If you were ever in doubt what to get the geek in your life – or indeed anyone who sits in front of a computer for long hours – heated slippers and gloves that you can pop into the microwave, or plug into your computer’s USB port, are perfect this winter! The Bizcommunity team can attest to the fact that freezing fingers and toes are an unwelcome side effect of producing a daily ezine every morning on the colder days.
We’ve tracked down a few handy products, some of which the team is test driving (at our own cost) to make your winter a warmer one! You don’t have to send fruit baskets to thank us for these tips, just promise not to laugh (audibly) and point when you spot us.
First up are the heated slippers which you can pop into the microwave and which the editorial team are currently test driving. Simone’s velour slippers are featured in the pic attached. (Thanks Simone, don’t worry, we will protect your identity further). She bought them at The Women’s Show a few weeks ago and is trying to track down at which craft markets they are sold in Johannesburg. Another brand is Aroma Soothz, also microwave-heated: nuke the removeable wheat kernel bags. And being someone who does her research, Simone also says Dischem have a battery operated version (of the slippers, that is).
Then my personal favourite – for those who have contacts in London and Neverland – heated slippers and gloves that you can plug into your USB port! Here’s the link from Amazon.co.uk.
We welcome further suggestions from our readers in the interests of keeping everyone working warm and cosy in front of their computers when they are reading Bizcommunity!
Well, thanks to the SABC, there was no shortage of news headlines last week - always a concern for a trade daily during/after public holidays! And as many pundits are saying - a better script couldn’t have been written by any of the local soapie creators. In fact, it comes closer to resembling a Shakespearian whodunit like Macbeth or Hamlet, with brothers-in-arms doing each other in for the job of ruling ‘Kingdom SABC’, pushing and shoving for power under a new dispensation-in-waiting. On second thoughts, the whole affair doesn’t come close to the elegance and wit of Shakespeare. The public spat is rather distasteful, great headlines notwithstanding. Nice comment from the Sunday Times this weekend about the fact that this creates an opportunity to rebuild on mistakes and create a new, credible leadership team sans political interference for the state broadcaster. Or is that wishful thinking? On another chilly note, winter is a killer to those of us on early shifts who spend a lot of time in front of our computers. But my intrepid assistant editor, Simone, has the ultimate gift for those geeks in your life: heated slippers! We’ll be posting a pic of her pair on our news blog after deadline and to hell with my street cred, I’ve ordered some too for my own frozen feet. Now if I could only find a pair of those USB-heated fingerless gloves for my icy hands, I may make it through this winter without so very many sinful cups of hot chocolate! (And did you know that you also get cup warmers that plug into your USB port?! The IT department got one for our number one IT geek, Andre, who has a reputation for letting his coffee go cold constantly.)
More and more, breaking news is being reported on Twitter first and then the mainstream media using Twitter as a primary source of eyewitness news. An example happening right now is the earthquake in China: see http://summize.com/search?q=earthquake.
For news articles concerning twitter and news reporting, see Google News Search and Summize, once again.
In what must be one of the briefest press releases I’ve received so far at Bizcommunity.com (all of an email headline), the organisers of the Loeries has announced that the deadline for submitting entries has been extended until Saturday, 31 May 2008. A Saturday?
Great news! The organisers of the International Media Forum, running 21 - 22 May 2008, have extended its 15% discount for Bizcommunity.com readers who book before 20 May - a saving of over R1500 per ticket.
International editors of top world media and some of the world’s most experienced communicators and brand builders are in the powerful lineup of speakers for this important forum, including: The Economist, BBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Aljazeera, CNN, CNBC, Financial Times, Reuters, Hindustan Times, as well as communications experts from Virgin, Germany Land of Ideas and World Editors Forum.
Should the creative pitching process continue as is or is it doing too much damage to the industry? These are questions asked by two different columnists on Bizcommunity.com recently, in case you didn’t catch it, what with all the load shedding and public holidays that have kept many from regular hours at their desks! First, Thendo Ratshitanga, exec chair of Tshirundu Communications outlined the arduous process Government puts agencies through in the pitching and tender process in a brilliant article. His view is that organisations must have stringent processes to evaluate bids and give sufficient time for agencies to submit their best effort, and that where there is apparent abuse in the frequency and shambles that seems to be the Government tender process that it should be reviewed by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and Auditor-General as “fruitless and wasteful expenditure”. In a separate article, Bizcom’s marketing guru, Chris Moerdyk, warns against giving away your intellectual capital in endless pitches which are sometimes a smokescreen for clients to harvest ideas. He remains surprised why clients don’t all go for credentials-only pitches, when there are such success stories out there and that the industry should discourage creative and strategy pitches. Join the debate by adding your voice to this week’s poll: Should creative pitches be banned?.
Last week on Biz, we mentioned that Louis-Marc Germishuys, business manager of www.mydigitallife.co.za, part of the IT Web stable, would attempt to set a world record by blogging for 48 hours non-stop at the inaugural Digital Life Expo held at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, 18 - 20 April 2008. Below is a video from The Times Online…
editorial team are currently test driving. Simone’s velour slippers are featured in the pic attached. (Thanks Simone, don’t worry, we will protect your identity further). She bought them at The Women’s Show a few weeks ago and is trying to track down at which craft markets they are sold in Johannesburg. Another brand is Aroma Soothz, also microwave-heated: nuke the removeable wheat kernel bags. And being someone who does her research, Simone also says Dischem have a battery operated version (of the slippers, that is).