"We have only one planet. Given what we know about climate change today, it would be foolish not to act. Earth Hour 2010 gives an opportunity to the people of the world to unite in a call for action on climate change and to take the lead by making changes in their own lives.” – Dr Morné du Plessis, CEO, WWF South Africa

FOR Earth Hour 2010, WWF calls on all South Africans to switch off their lights on Saturday, 27 March, as a symbolic act to send a powerful message to leaders that the time to act on climate change is now.

The Copenhagen Climate Summit in December failed to deliver the climate deal our planet needs. This year WWF is challenging individuals to take the lead by pledging to reduce their own carbon footprint. We have to show world leaders that we are serious about tackling climate change and that we want them to deliver a fair, effective and binding climate deal – a deal that keeps global warming as far below 2 degrees as possible.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is the patron of the campaign, and Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban have already pledged their support for Earth Hour 2010. Other celebrities, who will be switching off their lights, include The Parlotones, Bryan Habana, Jo-Ann Strauss, Marc Lottering and The Stormers.

Participating in Earth Hour is easy and free. All you need to do is:

• Pledge your support and commit to reducing your carbon footprint.
• Switch off the lights of your home on 27 March from 8:30pm – 9:30pm.
• Spread the message to your friends and family.
• Show your support by posting the Earth Hour 2010 web banner and widget on your website or Facebook pages, downloading the Earth Hour email signature, printing posters or having an Earth Hour event.
• Download the Green Events Guide, just click on the events button at the top of the webpage. You can download all of the above from the website. Click on the get involved button for loads of information and fun ideas.
• Download the complete DIY kit on how to roll out Earth Hour in your city

Save the date: Saturday, 27 March 2010, 8:30pm – 9:30pm.

Please email or contact us on 021 888 2800 if you have any questions. We hope that you will support Earth Hour 2010. Together we can make a difference.

Kind Regards,
The WWF team

** More Promotions and Events **

CAMPAIGN: Wired comedian to live in Connect Box for 10 weeks

THROUGH the launch of its In the Connect Box concept, FNB Connect has challenged one man to live his life inside a glass box for 10 weeks using only FNB Connect’s Surf (data) and Talk (voice) product offerings.

Voted as “best Internet service provider for customer service as well as billing” in the 2009 MyBroadband survey, FNB Connect aims to use its digital platform to showcase inventive ways for FNB clients to save on costs in today’s highly competitive broadband and telecommunications market.

“The aim is to prove that through FNB Connect you can live your whole life digitally and at the same time do it for a lot cheaper compared with most other ISPs. We wanted to do this in a fun and dynamic manner by developing a campaign that embraces the digital world in keeping with our status as a virtual Internet service provider,” said Zanele Hadebe, marketing head for FNB Connect.

The FNB Glass House

FNB has created a see-through state-of-the-art glass house that consists of a tastefully decorated sitting room, bedroom, kitchen (kitted with the latest appliances) and obviously a bathroom which will not be visible to the public.

The portable home is moving from shopping mall to shopping mall nationally and will allow Thomas Gumede to do live interactions with the general public online and by use of a cellphone and using Internet software.

Live interactions will demonstrate how effective, user-friendly and cost effective three online FNB products are. Anyone who happens to be in the vicinity of the house (which will be moved to various shopping malls during the 10-week period) will see the Gumede’s every move, except (of course) for his bathroom and shower breaks.

The benefit of Gumede living in the house in public spaces will enable folk to physically see how the products are used as well and mingle cyberly with this young celebrity.

The concept, which went live on October 14, is one of the most effective ways live or on a television screen to show physically how online products work. Once the 10 weeks are over, the general public will get an opportunity to win the plentiful new-age appliances occupying the glass house.

The man inside the glass box

Travelling with the Connect Box is up-and-coming comedian Thomas Gumede. He will live his life in the box, which started in Jo'burg on October 14, making his final exit on December 20 in Cape Town.

Gumede is a young actor and comedian who originally hails from Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal. He has acted in major South African television drama series, including Rhythm City and A Place Called Home. He is currently on our screens as the presenter for a reality series called So You Think You’re Funny and has released a stand-up comedy DVD, Thomas Gumede Live.

The FNB Connect Challenge

Gumede’s challenge is to exhibit what can be done using FNB Connect online. His aim is to prove that you can do anything, anywhere, anytime for less using only the Internet.

Through Facebook, Twitter and his personal website and blog at www.intheconnectbox.co.za, Gumede will be set daily tasks that he will need to undertake using only Cell Pay Point, eBucks, an FNB credit card and FNB Connect Surf (data) and Talk (voice).

Members of the public will be encouraged to assist him in delivering on his tasks or even create tasks for him to undertake. The public will also be able to communicate with Gumede throughout the campaign.

