Use tr.im to see how many follow your shortened links

I have just started using Tr.im for shortening web page links on my Twitter and Facebook accounts. What I like about Tr.im is that I can see how many clicks I get on a link that I shortened and sent on. Simply open a free Tr.im account, and use it to shorten links while logged in. Then use that link in Twitter or Facebook or your blog (anywhere really) and you will be able to see how many clicks you got on that link. The following screen capture shows three links that I shortened and the results within an hour of sending them out.

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Education in South Africa is in trouble

The following graphic comes from the You magazine, 19 November 2009. It makes one think, doesn't it?

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Gauteng gets new vehicle number plates

As it goes in South Africa, the government (whether provincial or national), always finds ways to make more money from its citizens. That is how it seems with the new number plate scheme.

The blue BB00BB GP plates are the standard issue plates. The black PB00BB GP plates are most likely for police services. The green HEITA GP is for personalized plates such as HOTROD GP. Finally, the red GB00BB GP plates are for government vehicles.

It is not that I am against new number plates, since Gauteng will run out of numbers by mid-2010 on its current BBB000 GP number scheme. Vehicles can keep their current numbers beyond that time, but they have to get those numbers re-stamped on the new metal plates. Even though the the new plates will be "equipped with a 2D barcode and a passive electronic chip," ostensibly for security and to stop falsification of plates, it still seems to be another money making scheme. It just would have been so much easier if only newly registered vehicles would be issued with these plates.

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100 Open Courses and 100 Audio Books

A while ago Amber Johnson sent me a link to "100 Awesome Open Courses for Bibliophiles." Here you will find all kinds of open courses to do online. They have courses on literature, foreign literature, linguistics, books and manuscripts, poetry and drama, ancient texts, non-fiction and more.

I also saw that Dan Phillips wrote a note on "100 Free Audio Books You Should Have Read By now." Here you will find audio books from the UK, Europe, classic mysteries and thrillers, biographies and autobiographies, children's literature and poetry. Have you ever wanted to read Moby Dick? You can listen to it now! What about The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin? It is there too! You will find Black Beauty, The wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, The Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen and even History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol I by Edward Gibbon.

Go, educate yourself! Go, read!

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Are these pictures photoshopped?

For more of the same, click here.

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Famous pictures manipulated

Pictures we see in magazines and newspapers aren't always what they seem. See the following two pictures.

Now visit Amazing Facts for the other 9 famous pictures that were manipulated!

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Is this the level of South African politics?

Sorry for the one harsh word somewhere close to the end.  This is funny and portrays our perception of South African politics really well!

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Julius Malema to be South African president after Zuma?

I know, I know! The thought of Julius Malema becoming the next South African president after Zuma is quite revolting, but it is a reality that we may have to face.

Zuma, over the weekend, praised Malema as a good leader worthy of "inheriting the ANC." Julius Malema is probably the most divisive politician since "one settler, one bullet!" The man has an uncanny knack of alienating anyone willing to think for himself. He has this way with the masses to turn them into rabid wolves ready to devour at his command.

The problem with Malema is that he thinks that everything can be solved via a takeover by the ANC government. Note, I did not say "government but "ANC government."

The question is, would you be willing to live in a country with Malema as its president? I am not so sure I am.

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OBE in South Africa to be dumped

Outcomes Based Education in South Africa is set for a huge change in South Africa. A South African Education report revealed many difficulties with the revised curriculum of OBE in South Africa.

Now we all know that when things are written in newspapers we should take the information they present with a bag of salt. Well, it seems that this time the minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, really is fed up with the OBE curriculum as it currently stands in South Africa. I spoke to someone from the department over the weekend, and this person confirmed that the minister is going to get rid of this revised curriculum and it would probably take at least 18 months.

Well, this is good news since the demands on teachers are way too high and the curriculum drives children to the edge. My wife is a teacher in grade 1 (she is also head of department), and she works most nights till around midnight, and many times till 1-2 am.

Let's hope the new curriculum will have more sense to it, and that teachers are guided by it much more.

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ESKOM disses South African electricity users

ESKOM, as I have written before, is a grossly mismanaged public enterprise, that also has an energy monopoly in South Africa. As a para-statal, and the only energy provider, it could have been mistakenly thought that ESKOM would have the integrity and moral courage to think of the South African electricity user before turning itself into a dung heap of morons that have no inkling of an idea what they are about to do to South Africans and the economy.

Just a few months ago, an electricity price hike of 31% came into effect. Suddenly, now, ESKOM wants to go into overdrive when it comes to price hikes. Can you believe that those nincompoops running that institute of insanity want a price hike of 45% per year for the next three years? What are they trying to achieve? Running South Africa and its citizens financially into the ground? That is exactly what they will achieve! ESKOM is fast becoming a economic black hole.

