who would do this? Someone with a bone to pick with her? I doubt it. Someone who hates blacks? Possibly, but that's going to an awful lot of trouble at an internet cafe (sourcing an image etc.). Or someone who wanted other black people to think that she was an out and out racist? I don't know. I'm not sure I want to know.

When I called her and told her about the changes to her profile she quickly deleted the picture (pretty freaking offensive on its own) and the 'political views' comment, but she subsequently lost the account altogether (friends, messages, the lot).

She says she wants to contact Facebook and inform them that 'it wasn't her', but I doubt they will buy the story.

I also wonder if there is another way to change a Facebook profile; meaning can it be hacked? Well, the scary answer is yes:
How to hack Facebook



Since it can, I'd encourage everyone (with something to lose)to delete their profiles, because this is a great way to sabotage someone's reputation, especially given the current spirit of point, blame, fire.

Facebook: Will you be my friend?

It's this kindergarten aspect of Facebook that is also crucial to it's success. You look around at people's friends, remember some people you like, think of celebrities even, and then ask them: 'Will you be my friend?' And let's admit it, if you're a teenage girl and the message reads: "Ryk Neethling and Bimby Lavigne are now friends,' well, if you're Bimby, that's a thrill.

Imagine the thrill if you're a guy, and your message read. 'Paris Hilton and [fill in your name here] are now friends.' Now don't pretend you wouldn't care, or that Paris isn't worth knowing (on Facebook). It's incredible how celebrities and ordinary folks can meet and chat in this...fairly safe venue. Hugh Grant might not agree, but plenty of not-quite-so-important celebrities would.

Beautiful young girls who are busy with...well...whatever they are busy with...can compare popularity and assess their popwer from the safety of their own homes.

And someone like little ol' me can get in touch with an animator I heard on the radio...

Alex Jay: Identity Theft Is Not A Rumor

A colleague of mine has had his bank account emptied recently. He was able to recover some of it thanks to contacts, but others may not be so lucky.

Remember: once you post information of the internet, it may not be possible to recover it.

Even if you subsequently delete it, users all over the world could still have saved it to their systems, making recovery impossible (effectively). The rule of thumb, when disclosing personal stuff (your name, telephone number, date of birth, anything else), don't if at all possible. Fill in required fields, and if it's not an important site, don't put in accurate information. Also be careful what you throwaway.

Here's another contemporary example from The Times.co.za:

Alex Jay’s nightmare on Facebook
Melody Brandon

Published:Oct 18, 2007
Identity thief swears at his fans, claims he’s a pervert.

Alarm Bells have once again been sounded about identity theft on social networking sites.
According to new-media lawyer Paul Jacobson, people placing personal information on a social website should be aware of the risks — which include having their identity stolen.

DJ Alex Jay found himself in a predicament on the social networking site Facebook after being profiled by an unknown person.

The rest of this The Times article click here.

Disruptive Technologies: Are you armed and dangerous?

How - and why - to join the online revolution

Why blog? For the same reason people buy cargo pants (with a terrorist design), wear Crocs and use cellphones. Because everyone is doing it.

But what makes blogs different to Crocs and cargo pants is that 10 years from now, everyone will have a blog (something like a business card), except not only businessmen will introduce themselves, but brats too, through their blogs.

A 'Disruptive Technology’ according to Wikipedia is:

’...a technological innovation, product, or service that eventually overturns the existing dominant technology or status quo product in the market. Disruptive innovations can be broadly classified into lower-end and new-market disruptive innovations...’

It may sound like a mouthful, but essentially, disruptive technologies are very good for the average person. A good contemporary example is MXIT, which is giving the likes of Vodacom and MTN gray hairs in terms of losing their SMS market share. MXIT offers the same service at a fraction of the cost (each SMS costs around 1 cent).

Blogs are another excellent example of Disruptive Technologies, and in the same breath, so is Reporter.co.za. Reporter.co.za is essentially a user generated blog; it’s the crowd - you - sending us your thoughts and news. If you have a cellphone and an internet connection you can (possibly) compete with some of the best journalists out there. How? By being somewhere where they aren’t and couldn’t possibly be. You can!

