[Events] 27dinner - powered by Eskom

So last night was the last Jozi 27dinner of the year, held for the second time at Primi at Melrose Arch – a venue I much prefer to the Primi Studio at The Zone@Rosebank. Except for the wee problem of no backup power when the the prince of darkness, aka Eskom, decided to inflict us with the consequences of load shedding.

So although there was a great turnout at first, we lost a lot of people as the hungry and ravenous drifted off in the dark to hunt down food. Some did return with the power; we sure are diehard geeks.

Anyway, networking by candlelight sure puts a different spin on things, especially when you got to see later whom you were chatting to in the dark. And when it’s dark, one of the only things you can do is talk (and lament the growling stomach).

In between chatting with people I know (the usual suspects) and meeting new folks and introducing a whole bunch to Tyler Reed (I’ll add details later), I reported on some of the proceeding via Twitter. Highlight of the evening was the launch of Afrigator Beta [Private Beta launched] and meeting Afrigator designer Cape Tonian Mark Forrester, who is all the way out from London and not to be confused with Durbanite Marc Forrest, and Afrigator coder and fellower Twitterer Stii Pretoriius, up from George especially along with Bev Merriman/Feisty Female.

Vincent Maher of the Mail & Guardian Online gave me some advance details on the new M&G Online development going live on Friday soon, too.

Other blog posts so far with visuals and more detail are:

• Vincent Maher: Joburg 27 Dinner: Eskom, Afrigator, mussels, the tale of the long crack and waiting for cabs
• Paul Jacobson [Afrigator Beta screenshot]: Good to see everyone at the 27 Dinner
• Nic Haralambous [who videod proceedings]: The Afrigator guys in one room
• Craig Nicholson: 27 dinner by candlelight

Thanks once again to Stormhoek for sponsoring the wine (of which I took a bottle home)!

Update 3pm:

• Tyler Reed: 27 Dinner - Geeks Without Power
• Afrigator blog [slideshow of presentation]: Private Beta launched
• Mark Forrester: Jozi 27dinner
• Gregor Rohrig: Afrigator crack-whore
• Justin Hartman: 27dinner and Team Afrigator
• Charl Norman [bandwidthblog]: Afrigator beta launched (reviewed)
  

PS Tyler intimated that next year would be a seminal year for the Internet in South Africa, what with various developments. I wonder what inside information he’s sitting on

Update 4.40pm: Flickr pics!

• Paul Jacobson
• Deshanta

Update: 5.50pm:

• Nic Haralambous: Afrigator launch video
• Deshanta: 27 Dinner Jozi: Blackout

Update Thursday, 29 November, 8.50am:

• Woooooooooooohoooooooooooooooooooo Afrigator’s made Read/WriteWeb! – Afrigator: The Best of African Social Media, in Real Time
• Charl Norman: 27 Geek Dinner

Update Thursday, 29 November, 11.10am:

• Stii Pretorius: 27dinner: A room full of greatness and good times
• Mike Stopforth: AfriBeta - Afrigator Steps It Up A Notch
• White African: Measuring the African blogosphere

Update Thursday, 29 November, 1pm:

• Justin Hartman: Afrigator makes Read/WriteWeb
• Blogcosm: International blogs: Afrigator covers Africa

Update Thursday, 29 November, 5.30pm:

• Feisty Female: 27 Dinner: So many great minds, so little time
• Darren Gorton: 27… and loving it

Update Friday, 30 November:

• AfricanLoft: Afrigator - “a promising and much needed addition to African web real estate.”
• iMod: Afrigator or Amatomu, that’s the question!