Thomas will live in the house all by himself for 10 weeks, without any visitors from family, friends or colleagues. He will not be allowed to leave the house unless compromising circumstances arise — for instance if the house gets flooded in a freak plumbing accident.

The young comedian will live his life vicariously through three FNB on-line products, which have been designed to make using the Internet much easier, faster and more cost effective. The benefits of these services will be fully demonstrated by Gumede — educating the public on how the products work.

“We are really excited to have Thomas involved in this groundbreaking campaign as he brings huge value to the campaign. Our aim is to showcase to our clients that through our innovative data and voice product offering, FNB clients can save substantially with FNB Connect,” said Hadebe.

Connect Box dates around the country:

• Johannesburg: Cresta Shopping Mall: 14-18 October, East Rand Mall: 21-25 October, 2009, Clearwater Mall: 28 October – 1 November and the FNB Whiskey Live Festival at Sandton Convention Centre: 11-14 Nov
• Durban: Gateway Shopping Mall: 18 – 28 November
• Cape Town: Canal Walk: 1- 6 December, Cape Gate Centre: 8 – 13 December and V&A Waterfront: 15 – 20 December

FNB Connect is a virtual internet service provider, providing:

• FNB Connect Surf: a prepaid ADSL data solution that offers clients unshaped data that makes it ideal to surf the web, conduct online activities such as gaming, downloading of big files and making internet calls. There are no caps, no contracts and a 12 month data carry over.
• FNB Connect Talk: a voice offering that can save FNB clients up to 50% on their phone bill using an existing internet connection to make calls from their PC, compatible cellphone or landline. Free calls can also be made when calling other FNB Connect Talk users.

For more information on the FNB Connect campaign, please visit the In the Connect Box website at www.intheconnectbox.co.za or to learn more about FNB Connect please visit www.fnbconnect.co.za

** More Promotions and Events **

WELCOME: Attention new blog readers and site visitors

I’VE noticed a few new faces around here and wanted to welcome any new readers of Witness This, which has grown substantially in readership over the last few months. Thank you to all my regular readers (Eric) for your continued support. This wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for you.

Publishing dates
For the newcomers: I try my best to publish new content three times a week.

• Mondays: I publish a techno-related column that I write for the Witness newspaper. These are usually the more meatier posts in which a lot of time and effort is spent. They are mostly archived under gadgets & tech and range from reviews, mobile technology and gaming to virtual reality.
• Wednesdays: Working in a newsroom I get free access to the news wires and often to try to pull something new and interesting off them to publish mid-week. These posts are usually archived under news & media, and include promotion & events and opinion & analysis pieces.
• Fridays: Every Friday you can look forward to a Happy Friday piece. These are most often fun, entertaining or uplifting posts well-suited to a Friday afternoon and include a selection of feel-good videos.

The archive
Everything that I archive is carefully crafted to hold its value and relevance. So whether you read posts when they first appear or several months later, they should still offer something new, interesting or entertaining. Posts that expire (such as news pieces) are deleted once they are no longer relevant.

Categories
Categories have always been a contested issue on blogs (i.e. the value and use of them has been questioned). I’ve done my best to categorise each post into a single category. However, I would recommend rather looking under the pages running along the top of this blog if you're keen to read previous entries.

What's available
There are now over 300 posts archived under my various pages. So if you are new here (welcome) I have put together a post of some of my favourite pieces I’ve written to date. It is very easy to navigate and browse through too. If interested check out Blogger’s Greatest Hits.

Future developments
Everything I know about blogging I have learnt through practice over the last couple of years. I never expected this blog to grow as much as it has and am now looking to take it to the next level. I have plans to zoosh it up some more soon and plan to add some new and exciting widgets and features.

The soppy bit
The best thing about blogging and networking for me personally is freely sharing ideas, expertise and experiences with others so that we may all learn and grow together. I always endeavour to share what I learn with others (check online tips & tricks) and encourage others to do the same. I guess what I’m trying to say is I … I love you guys.

Feel free to drop a comment and introduce yourselves, and once again, a warm welcome to any newcomers and I hope you enjoy your stay!

Kind regards,
Galen Schultz

** More Promotions and Events **

POST PROMO: Blogger’s Greatest Hits attempt to make a comeback

EACH post I’ve ever written is like a digital child of mine - each given due attention and updated when necessary. However, as a parent, I naturally grow concerned over how some of my digital offspring are more popular than others.

They each have their own unique talents and personalities, and although popularity is a fickle thing, I can’t help feel that it is my fault as a parent that some of my children get more attention than others. Perhaps they weren’t labeled properly at birth, or their dad simply lacked the know-how of how to get them ahead in life at the time.