Quality is a separate issue of course. People who are not trained to write, or take photos, do not always write stories or take photos that are worth the trouble to look at, or read. But sometimes they are. And sometimes they form the basis for the biggest news stories.
Some video footage for the 9/11 tragedy was provided, as I recall, by a Turkish tourist.* Someone’s cellphone provided us with footage on the London bombings, and recently, the ’London Bombings Again, Almost’.

A blog basically puts incredible power and resources into the hands of an individual. You don’t have to be a corporation with vast networks and resources to beam your message to the world.

Low Cost

You don’t need satellite dishes or banks filled with humming machines. A blog can really be quite a powerful thing: you inputting your thoughts here (on Reporter.co.za) or on your own blog (or both, as I do), and publishing them, means anyone, anywhere - whether it is Fiji or Iceland - can find you.

A mere mouseclick in an arbitrary office or bedroom means someone you don’t even know (or someone you do know) can and read and see what an individual was doing over the weekend in say, Johannesburg, a place they might otherwise never visit (or even think to visit).
A blog also provides the curious Netizen who doesn’t have a blog, with the opportunity to virtually visit, at very close quarters, the lives and times of people from New York to Nieu Bethesda.

Exciting

I find that tremendously exciting, although obviously the limit on how exciting it is depends on how exciting the person is that is loading up whatever it is they are loading onto the net.
This is a good thing to bear in mind, I think, whoever you are. Is it meaningful, is it worth knowing, is it interesting whether relevant to me or not?

Content(ious) Issues

You can make your content interesting by doing a little background research. Google and Wiki some of the terms you’re using and see what others have commented on your subject. Most important, check your own work for mistakes. Once you put it up, those flaws, if they are present, are going to put people ever investing their precious time in your thoughts.
Another reason to blog is to reach out and form, organically in a sense, niche markets, niche communities. This is an area that has made bloggers very competitive.

For example you might have a blog about fishing (the world’s largest outdoor sport), and so with a consistent theme, and updated content, you will be reaching friends and/or strangers that particularly want to be associated with you - and there’s your community. It’s specialised, and customised. This is also what Facebook is all about.

How to blog

A good blog is one that has something new on it each day. That may sound easier than it is. By some accounts there are already 200 million ex-bloggers, since most people who start blogs don’t keep them up and running forever. Some believe blogging will peak at 100 million bloggers.** I think that’s conservative and shortsighted, since China has only just started.
In the end though, good blogs are like good newspapers and magazines. They are worth reading (or watching in the case of video blogs) if the writing (or video) is good. The same applies to this website. So when is writing good, and worth reading?

Many writers, especially citizen journalists underestimate the incredible appeal of local stories. Writing about some of the main stories (for example, the debacle concerning the Health Minister) means that citizen journalists have to compete with acres and acres of excellent broadcast writing on the same subject.

To compete effectively, citizen journalists must invest themselves HYPERlocally. That means, report what is happening in your neighborhood. I recently participated in a discussion*** on this subject, where the speaker spoke about a series of stories sent in by citizens on potholes, in the United Kingdom.

Ordinary people began to take photos of the nearest hazard (using their cellphones), and then sent them in to the BBC. This started a snowball, which led to the implementation of Google Mapping (to form a grid of all the pockmarked routes in England) and probably led to some sort of broader municipal effort to sort out the problem. This story started with hyperlocal content.
You can start a blog by heading to blogger, at www.blogger.com, and follow easy setup instructions. Or, you can make use of the audience that’s here, and encourage others like yourself to do the same, right here at Reporter.co.za. Go on, join the revolution!

*If you have more details on exactly who provided the 9/11 footage, please contact Reporter.co.za and let us know

**Gartner Report’s Top 10 Predictions for 2007

***http://www.andydickinson.net/

Facebook

Cho Seung-hui used Facebook, so I think reading about it on the news made me wonder what it was all about. It's fairly mainstream among US students.

I registered some time ago but didn't really get it. Now I do. Facebook is really like a coffee lounge. You and your friends get to meet each other and listen in on the latest stuff. See, you post short messages and your friends can see what's happening in your life. It's like blogging made easier; I suppose it's for people who don't have the time, or initiative to blog every day. You can get away with just a short message every now and then.

Like MXIT I believe it is one of those technologies that are here to stay.

I currently have 14 friends on Facebook, and if you're reading (not stalking) my Blog, why not join too.

Just go to www.facebook.com