Happy Easter to everyone :)
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Skype integrates Facebook even more
Skype has released a new version for Windows users and this version has introduced a big update for the Facebook tab.
The idea behind the Facebook tab is to bring your news feed into Skype and let you perform a number of functions with it, such as:
- View your friends posts and comment on them or like them.
- See where your friends are checking into on Facebook Places
- Give your friends a call directly from the tab. Cool thing is that if your friend is also using the tab, you’ll be able to call them for free, Skype 2 Skype style.
Another addition to the tab is the increased access speed as well as the interface change to allow for more information to be displayed in the same window as before.
Please note that if you are on Windows and can’t see the update, it’s probably because you need to update your version. You can do this by clicking here: http://www.skype.com/intl/en/get-skype/on-your-computer/windows/?cm_mmc=PXBL%7C0700_B6-_-facebooktiles-20110419
The DA Difference
Got this in my inbox a few minutes ago and wanted to share it:
Some people say that DA municipalities have an unfair advantage, as if (somehow) our municipalities don’t face the same challenges as others in our developing country. When they say this, I tell them the story of a small Gauteng municipality called Nokeng Tsa Taemane near the Limpopo border.
When the DA took it over from the ANC in 2001, it had just about collapsed. Eskom was about to cut off the power because of an R11 million unpaid electricity bill. There was not much furniture, no computers and no filing system in the tiny municipal offices. Officials were disillusioned and demotivated. There was no town engineer at all. The Municipal Manager was the previous Mayor’s brother-in-law.
The new DA team went to work, building the systems and physical infrastructure necessary for a workable administration. Garages were converted into office space; computers and administrative systems were installed. The new Mayor furnished his office with his own furniture brought from his home.
The DA Mayor and Speaker had no other staff besides the one secretary they shared. They sold the mayoral Mercedes Benz and used the money for service delivery. The Mayor drove around in his own Nissan bakkie instead.
Through good financial management, the DA managed to stop Eskom from switching off the lights, paying back R9m of what it owed. And it managed to upgrade the infrastructure that had been left to decay under the previous administration. A new sewerage works was built, the Refilwe community hall was refurbished and the water and electricity infrastructure was overhauled and expanded. Around 2,000 RDP houses were built in three years.
And then, because (until now) elections have not been about service delivery, the DA lost the 2006 local election to the ANC.
The new ANC Mayor started her term by refurbishing her office at a cost of R135 000 to the ratepayer. Two luxury German vehicles were purchased – one for the Mayor and one for the Speaker. The Mayor increased her expense account from R50 000 to R500 000 and appointed 12 new staff members to work in her office. When the Mayor had to fly anywhere, she flew business class and stayed in expensive hotels.
It wasn’t long before the municipality went bankrupt again, needing to be bailed out by the Gauteng provincial government at least three times. In four years, only 78 houses were built. Infrastructure was neglected. During one month the municipality didn’t send out bills because it didn’t have enough money for the postage.
By 2009 things were so bad that Nokeng was placed under administration by the provincial government. In fact, it is now such a basket case that, after the local election this year, the municipality will cease to exist and will be absorbed into the Tshwane metro. Nokeng Tsa Taemane was literally run into the ground by the ANC. This was the direct result of the choice that voters made in the 2006 election.
The Choice at this Election
When I visit towns where service delivery is failing, people often say to me: Helen, please come here and fix things up. I reply that the DA can only do that if we win an election here. And we can only win an election here if enough people vote for us. I cannot take control of your future. Only you can do that.
Because the truth is this: if you want a better life you need to think about choosing a party that has proved it delivers for all wherever it governs.
We can do the same for you, if you give us the opportunity to apply our formula where you live. So give us a chance to prove it. Put us to the test. You have nothing to lose by trying something new.
If you usually vote for the ANC in the national election, this election is your chance to do something different. These are not national elections, they are local elections. They give you more freedom to choose.
This election is about breaking free of the straightjacket that keeps people voting for the same party over and over again and somehow expecting a different result.
In a democracy, you can make the change and choose a party that will deliver a better future.
So let’s stop comparing the South Africa of today with the South Africa of the past. And let’s start comparing the South Africa of today with the South Africa we know we can become tomorrow.
One nation with one shared future. Isizwe esinye, ikamva elinye, een nasie een toekoms, sechaba sele seng, bokamoso bole bong.
If you live in a DA-governed municipality, you already know the difference the DA can make.
If you don’t live in a DA-governed municipality, now is your chance to make it happen. Now is the time to experience the DA difference for yourself.
So, whatever you do, make sure you vote on 18 May.
And vote DA.
Because the DA delivers for all!
