Hans' Milieu » OMG

The One Who Changed The World

Hans Haupt — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:29:46 +0000

“Three Apples changed the world: One seduced Eve, One awakened Newton and One fell into the hands of Steve Jobs”

Steve Jobs has passed away.

My sincerest condolences to his family.

I may not have known Steve Jobs personally, although I wish I did, I am deeply, deeply, saddened by his death.

Steve was an inspiration to many, including myself, and his innovative vision and quest for perfection will be sorely missed.

Rest well Steve and suffer no more.

[I wrote a larger piece on Vamers if you are interested to read it]

If you do one thing today, do yourself a favour and watch this speech that Steve Jobs gave to graduates at Stanford University:

Be a part of the U2 360° Tour in South Africa

Hans Haupt — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0000

For those who still do not know, U2, one of the world’s biggest rock bands, will be hitting South African shores in a little under 360 hours from today.

To be precise, U2 will be performing to a sold out crown of sweaty palmed South Africans in exactly 300 hours from the time of this post (yes, I worked it out).

The best part? You could win a set of double tickets to either the Johannesburg or Cape Town shows as well as other incredible prizes.

The very cool folks over at 94.7 Highveld Stereo, who are also the main media partners for the tour, are giving anyone who was not lucky or adept enough to buy tickets to the U2 360° Tour (like myself) another chance at being able to say “I was there… and I made out with my steak out”!

The process is simple.

From now until Friday 11th February 2011, there will be a 94.7 Highveld Stereo branded stage touring Gauteng. To win awesome prizes all you need to do is find the stage, whip up the courage to get up on it, and belt out your favourite U2 song to the crowd. It is that easy!

For clues to the whereabouts of this nomadic stage you will need to follow 94.7 Highveld Stereo: on-air, through Facebook or via Twitter (#U2Highveld is the official Twitter hashtag).

Even better, those lucky enough to find the stage and sing to the world will have their 360 seconds of fame uploaded to 94.7 Highveld Stereo’s official YouTube.

With a cylindrical video system of interlocking LED panels, and a steel structure rising 45 meters from the floor over a massive stage with rotating bridges, the U2 360° tour will be a truly unmissable experience. Seriously, it is going to be spectacular!

So what are you waiting for? Start following, finding, singing & winning!

For those who are interested, here is a little bit more about the tour:

U2 will kick off their 360° tour in South Africa at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium on Sunday 13th February 2011 before moving to Cape Town and performing on Friday 18th February 2011. U2 will be the first band to stage a live concert in both World Cup 2010 built stadia.

Some interesting facts about the U2 360° tour:

Before reaching South Africa, over 4.5 million people would have seen U2 360°.
The design can support up to 180 tonnes.
The steel structure is 28 meters tall with the center pylon reaching 45 meters tall.
The cylindrical video screen is made up of 1 million pieces.
The steel structure takes four days to build with a further 12 hours to load the screen, stage and production equipment.

The science behind Optimism

Hans Haupt — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I often consider myself to be an eternal optimist. Someone who is able to see the ‘bright side’ of pretty much any situation. Within reason, of course.

Granted, this may not always be possible. To err is to be human after all. But it is important to me that I at least try to always remain positive.

So when I discovered the science behind why the glass is always full, I immediately felt that I needed to share it with all of you.

There you have it. Proof that “technically, the glass is always full” because even if it may appear to be empty it is, in fact, always filled with “life giving air”. Yeah, that last part sounded better in my head.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

(‘Glass is always full’ image courtesy of General Hilarity)

GirlGuides.co.za – Technology, with a feminine touch

Hans Haupt — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Thursday 19 August 2010 marked the launch of the highly secretive yet painfully brilliant Girl Guides website.

Girl Guides is described as a “gathering of minds investigating technology from a feminine perspective” through a collective of women from all around South Africa.

The premise is simple. A group of ladies review the latest and greatest technology on offer in South Africa. In other words:

As you can see, this is made of pure ‘win’.

