Archive for category Internet
I never thought it would happen to me…
Posted by Hans Haupt in Internet, Life, OMG, Seriously?!, WTF on February 26th, 2010
Last night I received a chilling phone call from Nedbank. Someone had attempted to make an online purchase using my credit card information.
I was, and still am, gob smacked.
I am no novice when it comes to shopping online. I have been doing it for years. I am quite a tech savvy person and I have a vested interest in computers, social media and the Internet. So I know all about the dangers of shopping online. Consequently, I always take the necessary precautions to prevent data theft. Nevertheless, this did not stop some random American douche bag, from stealing my credit card information and attempting to buy… wait for it… R3 000 worth of groceries from Wal-Mart. Huh?!
Why on Earth someone would go through all of the effort to steal someone’s credit card information online, just to buy groceries with, I cannot understand. Either the recession in the states is really still quite bad or Americans, as the stereotype goes, are legitimately stupid. Nevertheless, I hope this person gets persecuted to the full extent of the law and is ripped a new one while in prison.
So how did this all happen? How the heck did this mystery person obtain my information? Well, it was obviously via the internet but not because of some insecure site.
Music Monday: ‘Hearing Damage’
Posted by Hans Haupt in Entertainment, Internet, Music Monday on December 14th, 2009
Hey Milieunairs,
It is Music Monday and thus time for another Vivaciously Varietal Vibe! 
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Flavour: Pop/Rock
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Artist: Thom Yorke
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Album: Twilight Saga: New Moon OST
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Song: Hearing Damage
Rationale: For quite some time I have spoken about songs which I have labelled as ‘hauntingly beautiful’. A majority of songs by MUSE, such as ‘Sing for Absolution’, fall into this category. ‘Hearing Damage’ by Thom Yorke, in my opinion, is another song which can be described as such.
I am not sure if it is Yorke’s surreal voice or the constant electronic and hypnotic pop synth buzz, but this is one of those rare songs that I can listen to over and over again without fail. The song is simply addictive. As it stands, I think that Hearing Damage is by far one of the most listened to songs in my entire music collection. I am actually listening to the song, and have it on a loop, as I write this post.
‘Hearing damage’ was written and recorded by Radiohead front man Thom Yorke, who specifically wrote and recorded the song for the New Moon soundtrack. Fans of the Twilight Saga will recognise ‘Hearing Damage’ from the scene in New Moon when Victoria pursues Charlie before being chased by Jacob. As a matter of fact the New Moon soundtrack, in its entirety, is actually very good and, oddly enough, was even given the ‘thumbs up’ by my father – a good thing because it means that the old folks will enjoy listening to the music no matter how loud you play the album. Consequently, regardless of whether you like the Twilight Saga or not, listen to the album for New Moon because you may be pleasantly surprised by the experience.
As always, whenever I post about Vivaciously Varietal Vibes on Music Monday’s, simply click on the name of the song to be taken to a web page that displays the songs lyrics.
Until the next time “Milieunairs”!
Battle of the Bricks
Posted by Hans Haupt in Games, Humourous, Internet, OMG, Parody, Seriously?! on December 3rd, 2009
Any self respecting person has owned and built a Lego creation of some kind. Goodness knows that I own my fair share of Lego products, probably more than I would care to admit. Even now, at the tender age of 24, I still find myself browsing through the isles of Lego products available at any and all Toys R Us stores. In all honesty, and I am sure you will agree, Lego has no age limit.
This entry is focussed on stop-motion Lego filmography. A hobby which no doubt exists for people who really have nothing better to do with their time. Regardless, it really is very cool, especially when done properly.
Alex Kobbs is one of these stop-motion Lego fanatics. He has spent the last six years creating a Halo themed 25-minute short, based on Halo’s Zanzibar map, completely out of Lego. How awesomely insane is that?!
The short film is called The Battle of the Brick and features ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ battling it out *Halo fan high five*. The completed video is expected to hit the Web in early 2010, but for now you can have a look at the tantalising trailer:
If Lego stop-motion filmography is your thing, you can follow the progress of Kobbs’ work at the Kooberz Studio Blog.
That’s not all folks. I have one more fantastic piece of Lego filmography to share with you.
Every gamer and geek who has watched The Matrix will agree that it is one of the best science fiction and action movies of all time. However, you have not seen anything until you see The Matrix lovingly created in Lego stop-motion!
In honour of the 10th anniversary of The Matrix, a group of fans recreated nearly 900 frames of the film. The entire sequence is animated without any additional effects. What this means, is that the short was filmed ‘in camera’ without the aid of wire removal, Photoshop or any additional special effects; other than what can be created with the Lego blocks themselves. Very impressive stuff! The entire project is said to have taken around 440 hours to complete. For more information and additional videos detailing the projects immensity, check out www.LegoMatrix.com.
How cool would a Lego Matrix game be?! *Waits patiently for Travellers Tales to scoop the rights to create the game*
Until the next ‘blocky’ post “Milieunairs”!
“I’m ready for dream time, Mr. B”!