I have therefore made it my parental duty to promote some talented children of mine that still have much to offer and are yearning for your attention. Below are a few of my personal favourites from each category – my greatest hits trying to make a comeback. I’m certain that you will find yourself willing to adopt some of the following:

From Quite Interesting:

• The mystery of the computer keyboard

"Staring blankly at my keyboard the other day (as one does) I began pondering over the arrangement of the keys. “What’s up with that?” I heard the comedian within me say. I set forth on a cyber-galactic journey to discovery why my keyboard’s layout looks the way it does…" (Read more)

• The history and origin of Santa Claus

“So just who is that fat, old jolly guy in the red suit that parades around shopping malls at Christmas time – entertaining kids and scaring adults with his “ho ho hos”? It’s usually someone’s dad – the one (in any community of close friends) with the biggest beer boep…” (Read more)

• Historical truths behind English sayings

"Do you ever use sayings such as “saved by the bell” or hear your grandmother squawk something like, “Heavens, it raining cats and dogs outside!” A lot of people still do yet have no idea where such phrases originate from. I got a little history lesson the other day which explained the dark truth behind some of these popular figures of speech..." (Read more)

From Web 2.0:

• Digital Blasphemy

"Digital Blasphemy is by far one of the best places on the web to find incredible pc wallpapers. Ryan Bliss has made a career of creating digital desktop backgrounds that are simply amazing. He is also quite the generous type and offers a few of his digital artworks for free. I have collected several of these over the years and wanted to share my top 10 with anyone who appreciates such talent..."
(Read more)

• PhotoFunia

"There are some great digital photography websites out there that allow you to do some wondrous things with your own (possibly dull) collection of pics. Such sites also make you look really smart when your family and friends don’t know about them and ask, “how in the name of Luke Skywalker did you make your facebook profile pic like that!?”
(Read more)

• Yearbook Yourself

"If you feel that you missed out on an opportunity to be pasted in your fellow matriculants’ yearbooks and be remembered forever, you can now do it online. With a little imagination and creativity, you could digitally create an entire yearbook of all your former classmates, whether you matriculated in the ’50s or the ’90s..." (Read more)

From Happy Friday:

• Dancing for humanity

"The video “Where the Hell is Matt?” has seen over 21 million views to date, so you’re likely to have seen it before, but if you haven’t, you should give it a watch. It takes you to a place of magic and joy and wonder – a place where all the bad in the world is forgotten for 4mins 29secs. It is one of the most viewed viral videos of its time and one of my top dancing videos..." (Read more)

• Cartoons of my childhood (the 80's)

"There are no cartoons better than the hand-crafted animations of the 80s, which make today’s cartoons look rather crappy by comparison. The following make me slip into a nostalgic state and give me the urge to run around the garden naked climbing trees again. What? That’s not weird. It’s called my “inner-child” – eveyone has it… don’t they?" (Read more)

• The status of South African humour

"Here you'll find a collection of humorous and memorable South African Facebook statuses I’ve come across over the past two weeks to illustrate my point that South Africans are pretty, funny people..." (Read more)

From Online tips & tricks:

• Movie Making 101

"The video-web is an exciting place to be involved in these days, particularly because it is constantly evolving and simply brimming with potential. If you have untapped creative juices, or any original video-related ideas, there is nothing stopping you from making a contribution to the growing videosphere..." (Read more)

• A beginner's guide to blogging

"If the idea of blogging excites you, there is nothing preventing you from starting one today. There are several ways to go about this, but in the spirit of keeping things simple, there are two blogging sites I would recommend..."
(Read more)

• Learn the SA National Anthem the ABC way

"... here’s a much more controversial-friendly, and very easy way to learn the SA anthem if you don’t know it already. You’ll see that it’s as easy as ABC" (Read more)

From Gadgets & tech:

• Weird Wired World

"Specifically since the introduction of Windows XP to Japan, more and more consumers have been taking their laptops and electronic devices to Shinto priests to be blessed against system crashes and technical failures..." (Read more)

• Make way for shweebways

"Our traffic nightmares may soon come to an end thanks to an invention known as the Shweeb. And this is not just some fancy new swear word, but the world’s first human-powered monorail" (Read more)

• Save the trees with iPaper

"I wrote a hand-written letter the other day and found that my hand-writing looked like barbed wire. I realised that it had been a good while since I had used any hand-writing skills due to my increasing reliance on typing everything. It seems obvious to me that the archaic technology of hand-writing is being slowly killed by digital technologies. Yet just when the patriotic hand-writers thought things couldn’t get worse, society unleashed something called “digital paper” or iPaper..." (Read more)

Reviews:

• Time to chair up

"The gaming chair came in attachable parts with a set of tools, a spider diagram, some Chinese instructions, and a note of encouragement. I half expected to find a small key, some coded message, a strange map and an enchan­ted ring" (Read more)

• Robo pets

"I’ve been thinking of getting a puppy; one that’s potty-trained. Or perhaps a streetwise cat that can take care of itself. The thought that I could never find the time to raise a pup made me consider robot pets. Several of these can learn skills and tricks, recognise faces, voices, and colour; but they won’t pee on your carpet..." (Read more)

• Let's do the Twisp!

