AfrikaBurn: The Year of the Trickster

Here are a few pics from AfrikaBurn 2014.  See link below for full article & pictures!

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WhatsApp Plans To Offer Free Voice Calls By Mid-Year

The introduction of free calls, revealed on the opening day of the four-day World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain, would match rival application Viber's similar offering.

"We are going to introduce voice on WhatsApp in the second quarter of this year," WhatsApp founder Jan Koum said.

Facebook, whose 29-year-old billionaire creator Mark Zuckerberg was the star speaker on the opening day of the industry fair, announced a stock and cash purchase of WhatsApp on Wednesday.

"Five years ago we had no users, no product," said Koum.

"Today we have 465 million active users," he said, adding that the company still had no marketing, relying mostly on word of mouth to prosper.

WhatsApp has built a leading and rapidly growing real-time mobile messaging service, with:
Over 450 million people using the service each month;
70% of those people active on a given day;
Messaging volume approaching the entire global telecom SMS volume; and
Continued strong growth, currently adding more than one million new registered users per day.

WhatsApp had not planned any changes in the light of the Facebook takeover, Koum said.

"Mark really understands that for WhatsApp to stay successful it really needs to stay independent," he said.

Viber, one of WhatsApp's key rivals, offers free voice and messaging.

Japanese online shopping group Rakuten announced this month that it would buy Viber's Cyprus-based developer, Viber Media, for $900 million (R9 600 million).

Facebook Buys WhatsApp For $19 Billion

The mega-deal bolsters the world's biggest social network – which has more than 1.2 billion members – with the 450-million-strong WhatsApp, which will be operated independently with its own board.

It fits with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's focus on being at the center of lifestyles in which billions of people around the world share their thoughts using smartphones or tablets.

It is Facebook's biggest acquisition and comes less than two years after the California-based Internet star raised $16 billion in the richest tech sector public stock offering.

Zuckerberg said that WhatsApp was worth the steep price because its blistering growth around the globe has it on a clear path to hit a billion users and beyond.

"Services with a billion people using them are all incredibly valuable," Zuckerberg said while discussing the purchase price during a conference call with analysts.

The deal came from a chat Zuckerberg had with WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, whom he described as a "valuable thought partner" and friend of many years.

"Last Sunday evening, about 11 days ago, I proposed if we joined together that would help us really connect the rest of the world," Zuckerberg said.

"He thought about it over the course of the week, came back and said he was interested."

Koum, who joins Facebook's board under the deal, said: "WhatsApp's extremely high user engagement and rapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instantaneous messaging capabilities we provide."

In a blog post, Koum added: "Almost five years ago we started WhatsApp with a simple mission: building a cool product used globally by everybody. Nothing else mattered to us."

The tie-up gives WhatsApp "the flexibility to grow and expand," Koum said.

Zuckerberg and Koum, who both took part in the conference call, did not discuss details about WhatsApp revenue, saying the focus for the foreseeable future would be on growth, not making money.

Roger Kay at Endpoint Technologies said the app has become one of the most popular mobile applications worldwide "because it allows you to message anybody anywhere for free."

Kay said the deal makes sense on one level because of Facebook's record stock run-up.

"When you have a stock like that which has run up quickly and created a lot of paper value, it's good to trade that for other value," he told AFP.

"It's not obvious how they can get $12 billion out of this but it's been clear for a while that WhatsApp is very interesting. It reminds me a little bit of Skype."

Cape Town Wave Pool

In an article in Australian Surfing Life about the announcement of a wave pool in Queesland set to open in September 2015, Greg Webber of Webber Wave Pools said:

"If this is successful, the next two pools will be in South Africa, near Cape Town, and in Florida. Both of those are pretty far along, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you start seeing announcements coming out soon."

For the Australian project, it has been reported that Webber signed a memorandum of understanding with surfing entrepreneur David Baird for the company’s first installation at a site in Southeast Queensland on a property owned by Baird

While one wonders at how popular a wave pool will be in Cape Town, which is not known as the Cape of Storms for nothing, there is the water park / fairground element that will open surfing to a whole new demographic of candy floss-touting, baseball cap wearing pundits.

The Webber wave design depicts a circular 'moat' that features endless breaking waves, or a rectangular shape also with continuous waves, but it's unclear what type of design has been mooted for Cape Town, and there has been no confirmation from our side about whether it's going ahead. The latest rectangular design (see video below) features four waves every 20 seconds, or 720 waves per hour. Watch this space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMYf8uefveY

Source: Wavescape

Fails Of The Week - February Week 2

Dumb people doing dumb shit!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FTDAjGsGSc

May The Force Be With You Young Russian Skywalker

First of all, it goes without saying that you should not try this at home, and that the activity shown here is extremely dangerous and potentially fatal. I guess you could say that this should be left to certified professionals, but since I don’t know what might qualify someone as a professional in this instance, other than being certifiable, just use your head. With the qualifier out of the way, this is freaking awesome. I have always been fascinated with Russians and the latest trend out of Mother Russia has us salivating a bit and drooling over some amazing and equally dizzying photos stemming from the latest boredom killing pastime for those who are not in the slightest bit faint of heart. It’s called skywalking or sky hacking and calling it crazy is an understatement.

While teens in America are probing malls, their Russian peers are seeking out the highest buildings and fixed structures they can find, climbing to the top, and taking photographs of themselves standing on the edge of the precipice between life and death. Look mom, no hands, I’m on top of the world, or at least on top of the soviet era radio tower behind the apartment block… but the top of the world is all relative. The crazy part? All of this is done without safety equipment, so one can only imagine the adrenaline rush… and what happens if you screw up.