Let's look at this in actual monetary terms. If a person paid only R100 per month for electricity before the last 31% tariff hike, he will end up paying R399.37 after the three 45% tariff hikes proposed by ESKOM over the next three years. That is almost 300% higher per month! Have a look:

R100	Initial payment
R131	After this year's 31% tariff hike
R189.95	After first 45% hike
R275.43	After second 45% hike
R399.37	After third 45% hike

Let's look at my own usage:

R1200	Average initial payment/month
R1572	After this year's 31% tariff hike
R2279.40	After first 45% hike
R3305.13	After second 45% hike
R479244	After third 45% hike

Ludicrous is not the right word for this. A much stronger and forceful word needs to be used here. The absurdity of such price hikes are quite apparent. ESKOM, it seems to me, is on a clear suicide mission, and it is not even Japanese. By trying to attack South African wallets, they are surely to die a slow painful death as a company. And that will not happen too soon!

Now is the time for South Africans to start looking earnestly for alternatives to ESKOM's monopoly. If ESKOM wants to drive South Africans financially to ruin, it is time to start striking back! If South African households can somehow disconnect ESKOM from their households, then whatever tariff hikes ESKOM comes up with will be meaningless!

If the South African government and/or NERSA give their stamp of approval for these tariff hikes, what are we to conclude? Would it be fair to conclude that they, like ESKOM, have no respect for South African citizens, and that they agree with the total mess that ESKOM's management has caused? Surely, any person of intelligence can see that ESKOM's proposal is in no way, shape or form good for South Africa!

For those who read this blog, if you have done any research on alternatives for household electricity, please leave a comment for the benefit of others. We need to find such viable alternatives soon, before ESKOM drives South African citizens into bankruptcy!

Are you willing to stand against ESKOM? Show it in the comment section!

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Obama… Nobel peace Prize? Ha! Ha! Ha!

When I heard on Friday, 9 Oct 2009 that Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize from the Norwegians, I did a quick tweet about it.

Like Mark Steyn wrote in his commentary at the ocregister, nominations had to be in by February 1, only 12 days after Obama was inaugurated as U.S. president. What in the world had Obama accomplished in those 12 days?

My question is this: Based on this award given to Obama, what is a Nobel prize actually worth?

The Norwegians, like the other Scandinavian countries have gone from fierce Vikings, to believers in Christ. Yet, for some time now they have rejected God and have become complete liberals. It is this liberal, or more correctly, leftist stance, that delivered the Nobel Peace Prize into Obama's sweaty palms.

And so, Obama marches on in infamy! What else?

HT: Dan Phillips (for Mark Steyn article)

UPDATE (Interesting links on this issue):
Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize by Daniel Pipes
Their Nobel Savior by Jacob Laksin
Obama Wins Nobel Prize, Exported Tax-Funded Abortions at Time of Nomination by Steven Ertelt
The Affirmative Action Nobel by Pat Buchanan
Noblesse Oblige by Hassan Nurullah

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Use Kosmix for a while and then take the poll!

I read an article on ZDNet by Jennifer Leggio called Google: It's not me, it's you. She has been using another search engine called Kosmix. In the article she explains why she likes Kosmix more than Google.

Now, who hasn't heard of Google yet? Maybe some cave dwellers, I suppose. Who has heard of Kosmix before? This was the first I ever heard of Kosmix.

I would personally like to know what you think about Kosmix, that is why I set up a poll on my blog. Please use it for a while and then answer the poll.

Happy searching!

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Pitching in baseball

My wife and I, together with our kids lived in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. the whole of 1999-2000. It was during that time that I met Kent Justice, who was a radio sports announcer some years before in California, and at the time was a morning news anchor at NBC-4 in Columbus. The reason that I met him was that he was our next-door neighbour.

Our families quickly became close, as we had quite a bit in common. Our daughter and their daughter were the same ages and the same was true for our sons. Further, we were all Christians.

One day Kent invited us all to a local minor league baseball game between the Columbus Clippers and another team. Right through the game he explained what was happening on the field, strategies and how the scoring worked. Well, needless to say, I walked away there with a new vision of baseball. It is here that I received my love of baseball. Of course, it is unusual for a South African to love anything other than rugby, cricket and soccer. In fact, I like baseball more than these sports.

Kent was my buddy when we lived in the U.S. and I thank God for him and his family.

Of course, when we came back to South Africa in December 2000, I entered into my baseball winter, and was unable to watch any baseball until this year when I finally decided to hook up to DSTV. It is on ESPN that I now get to watch baseball. Usually the games are on when we are sleeping (01:00). Then a replay will be on in the afternoons here in SA when I am at work. So, I would usually get to see the last hour of a shortened version of the game.

Then came last night when the Rockies vs. Phillies game was on from 20:30 SA time (14:30 in Philly). I got to watch a game as it was being played. I sat there with my laptop and tweeted my thoughts as the game went on. I really enjoyed it. However, what disappointed me is that right after that game, the Yankees/Twins game came on. I just couldn't keep on watching, as it would have kept me awake till 03:00!

Anyhow, I have waffled enough for now. I found two neat online pages on baseball pitching.

Baseball Pitches Illustrated is simply a guide to identify pitches when they are pitched.
How To Grip And Throw Different Baseball Pitches gives descriptions of several grips and throws in baseball pitching.

Next time you watch a game, see if you can identify those pitches!

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Remembering that dreadful day!

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Whose choice is it anyway?

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