"Twisp is not a real cigarette, but a personal and portable vapouriser, that uses micro-electronics and a lithium polymer cell to evaporate nicotine in ‘smoke’ from a replaceable cartridge. The vapour does not smell nor does it contain tar, carcinogens or smoke particulate found in first and second- hand cigarette smoke, but it feels, tastes and looks just like the real thing..." (Read more)

Gaming & virtual reality

• What do you Wannado when you grow up?

"It has been said that Wannado has redefined child entertainment by simulating a dream world where children are encouraged to take on and experience one or several adult professions. It features 60 Real-play venues and over 120 career possibilities – ranging from archaeologists, doctors, attorneys and TV hosts to fashion models, pizza makers, DJs and clowns..." (Read more)

• The reality of the virtual

"As computer-processing power increases and even more realistic graphics are developed, the simulated environments produced by virtual reality systems will become even more believable than some already are. At the cutting edge of vitual reality is the VisionDome..." (Read more)

• The console that rocked the gaming world

"Known as the godfather of modern videogame systems, the Atari 2600 (originally called the Atari VCS) helped spawn a multi-billion dollar gaming industry. Released in 1977, the Atari 2600 was the first successful console to use game cartridges and its influence can still be felt today in the Xbox, PlayStation, and GameCube..."
(Read more)

Cellphones & cellular technology:

• Jet-setting with the Samsung Jet

"The Samsung Jet has opened up a whole new world of mobile web browsing with its high performance Dolfin web browser and revolutionary 3D cubic interface, allowing super-fast surfing. The device also supports the option of multi-window browsing – allowing one to surf up to five pages simultaneously..." (Read more)

• iPaint on my cellphone

"Some of the latest hype arriving in the wake of the new iPhone 3G S is an Apple application for the device called Brushes, which allows users to do more than just doodle on their iPhones. The images are “painted” freehand, using fingers and thumbs..." (Read more)

• A whiff of the modern cellphone

"The Health Concept Phone (pictured) is equipped with eNose technology, which effectively allows it to electronically “smell” what you eat and keep track of your food intake. It is able to ‘recognise’ food (and other things) by its unique chemical signature. Recommended for people who have a habit of eating with their eyes closed. Similar phones have the ability to emit a whiff of your significant other’s scent every time he or she phones..." (Read more)

Top videos:

1. Cars in the Park
2. Magna Carta live + interview
3. White Mountain Folk Festival
4. Blogtube: Proudly South African
5. Splashy Fen: The 20th Big Splash!
6. Miss nude Australia - Arianna Starr

Related post: Welcome and enjoy your stay

** More Promotions and Events **

Why South Africa is the ideal host for the 2010 World Cup

I’ll be honest – I don’t know a great deal about soccer. I couldn’t name two players in the Bafana Bafana team. I can’t even tell when someone is off-sides during a game. However, what I do know is that South Africa is going to be more than ready to host one of the biggest events in our country’s history – the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Our stadiums are looking good, people are practicing their smiles and our public transport systems are being jacked-up; and despite what some pessimists might say, I firmly believe that all of these will be ready in time.

I also believe that we have some of the most dedicated soccer supporters in the world. I often watch soccer matches with a mate who’s an absolute football fanatic. The excitement is contagious, and in the space of 90 minutes we have made friendly acquaintances with twenty-odd South African strangers in a pub. My verdict of such occasions is that sport is one of the most uniting forces in our country – none more so than soccer.

Today we have more reason than ever to be proudly South African and should be showing it. We have amazing sportsmen and women, unique wildlife, thriving tourist attractions, beautiful landscapes, tantalizing food and drink, films that have topped the box-office charts, art, culture, theatre, music, blissful beaches and South African sunsets – all embedded in a rich and meaningful history.

I’ve produced the following video to illustrate the truth behind these words, with the aim of instilling patriotic sentiments and warm & fuzzy feelings in the hearts and minds of all South Africans near and far. My hope is that this video will give new vigor to what it means to be proudly South African, will make foreigners to our shores in 2010 feel welcome, and will keep all South Africans positive about their country. I present the host country of the 2010 Soccer World Cup:

It’s time to shine South Africa, and shine we will.

Shine South Africa for the 2010 Soccer World Cup!

Related Posts:

• Dear World Cup visitors
• "Stand As One" Soccer World Cup song
• South Africa rolls out Ubuntu in abundance

** More Promotions and Events **