Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Time

Hi again

Textdrive, a hosting company I use, decided that my little recipe site used up too much of something and it stopped working, I guess I will just host it on my home DSL line. (So much for service?)

Accounting packages, wow, what a dry subject, however, as a linux user I have great difficulty finding useful programs in the accounting arena, I may however have discovered a cure to that through CUBIT accounting.
Time will tell

Another thing getting my interest is EC2 and S3 services provided by Amazon

Sunday, July 22, 2007

The KhoiKhoi/Bushmen

Bushman, Strandloper, San, Hottentot, KhoiKhoi, Sonqua are just some of the names given to a remarkable group of people, the original inhabitants of South Africa. Even though they don't give themselves a collective name I will simply refer to them as the Bushmen

As artists they painted rich scenes of animals and hunts, never a battle scene, a peaceful group of people that strove for harmony with nature and other peoples.

So what happened to these peaceful people, well first the migration south of the strip farming Bantu tribes on the fertile eastern seaboard, who enslaved, incorporated or displaced them. Evidence of the bushman influence is found in the Xhosas who have incorporated some of the "clicks" into their language
(Nelson Mandela is such a remarkable humanist?)
Then came the European Settlers who initially traded then stole the Bushmens valuable livestock and introduced deadly diseases (Spanish Influenza virtually wiped out the settlements)

I took a trip to the Cederberg Mountains and viewed a rock painting of a fifteenth century sailing boat, alongside some colourful Eland and a strong scent of camphor trees growing in the rocky outcrop, looking out at the empty hills completely empty of these ancient artists I wonder at what has been done that can never be undone

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Books I am reading

1) "Gifts" by "Ursula Le Guin"
I have always enjoyed Le Guin's style and pace as an author, enjoyed the "Earthsea" series
2) "A History of Western Philosophy" by "Bertrand Russell"
I haven't managed to finish this book in over a year! The modern and religious philosophers have put me off :) Stuck on page 627 with something about Cromwell, oh well
3) "The Persian Expedition" by "Xenophon"
430-354 BC old news? A Rex Warner translation

Tri Nations

Well having just watched Stuart Dickenson making a mockery out of the Tri Nations and rugby in general with a ludicrous display of one sided decisions to force a win for the lack luster All Blacks

Johan Muller the Bok captain showed great honour and courage has probably proved that the so called Jake White's B side is at least equal to the first choice team with the exception of Breyton Paulse who seems to have had instructions not to tackle but rather hop around trying to get an interception, this idiotic tactic cost the first try against the Boks

On the subject of idiotic tactics, did Jake White insist that all the hard earned possession won by Muller's forwards be kicked mid field so that the All Blacks could get more opportunities to score points?

Well I guess its just a game, however I would prefer that play on the field should be rewarded rather than the aspirations of administrators