Sincerely,
Helen Zille
Cleavage Day Competition Entries
So, the cleavage competition has begun and the entries are rolling in! You can still enter, just send a pic of your cleavage to chrismills123@gmail.com and make sure you reference iMod in the picture. One lucky person will win a R500 La Senza voucher!
Here are some of the entries thus far:
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So these are the entries received thus far, pretty darn impressive ladies! :)
Right, gents, leave a comment, let us know who you’re voting for!
Wonderbra strapless trampoline change rooms
Came across via a number of different sources today and in light of the La Senza Cleavage Day competition tomorrow, I felt I’d post it:
Sneak peak your Gmail emails without opening them
In the search to create the most efficient way to use Gmail, I came across a really great addition this evening and have started using it already and am having great success with it.
Message Sneak Peak is a really useful extra for Gmail, which allows you to preview an email without actually having to open it. I often have to open emails to view them and then have to mark them as unread again, well this add-on fixes this issue and ultimately saves you a bundle of time.
To turn it on, when you’re in Gmail, click on the little green test tube at the top right of your screen. From here, look for “Message Sneak Peak” and click the “Enable” radio button. Follow this by scrolling to the bottom of the screen and click the save button.
How to use? Simply right-click on the emails in your inbox and enjoy the preview!
Hackers are after Julius Malema
Some news which went viral incredibly quickly this afternoon was when it became known that the ANC Youth League’s website had been hacked. The hack took a big stab at the Youth Leagues leader, Julius Malema. Here’s a quick screen shot of what appears on the website after the attack:
A few sources comment on the grammar and spelling used by the {Blah Blah} Protest group and say that it made the announcement seem fake.. lol, I beg to differ, I think that created effect!
Anyway, what I find interesting about this attack is that it would appear that cyber attacks are ready and waiting in South Africa. There is no lack of local talent in the hacking scene, it just doesn’t seem to be as common as overseas. Then again, there’s a good chance that this was done by someone overseas, Julius did ruffle feathers over there.
The website developers, Unwembi Communications, were involved in an attack last year as well, it seems like their content management system needs to be reviewed, as I highly doubt that the problem lies with the hosting company, Internet Solutions.
The ANCYL website no longer shows the message above and not mention of it has been made, so my guess it that it will be kept quiet and we won’t hear anything of it.If you know anything else, please do pop us a comment below.
Introducing Google +1
Google has been putting a lot of effort into their search algorithms after they received a fair amount of flack from various sources about rubbish links ranking high. The first change from their side was quite an update of their algorithms to focus more on websites which don’t utilize content from other sources, this is just one of several really big changes they made.
Now, they’ve launched something which in my opinion is fairly unique to Google’s usual movements, the +1. Facebook has LIKE and Google now has +1 and it’s fairly similar, but not quite. The idea behind Google’s +1 is to allow web surfers to +1 (vote up basically) links they find useful and this will be taken into account by the weighting algorithm, naturally moving links with more +1′s up higher than ones without. There’s one extra level here and that’s that it’s not just a general ranking system, the +1′s are relative to social circles. In other words, +1′s performed by people who are connected to you, will be relevant to you, so the results you see are ones which connections of yours have voted up, not just anyone.
Here’s a video which explains this in more detail:
To get started, you will need to have a Google profile. If you have a Google profile, you’ll need to upgrade it. Inside your profile, you’ll be able to manage all your +1′s, which is going to prove useful for managing quantity.
This is an exciting change to the way search results are displayed and I’m excited to see how it plays out, especially to see what influence it will have on SEO.
Llandudno time lapse by Rory Allen
My mate, Rory, just put together another time lapse video, this time it’s of Llandudno, take a watch:
Technical: Shot on a 5dmk2 with a sigma 14mm f2.8 on the rocks at Llundudno in Cape Town just before sunset over a period of about an hour.
Llandudno’s still my favourite beach, was there for sundowners on Saturday evening, peaceful and beautiful!
Personal message or mailing list?
Have you ever wondered whether an email was addressed directly to you, or whether you were just part of a mailing list? Well, GMail has come up with a really handing solution for helping you tell the difference.
Gmail displays arrows, or ‘personal level indicators,’ next to messages in your inbox so you can tell if a message was addressed to you, a group, or a mailing list. A single arrow (>) appears next to a message when it is sent to you, and a group of others. Double arrows (>>) indicate that a message is addressed only to you. Arrows won’t appear next to messages sent to a mailing list.
Here’s how to enable personal level indicators:
- Sign in to Gmail.
- Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page.
- Select Show indicators in the Personal level indicators: section, and click Save Changes.
Please note that GMail are updating their system, you might not see “Settings” in the top, but rather a little cog icon.
Incredibly useful addon for email power users.
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