Blog Entries
Farewell, "Mr Tibbs"
8 January 2022 — I woke to the news that Sidney Poitier had passed away and had an immediate flashback to my pre-adolescence when I saw "In the Heat of the Night". It was a 16mm print projected onto a bedsheet in someone's house. (This was South Africa in the height of grand apartheid in the...
The best source of advice...
7 January 2022 — Still on the subject of New Year resolutions: If you want to lose weight, ask a thin person If you want to stop smoking, ask a non-smoker who quit If you want to defeat high blood pressure / cholesterol / diabetes, ask someone who doesn't have those problems If you want...
If the shoe doesn't fit...
6 January 2022 — I've never been one to make New Year resolutions, but it's one of those questions that almost everyone asks me when exchanging greetings. So, I decided to take a bugbear and turn that into a resolution. I want a new pair of shoes. It's not a complicated ask; except it is. I...
The silent threat of technology
5 January 2022 — I was in Beijing in 2017 and came close to being wiped out by a scooter. The previous time I visited China's capital, this would not have happened, because I would have heard it coming. This time, I did not, because the scooter was electric, and almost completely silent as a...
Name your price
4 January 2022 — Driving home this evening, I came across a sight which is not unfamiliar to my fellow South Africans: cars parked on the side of the road with "for sale" signs and numbers to call. Neither of them had a price tag. My fellow South Africans, help me understand, why do we do...
The Science of hookups
3 January 2022 — It’s the new year. I see a lot of y’all pouring your hearts out on various platforms about your desire to extricate yourself from Covid-induced self-gratification. Not to worry; I have the two-step solution right here: If you’re a woman, you need to signal availability If...
The hazards of driving in Johannesburg
2 January 2022 — Driving into Gauteng this evening with a magnificent thunderstorm in full glory over Johannesburg in the distance, and (of course), my fellow Gatties,1 at the slightest hint of a cloudburst, slow to a crawl in the fast lane of the freeways, and put on their hazard lights. If...
'Reject your inner dung beetle'
1 January 2022 — If you’re visiting any of South Africa’s magnificent game reserves and look down, chances are you will see one these: Scarabaeus Zambesianus is the African Dung Beetle, and its lot in life is to find a mound of fæces, roll it a couple of hundred metres from where it was...
Racist emoji
30 August 2020 — Have you ever heard someone says something that sounded completely outrageous, and you turned around to see a smile on their face and heaved a sigh of relief? Humans rely on a wide range of signals to communicate with each other, and most of these are non-verbal: What we say...
Yes, but is it paedophilia?
4 July 2020 — Even after his death, there continues to be outrage — deserved, in my opinion — around Jeffrey Epstein's 36 recorded counts of sexual abuse. Some of his victims were 14 years old. But this is 2020, and even well-meaning people commenting on the matter get taken to task, for...
Some thoughts on GDP
22 August 2020 — I was asked a question: "Would I be right in saying GDP is not always a good indicator of an economy?" My response: "GDP is an important piece of a larger puzzle which should never be looked at in isolation." Here's a brief explainer: GDP (gross domestic product) is the...