Die Burger Pryslyn Kompetisie – hoe regverdig is dit?

Ek neem al geryme tyd aan Die Burger Pryslyn Kompetisie deel — kyk hier om ‘n idee te kry van hoe lank al. Tot op hede was ek nog nie eens naby om iets te wen nie so die vraag het by my ontstaan van hoe regverdig is hierdie kompetisie?

Ek was altyd onder die indruk dat die nommers elke dag in Die Burger lukraak (randomly) gegenereer word sonder inagneming van in watter ry dit voorkom. Al wat geignoreer word is die nommers wat reeds in die verlede gepubliseer is en die nommers wat glad nie op ‘n kaart verskyn nie.

Ek het tot die besef gekom dat hierdie afleiding nie korrek is nie. Ek is seker dat elke dag voordat die nommers gepubliseer word daar gekyk word dat die nommers die minste wenners lewer en indien daar wenners is, dat dit baie lae pryswaarde het. Van julle mag sê dat dit nie moontlik is nie want hoe weet Die Burger hoe elke kaart lyk. Wel, Die Burger weet presies hoe elke kaart lyk en watter nommers in watter ry is. So al wat ‘n rekenaar hoef te doen wanneer die nommers gegenereer word, is om dit te vergelyk met al die kaarte in omloop en te kyk watse wenners word opgelewer. Indien daar te veel wenners is dan word ‘n nuwe stel nommers gegenereer.

As ek na al my kaarte van die verlede kyk is dit intressant om op te let hoe eweredig die nommers oor die hele kaart versprei is en dat daar altyd 1 of 2 oop nommers op ‘n ry is. Nooit 5 oop in ‘n bepaalde ry en 1 of 2 ander rye vol nie. In ‘n lukrake omgewing is dit net nie moontlik dat so iets sal gebeur oor so ‘n lang tyd nie. Wiskundig maak dit net nie sin nie.

Julle sal dink dat ek hierdie slegs sê omdat ek nog nie gewen het nie. Wel dan moet iemand my asseblief verkeerd bewys en ek hoor met graagte julle menings.

Eventually found a Note taking program that does what I need.

For a couple of months maybe a year now I have been looking for a software program for my Note taking needs. It must just sit hidden somewhere and when I need it, it must just magically appear. Well I have found one and it is free — it is called Shirusupad and you can get it at http://www.shirusupad.tk/

It does my Todo list, I can set alarms that even execute programs and the most important, I can keep notes. It even handles Ctrl C when you hold down the Ctrl C key long enough.

It is one great program and can recommend it.

Web page redirection and output buffering

Why cannot all web servers by default buffer there output and only send the output to the client when the page is finish created? I developed an PHP driven website and used the header function often to redirect to a different page. Those that know PHP also know that HTML headers cannot be change when some output has already gone to the client.

To make a long story short the server I was developing on (PHP 5.0.4) was buffering PHP output by default due to a setting in the php.ini file so the call to the header function was working perfectly. When this application was put on another server that was running an older version of PHP (4.3.0), everything just broke.

What a slept to change all the pages by including ob_start() and ob_end_flush() on all the pages that used the header function.

Well I suppose things will get better in the future!!

What is our purpose in life?

This question has probably been ask by a lot of people and I would think that each of us would have a different answer to this question depending on our circumstances in life.

I have been pondering about this for a while. I have been battling to find employment for the past 2 years and wonders everyday why did I land in this situation. What have I done do deserve this? Why is everyday such a battle?

Are we put on this earth to just worry about ourselves? To make as much money as possible, to accumulate as much earthly things as possible?

I cannot say that I am an overly religious person. Yes, I do believe in God and I do believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Over the last couple of weeks after I was invited to a church service by some friends I came to the conclusion that what I though was my purpose in life was totally wrong. We are here for 5 simple things:

  1. Bring God glory by worshiping him
  2. Bring God glory by loving other believers
  3. Bring God glory by becoming like Christ
  4. Bring God glory by serving others with our gifts
  5. Bring God glory by telling others about him

I am doing a 40 day session with a group of friends based on the book by Rick Warren called The Purpose Driven Life. It ask the simple question — What on earth am I here for?

We are now 9 days down the road and I must say that it is truly life-changing. Things that were important before just are not any more. Where a couple of weeks ago I was on the edge of a cliff I now look forward to getting up in the morning. Life is still a struggle but I now have the knowledge that if I do everything to worship God then there will be solutions to all my problems.

Recruitment Agents and ethics

The 2 concepts in the title in my opinion is mutually exclusive. Over the last 2 years I have been job hunting and have not found 1 recruitment agent that has any ethics to speak off.

Some of them like Microstaff is just blatantly liars. They would not hesitate sending your details and CV to companies without your permission. Never ever even bother to ask any agent to get back to you via email or phone. They just do not bother. Most of them will give you some story when you confront them on why you was not selected for a certain position.

There is one or 2 exceptions that is slightly better. And I emphasis the word slightly.

I have learned that it is a waste of time using job sites like CareerJunction, PNET or Careerweb to find a job. You application will just go down a bottomless pit. Using Recruitment agencies is just as bad. How they make money and survive I do not understand.

I suppose it is just because I am an oldish white male. Does not matter that I have all the experience in the world.

Well if you want to talk to me regarding a job the please contact me via my details on the contact page.