Posted by Hans Haupt in Entertainment, Games, Internet, OMG, Seriously?!, WTF on November 24th, 2009
Bioshock 2? No, this photograph is not a screen capture of the sequel to 2007’s sleeper hit. It is, in fact, an amazingly designed cosplay creation.
This incredible Big Daddy and Little Sister cosplay combination was created by none other than the now infamous Harrison Krix – who previously created a replica of the Little Sister ADAM syringe. To say that this man is merely talented, is truly a vast understatement.
I finally lost my mind enough to try to tackle one of these big guys. For those unfamiliar, Big Daddy’s are the protectors of the Little Sisters in Rapture, an underwater city devoid of morality which has degenerated into chaos and insanity. They are huge, fast, strong, and as it turns out, a solid pain in the ass to build.
- Harrison Krix (2009)
After eight weeks of work, Krix officially unveiled his creation with a magnificent photographic gallery taken at an aquarium in Georgia in the United States. Although no where near as hot as the Pikachu cosplay I previously reported on, his work is by no means any less impressive. Check it out!
Even cooler, it turns out that Krix is actually the man in the Big Daddy suit, with the Little Sister being represented by his fiancé and soon to be wife. Furthermore, Krix owns and runs Volpin Props, a replica and prop design studio and workshop. Subsequently he does do commission work *cue geekasm’s*, but is said to be quite busy until the second half of 2010.
I can honestly say, that I would love a Big Daddy costume. Even if only to run around the backyard tormenting our hyperactive Bouvier pup! One can dream…
Until the next time “Milieunairs”!
All Flavour, No Bite. The Tru Blood Beverage.
Posted by Hans Haupt in Entertainment, Internet, OMG, Seriously?!, Television on October 29th, 2009
Just give me a second… I’m still trying… to recover… from a monumentally huge geekasm… *shudders in ecstasy and harasses the domestic worker to clean underwear faster*.
In what has to be one of the coolest fictional-television-reality-tie-ins ever conceived, HBO have actually created the Tru Blood drink, from the award winning Alan Ball television series, True Blood.
I mean… how bloody brilliant is that? Excuse the pun.
For those who are unfamiliar with the television series, Tru Blood is a Japanese made synthetic drink which allows vampires to survive without feasting on the blood of humans or animals; thus allowing vampires to live ‘harmoniously’ alongside the human race.
In order to make the drink ‘consumable’ for the general public, HBO have modified the drink for human consumption. As such, Tru Blood is essentially a carbonated blood-orange drink. Thankfully, the drink is packaged like its televised counterpart and, according to the website, is “not overly sweet, slightly tart and lightly carbonated”.
Truthfully I would have loved it if they had kept the viscosity of the liquid to resemble that of the blood used in the show. Even better, if you could microwave it to enrich the taste. Unfortunately, that appears to be asking to much, because, from what I can tell given the videos on YouTube, the drink is just a dark red coloured soft drink. Not that I am complaining, but it does detract from the authenticity of the product.
Regardless I, for one, would love to get my hands on this hemoglobin inspired delight. So much so, that I am even thinking of importing a case… or five. However, at the current exchange rate, the drinks may suck the life out of my recession burdened wallet, with a four-pack costing $16 (R125) and individual bottles a mere $5 (38).
Nevertheless, I do believe that I will be acquiring some Tru Blood in the very near future. So make sure to tune in again for my neck bitingly tasteful review.
Until the next time “Milieunairs”!
Separated at Birth?! – Rihanna and Adam Lambert
Posted by Hans Haupt in Entertainment, Internet, Music Monday, OMG, Seriously?!, WTF on October 28th, 2009
Courtesy of Twitter, I was notified that the recent American Idol winner runner-up, Adam Lambert, was releasing his new album. My first response: “If he is not the winner, then who the heck is”?
A quick Google search informed me that the legitimate winner of the last season of American Idol was actually Kris Allen. Who would have thought, considering that Adam “media-whore-and-loving-it” Lambert is the one stealing all of the spotlight!
Truth be told, the last time I actually watched any variant of the show was when local Anke Pietrangeli beat out Pussy Poseletso Sejosingoe for the top spot, back in 2003 on the South African version of the show. Since then, I have pretty much lost all interest in anything Idols related.
However, what I do care about is when I have to begin pulling out facial recognition software to correctly identify artists. Case in point: Rihanna VS Adam Lambert.
Molly good golly do these two look alike!
Even though we all know that Rihanna had some unwilling and unconventional ‘remodeling done’, one would be hard pressed to deny the similarities between everyone’s favourite Jamaican princess and American’s latest flamboyant Queen. That said, would it not be delicious if it was uncovered that one of these two ‘stars’ was, in fact, an illegitimate love child?
I can already picture the headline on the next cover of Heat - “Exclusive: Lambert is Rihanna’s brother, but he was too ‘White’ to keep”. Alternatively, and of course the most likely scenario, is that someone at Lambert’s record label got a little too excited with Photoshop – 21st century technologies, “making you look like everybody else”!