In all seriousness, I think that Girl Guides is a great idea. As much as I prefer to deter from using stereotypes, the fact remains that a lot of woman, both young and old, just do not ‘get’ technology and gadgets.

A clear niche exists then, to help unleash the hidden legions of untapped hot geekettes; and this is precisely where Girl Guides comes in.

So if you have a sister, partner or girlfriend who may be a closet geekette, give them a helping hand and point them towards Girl Guides.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

Poodle Doodles

Hans Haupt — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:30:00 +0000

A new trend has emerged. That of turning your beloved canine friend into a mobile work of ‘art’. I use the term ‘art’ loosely here, of course.

Essentially people are cutting and dying the hair of poodles and other unfortunately fluffy dogs, to resemble other creatures, such as Panda’s, Pirates and Fairy’s. It is as crazy as it sounds and the results are just as mind numbingly hilarious.

Poodle Doodles: Endless Possibilities

VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

(All photographs are © Ren Netherland/Barcroft Media)

My initial reaction to finding this was ‘what the frakk’! I immediately formed a rant about how stupid people can be… blah blah… animal cruelty… blah blah, you know the drill. So I checked it out again.

You know, it may not be conventional but as long as the animals are well looked after and have a good life, I do not think it is as bad as it could be. After all, it is only for one day of the year and it is just hair which will grow back. Besides, some of those dogs do look pretty cool. Come on, admit it! Who would not want a Pirate dog? Which brings me to the following question:

Should I give Chocolate, our beloved Bouvier, a funky once off makeover?

Take Our Poll

I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter as well as suggestions for what Chocolate could become.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

‘Speak ZA’ – Bloggers for a Free Press

Hans Haupt — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

I often prefer to steer away from political and religious debate, especially on my blog. However, today I am making an exception.

I have been made aware of a movement that is taking place. My fellow South African bloggers are taking a stand against the ANC Youth League and the current ruling party for attempting to strangle our right to freedom of speech.

A free press can be good or bad, but, most certainly, without freedom a press will never be anything but bad.
~ Albert Camus

As a result, South African bloggers have been called by Sipho Hlongwane to join in the protest against the jackboot tactics the ANC Youth League are employing to try and destroy the freedom of the press.

If you support this movement you are urged to spread the word by using the “#SpeakZA” hash tag via social media and by spreading the following statement on your blog:

Bloggers For a Free Press

Last week, shocking revelations concerning the activities of the ANC Youth League spokesperson Nyiko Floyd Shivambu came to the fore. According to a letter published in various news outlets, a complaint was laid by 19 political journalists with the Secretary General of the ANC, against Shivambu. This complaint letter detailed attempts by Shivambu to leak a dossier to certain journalists, purporting to expose the money laundering practices of Dumisani Lubisi, a journalist at the City Press. The letter also detailed the intimidation that followed when these journalists refused to publish these revelations.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the reprisals against journalists by Shivambu. His actions constitute a blatant attack on media freedom and a grave infringement on Constitutional rights. It is a disturbing step towards dictatorial rule in South Africa. We call on the ANC and the ANC Youth League to distance themselves from the actions of Shivambu. The media have, time and again, been a vital democratic safeguard by exposing the actions of individuals who have abused their positions of power for personal and political gain.

The press have played a vital role in the liberation struggle, operating under difficult and often dangerous conditions to document some of the most crucial moments in the struggle against apartheid. It is therefore distressing to note that certain people within the ruling party are willing to maliciously target journalists by invading their privacy and threatening their colleagues in a bid to silence them in their legitimate work.

We also note the breathtaking hubris displayed by Shivambu and the ANC Youth League President Julius Malema in their response to the letter of complaint. Shivambu and Malema clearly have no respect for the media and the rights afforded to the media by the Constitution of South Africa. Such a response serves only to reinforce the position that the motive for leaking the so-called dossier was not a legitimate concern, but a insolent effort to intimidate and bully a journalist who had exposed embarrassing information about the Youth League President.

