Category Archives: Blogging

Back from the Dead

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Yes, I know, this blog was dead for more than a year and there was many reasons for it which is not really important.

So what has happened since then:

  • After 2 and a bit years at Internet Solutions I have decided to move on work wise.  It was a great time at IS and I learned and experienced a lot about the Internet and ISP industry in South Africa and what it take to work with last mile infrastructure for large corporates.  Let me just say, it is a tough world out there.
  • I have joined a small team in Naspers, working on WeChat for Africa and doing great things around WeChat.   I will blog more about that on my other more technical blog — The Technical Side
  • Tomorrow (7 Sep) I am off to go visit my WeChat colleagues in China for 11 days.  Looking so forward to it.  I will try to at least post some photos of my trip and the experience.
  • Oh and I am still very single if anybody was wondering 🙂

This is it for now while I go and get my packing done. 

The year (2011) in review – hectic with more downs than ups.

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What a year, one that I do not want to have over.  This must have been the busiest year in my 31 year working live.  I have never work this hard with the accompanied stress levels that goes with it.

The year started off for me starting a job at Old Mutual for the first 6 months of the year.  It was one of the most interesting projects that I have managed with a great team of developers.  However for some reason Old Mutual decided to treat us contractors not to well and it was time to move on.

I returned to a company that I worked for in the early 2000’s called Fundamo.  Originally I was employed to become the Software Development Manager for one of the Business Units.  For some reason this position was then canned and I was offered the Project Manager position which I accepted.  I still do not agree with the decision that the Dev Manager position was canned. It is leaving a gap in the governance around Software Development and the proper management of the Development processes.

I am Project Manager for 5 countries in the Southern part of Africa.  During Novemeber I spend a couple of days in Uganda to visit and meet the people in Uganda.  I must stay that the past 6 months was very hard and is starting to take it’s toll on me.  I am extremely tired and the frustration levels are very high.  Not sure how long I will be able to keep this up.

On the family side.  My daughter completed her second year at varsity and moves on to 3rd year next year.  My son has one little subject to complete at the beginning of 2012 and if everything goes according to plan, he will obtain his Chemical Engineering degree in March 2012.  Now the struggle starts for him to find a job, so if anybody knows of Chemical Engineering jobs, then please let me know.

To each and everybody, may you have a joyeous holiday season and a great 2012.  For me, 2012 can only be better than 2011.

Moving this blog.

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This Blog will be moving from it’s current home to a new home over the next week or so.  So if you happen to be the 1 or 2 people that is reading my blog and cannot find it then you know why.

The server where I am currently hosting is just getting too unreliable and I think it is a good time to move to my Dreamhost server where my other blog is already hosted.

PS. If you happen to host with or planning to host with SAHOSTPLUS.COM then please re-consider.  Their support is non-existant when something goes wrong.

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Can Social Networking tools replace e-mail?

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A colleague, IBMer Luis Suarez, wrote an article in the NYtimes on how he is using Social Networking tools to reduce the use of e-mail.  And I quote

E-mail can become extinct, if not repurposed altogether, even at big companies like I.B.M. An e-mail in-box no longer needs to be like Pandora’s box.

I am not sure whether I totally agree with this … there is still a place for e-mail.  As another IBMer Ed Brill say and I quote

Even if you move all of your collaboration to other tools, there still needs to be a prompt, a push, a tickle, an alert … something that draws you into the collaboration.

And this push or tickle as Ed calls it is usually via email. If somebody comments on a blog post of mine I get prompted about it via email.  If somebody follow me on Twitter I get informed via email.  If somebody send me a message via Facebook then I get informed via e-mail.

So to answer my own question, no I do not think so.  Yes it can reduce the volume of email (an I do not talk about all the spam) in your inbox but totally replace, no I do not think so.  I would love to hear your comments about it.

Embarrassing Facebook experience ….

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How embarrassing can Facebook be .. well a lot when one does not look what one does.  All these apps does not behave the same and can confuse one when you are not on the lookout.