As if the two stars looking alike was not enough, both are releasing their new albums on the same day, Monday the 23rd of November 2009.
To ensure that you do not accidentally buy the wrong album, which you would be forgiven for given the ‘twin’ factor, Lambert’s debut album is entitled For Your Entertainment, which is also blue and sparkly, whereas Rihanna’s latest album is called Rated R, which is all dark and ‘emo’.
Since both albums are hitting the streets on the same day, which are you going to “buy” first?
Until the next time “Milieunairs”!
South African’s are Twitterholics
Posted by Hans Haupt in Internet, OMG, Seriously?!, Technology, WTF on October 20th, 2009
Well tickle my nipples and call me Bob! South Africa has become the 10th largest user of Twitter in the world.
According to Canadian research company Sysomos, South African Twitter users make up 0.85% of total online Twitter interaction, beating Japan (0.71%), the Philippines (0.64%) and China (0.49%) to a spot in the top 10. Quite impressive for a third world country, hey?
Overall though, the US is the winner by quite a large margin with 62.14% of the world’s users, followed by the UK (7.87%), Canada (5.69%) and Australia (2.8%).
According to the study, Twitter attracts around 55 million unique visitors worldwide per month! Of that figure, 0.85% are South African. That amounts to about 467 500 SA visitors per month. Can you believe that? Almost half a million South Africans log on to Twitter each month. Incredible!
Looking at the popularity of Twitter today, it is amazing to think that it all started as a simple pet project in Evan Williams’ basement, way back in March of 2006. Since that time Twitter has become the world’s most popular social networking and micro-blogging site, attracting celebrity users such as Oprah, and a growing mountain of media and blog coverage. In all honesty, I use Twitter so frequently, that I sometimes wonder why no one thought of it any sooner.
For those who still do not know, you can follow my Twitter here: www.twitter.com/HansHaupt.
Until the next time “Milieunairs”!
Paranormal Activity – Trailer
Posted by Hans Haupt in Entertainment, Internet, Movies, WTF on October 19th, 2009
Do you like being scared witless by nausea inducing camera work? If so, I have some good news. It looks like we may have another Blair Witch-esque movie coming our way called ‘Paranormal Activity’.
“A young couple suspects that their house is haunted by a malevolent entity. They set up video surveillance to capture evidence of what happens at night as they sleep. Their surveillance and home videos have been edited into the 99 minute feature film Paranormal Activity”.
The trailer alone has enough content to run Goosebumps up and down my spine. I have included it in this post, for your chilling pleasure:
I am not sure when this fright fest will be making it’s way to our shores, but when it does, you can bet your lily whites that I will post a teeth chattering review.
Until the next time “Milieunairs”!
Did the Soviet Army invent Breakdancing?
Posted by Hans Haupt in Humourous, Internet, OMG, Seriously?!, WTF on October 16th, 2009
Other than the KGB, playing Russian Roulette, drinking copious amounts of Vodka and selling their women online *cough* Russian brides *cough*, it turns out that those Russians also know how to ‘spank those planks’.
I have got to give it to those soldiers. When you can move like that, who needs guns?
Until the next time “Milieunairs”!
Heroes and Villains: Escaping Reality
Posted by Hans Haupt in Entertainment, Internet, OMG, Parody, Seriously?! on October 16th, 2009
Have you ever wondered what life would have been like if Superheroes and Villains actually existed? For the most part, all we can do is ponder the infinite possibilities, often courtesy of video games, books, television, movies and, most importantly, our very own imagination.
Agan Harahap, a photographer and illustrator from Jakarta, Indonesia, has taken the concept of Superheroes and brought them into a pseudo-reality. By incorporating infamous characters into iconic World War II photographs, Harahap has managed to blur the lines between fiction and truth. In so doing, he has managed to merge the fantastically impossible with our past physical existence, in order to create a Superhero adorned alternate reality.
Harahap’s latest collection, aptly titled ‘Super Hero’, consists of memorable political and wartime scenes from the mid-20th century, but with one difference: the inclusion of notable Superheroes (or Villains?). This extraordinary combination is a true juxtaposition in effect.
With respect to the current global economic crisis, Harahap’s work could not come at a more fortuitous time. Coincidentally, the advent of the Superhero, according to Douglas Hyde (2009), was largely spurred on by the Great Depression and the start of World War II. As a result, comic books and superheroes were said to offer an ‘escapist form of entertainment’, where people could “go into a fantasy world where all the ills of the world were righted by these larger-than-life heroes” (Erin Clancy, 2009).
Subsequently, audiences at large are once again returning to the warm embrace of costumed Superheroes, with movies based on comic books generally becoming box office leaders. This trend, the resurgence of the popularity of Superheroes, may be a reflection of the current global economic crises. Clancy would agree citing “the comic book superhero came out of a context in which the political, social and economic realties were a little tough and we can certainly relate to those realities now in our own day” (2009).
Superheroes are back people and they are stronger than ever!
Until the next time “Milieunairs”!
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