We urge the ANC as a whole to reaffirm its commitment to media freedom and other Constitutional rights we enjoy as a country.

Blog’s and bloggers who support this initiative:

If you don’t have this freedom of the press, then all these little fellows are weaseling around and doing their monkey business and they never get caught.
~ Harold R. Medina

I never thought it would happen to me…

Hans Haupt — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:43:00 +0000

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.

Here is a quick rundown of events:

Friday 19th February 2010, a cousin of mine places his USB memory stick into my PC. He ensures me that his computer does not have viruses. I believe him, until Microsoft Security Essentials picks up a Trojan: Vwealer.KZ.
Microsoft Security Essentials detects the Trojan and neutralises it, the way a good antivirus is supposed to. I think nothing more of it since the problem appeared to have been solved.
I buy tickets online at the NuMetro website for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (review coming soon). I have to input my credit card details to complete the purchase.
Days go buy, nothing unusual happens and I continue to use my card as I normally would. I make two further purchases during the week. One online, one offline.
Thursday 25th February 2010, I receive a call from Nedbank Credit Card Fraud division and speak to a lady known as Mbuli. She nonchalantly asks me if I am purchasing my months groceries at Wal-Mart in Miami. Yes, this is the “What the eff moment”. I politely decree that it is physically impossible for me to be doing that considering how I am in South Africa. We immediately move to blocking my card and reversing any unlawful transactions. I exclaim my thanks before putting the phone down.
After the call, I wrack my brain to determine how this could have happened. One thing pops to mind, the Trojan from my cousins USB memory stick. I Google the Trojan. My heart sinks as I deduce that it is a financial data thief with a penchant for credit card information. I still wonder ‘how’ though.
I have been using Google Chrome for a few months and figured that it may have aided in my information being stolen. I read various reports of Chrome safety, but all pre 4.0. Then I found something interesting. A user equated Chrome to being a glorified ‘data miner’. Storing everything you put into the browser. I immediately uninstalled Chrome and switched to Firefox.
My next thought was ‘What the heck did Microsoft Security Essentials’ do? It detected the Trojan and deleted it… yet my information was still stolen. Without concrete evidence, I have assumed that Microsoft Security Essentials is good, but not great and ultimately flawed. So I re-installed Norton 360 4.0 Premiere. Scanned my system, clean result.
Friday 26 February 2010, I receive an e-mail from Jaya, the person responsible for handling my ‘case’ via Nedbank. I do what I need to do and send back the required documentation. Bare in mind that our Telkom lines had been stolen and not repaired for over a week, so all of the communication was taking place via my mobile phone (thank heavens for mobile broadband, no matter how unreliable or costly). Now I await for my new card.

Right now, I am still using Chrome (I switched back), simply because of its speed, ease of use and because I could not find any articles directly pin pointing Chrome 4.0 as having any major security flaws (actually appears to be quite secure). I do not know what was the ultimate cause of my data being stolen, but I have taken various steps to prevent it from happening again. One of those steps has been to change the settings in Chrome to ensure that the browser will never store anything again, including forms and passwords. Additionally, I have signed up with LastPass, a password service which runs concurrently with your browser, so that I never have to physically type in passwords again. This apparently helps to combat ‘key logging’ spyware and makes it so that you do not need to use your browser to save passwords etc.

I would like to commend Nedbank on their stellar performance. The representatives I dealt with were courteous and extremely helpful, but the fact that they managed to stop a fraudulent activity and protect my funds is what I appreciate the most. Thank you!

I never thought something like this would ever happen to me, until it did. The entire ordeal has been one I will never forget. Make no mistake, the Internet is a dangerous place; even for seasoned users.

Final thought: be careful out there. Ensure that your browser is set properly and that you have a proper security suite on your personal computer. Prevention, as they say, is better than cure.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

Battle of the Bricks

Hans Haupt — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:00:00 +0000

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.

Lego Matrix – ‘Trinity, Help’!

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”!

Hans Haupt — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

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!

View Full Album

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.

Hans Haupt — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

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”!