Over the weekend somebody (rather not say who) send me a Superwall picture.  It was one of those picture one would not generally show around — you know what I am talking about.  Before deleting it, I decided to send it to one of my friends.  Not knowing that when selecting Forward in Superwall it selects all friends by default,  I unselected the friend I wanted to send the picture to and Forwarded it. 

After I hit the Forward button, I noticed to my horror that I forwarded the dreaded picture to all my Friends.  Luckily one receive a notification of who all received the forwarded post and this allowed me to delete most of the forwarded pictures.

I know I did not managed to delete all and if you are one of those that got the picture before I deleted it, then sorry if it embarrassed you.  It was a real boo-boo on my part and I apologize.

Lesson I learned the hard way.  So be careful what you do on Facebook.

Die jaar wat was en die jaar wat kom

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Dit was een van daardie jare wat ek nou nie kan sê dat dit ‘n briljante jaar was nie en ek kan ook nie se dit was ‘n slegte jaar nie.  Dit was net nog ‘n jaar wat verby is.  So wat het die jaar gebeur:

Sosiaal en vriende:
Deur die jaar het ek paar nuwe vriende en vriendinne ontmoet.  Ek is nog “as single as you can get”. Ja en ek het ook een besondere vriendin ontmoet (wel ek het haar seker al amper 15 jaar terug ontmoet en ons padjies het vanjaar weer gekruis). Hopelik sal oor tyd hierdie vriendskap uitbrei tot iets meer.  Ek dink sy is ‘n besondere mens. Genoeg vir eers gesê en al jul nuuskieriges moet maar wag totdat ek weer eendag iets sê.

Familie:
Familie gewys is my kinders die belangrikste.  My seun het Matriek baie goed geslaag en is volgende jaar op pad Universiteit van Stellenbosch toe om Chemiese Ingeneurswese te gaan swot.  My dogter het Graad 10 klaar gemaak en volgende jaar moet sy skool aandurf sonder haar ouer broer in die omtrek.  Nou nie dat dit vir Meriska enigsins sal pla nie want sy kom goed reg so op haar eie.  Albei is gesond en is besig om die vakansie iewers langs die kus te geniet.

Werk:
Die jaar het begin met my wat nog my voete moes vind nadat ons IBM toe is aan die einde van 2006.  Gedurende Mei is ek Denemarke toe om verhoudings op te bou tussen IBM Suid Afrika en IBM Denemarke.  In Oktober het ek die geleentheid gekry om aan te beweeg na ‘n nuwe klient hier in Suid-Afrika wat weer nuwe uitdagings aan my stel.

Wat van 2008?
Ek is nie een wat enige “resolutions” maak nie want die meeste van die goed bly agter as ander prioritieite op mens se pad kom maar ek will konsentreer op die volgende:

  • Wil die beste vriend wees vir my vriende en vriendinne .. veral as hulle deur swaar tye gaan en iemand nodig het en dan wil ek daar wees.
  • Wil my kinders al die ondersteuning en liefde gee wat hulle toekom.
  • Wil alles doen om daai spesialle persoon gelukkig te maak,
  • In my werk alles doen tot die beste van my vermoe en ‘n sukses daarvan maak.

Een ding wat ek in 2007 geleer het is hoe baie ander mense daar is wat baie swaarder in die lewe het as ek.  In 2008 wil ek die lewe met albei hande aangryp en die beste maak van elke oomblik.  Ek glo en vertrou dat 2008 ‘n goeie jaar vir my gaan wees.

Ek wil almal wat tot hier gelees het ‘n baie goeie en gelukkige 2008 toewens.  Gryp elke geleentheid aan en aanvaar die liefde wat ander mense teenoor jul betoon en straal ook liefde teenoor ander uit.  Soos ek meer tyd vir my vriende en geliefdes gaan maak so hoop ek ook dat ieder van julle dieselfde gaan doen.

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