One teen is credited with starting this new craze, or at least posting the most photos of him engaging in it, and it easily puts stupid American fads like planking and Tebowing to shame. Marat Dupri is 19 and to him, the risk of getting caught sneaking past guards or worse is well worth the reward. Marat bought a camera a year or so ago and started taking landscape shots from the roof of his building, but quickly grew bored with that. So why not climb to the top of a 33-storey building and take photos from the edge? To Marat and his group of growing dare devil friends; “It was such a thrill; we couldn’t wait to do it again. When I am on the roof I have a feeling that the whole world is at my feet. All my problems and troubles are left somewhere down below. The height exhilarates me. I am enjoying my home town views. It gives me energy and fills me with enthusiasm to make new and great shots.” Personally, I am happy viewing the world through Marat’s lens from the comfort of solid ground. When my heart plummets into my stomach while looking at his amazing shots, I can only imagine the exhilaration he feels. Just be safe Marat, and may the force be with you and the other young Russian skywalkers out there.

Source: TWBR

Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead After Apparent Drug Overdose

The 46-year-old actor - who won an Oscar for his role in Capote in 2005 - was found dead in his New York apartment from an apparent drugs overdose

According to the New York Post newspaper, Philip was found by his assistant at around 11.30 this morning in the bathroom of his apartment in Greenwich Village with a hypodermic needle still in his arm.

The assistant called police who are currently at the scene investigating what happened. An official cause of death has yet to be established.
Philip had struggled with substance abuse in his early career, and first went to rehab after graduating from New York University in 1989

Speaking about his struggle he told The Guardian newspaper in 2011: "It was pretty bad, you know what I mean. And I know, deep down, I still look at the idea of drinking with the same ferocity that I did back then. It's still pretty tangible.

"I don't know, I was young, I drank too much, you know, so I stopped. ... It's not really complicated. I had no interest in drinking in moderation. And I still don't.

"Just because all that time's passed doesn't mean maybe it was just a phase. That's you know, that's who I am."
Philip managed to stay clean for 23 years but checked into rehab again in 2012 after using drugs again

The star had also been nominated for three Best Supporting Actor Oscars, for roles in The Master,Doubt, and Charlie Wilson's War.

Schumi Begins Waking Up Process After Skiing Accident

Michael Schumacher's doctors have begun to reduce the seven-time Formula 1 world champion's sedation to begin what they describe as "the waking up process".

Schumacher has been in a coma in a Grenoble hospital since suffering head injuries in a skiing accident on December 29 last year.

His management issued a statement on Thursday announcing that steps towards him waking him from the coma had begun, but that the process could be long.

"Michael's sedation is being reduced in order to allow the start of the waking up process which may take a long time," it read.

"For the protection of the family, it was originally agreed by the interested parties to communicate this information only once this process was consolidated."

Schumacher's management have repeatedly underlined in recent weeks that only information released by them or the hospital should be treated as accurate, amid a global clamour for more news about the injured German.

In Thursday's statement, they reiterated this request while also thanking fans and the F1 community for their support.

"The family of Michael Schumacher is again requesting to respect its privacy and the medical secrets, and to not disturb the doctors treating Michael in their work.

"At the same time, the family wishes to express sincere appreciation for the worldwide sympathy."

Source: autosport.com

A 40-Year-Old Surf Company Declares Its Brand Is Worthless

It’s a literal wipe-out for Billabong, a venerable surf company founded 40 years ago on Australia’s Gold Coast by a pair of entrepreneurs who designed their first board shorts on a kitchen table. By writing down the value of its namesake and Element brands to zero after another year of astonishing losses, Billabong signals that it considers them worthless.

The unusual move follows what acting CEO Peter Myers says has “clearly been a tumultuous year.” Myers assumed the chief executive job after the resignation of Launa Inman, whose departure, and unclear successor, only complicated the situation for Billabong. Financial filings made this morning show the company’s latest annual loss ($773 million) was more than three times the size of its market capitalization ($229 million), and sales declined 13.5%.

Billabong is one of Australia most widely known retailers, a supplier of gear found on beaches around.  After establishing a cult following at home, Billabong’s Gordon and Rena Merchant expanded overseas in the 1980s and 1990s, riding the wave of increased interest in professional surfing and Australia’s surf culture. Billabong went public, listing in Australia, in 2000 and went on a shopping spree, buying brands like skateboard company Element and Nixon watches. The acquisitions propelled Billabong to a peak valuation of $3.45 billion in 2007. That year Billabong made $150 million on $1.1 billion in revenue.

Just a few years later, Billabong was selling off Nixon–and struggling to stay above water. The company earlier this year agreed to a $294 million refinancing deal with private equity shop Altamont Capital Partners, and is considering a rival offer made by Oaktree Capital Management and Centerbridge Partners. It has also been mulling various takeover offers. Indeed, the rough seas around Billabong make struggles at other retailers with brand-image problems, like Abercrombie & Fitch and J.C. Penney, seem smaller in comparison. In the States, Billabong competes chiefly with PacSun and also with chain retailers like Target TGT +0.31% and Gap GPS -0.38%.

Overall, Billabong estimates its brands are worth just $80.7 million today, down dramatically from $343 million a year earlier. Much of that decline came from Billabong writing its namesake brand down to zero from $252 million.

After 40 years, the company looks like nothing more than flotsam or jetsam.

Source: Forbes

Obama: Pot Is Not More Dangerous Than Alcohol

US President Barack Obama says he doesn't think marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol.

He said in an interview with The New Yorker that pot is less dangerous than alcohol, quote, "in terms of its impact on the individual consumer."

The president has acknowledged using pot when he was young and calls it "a bad idea." He says he's troubled that poor kids, many of them African Americans and Latinos, are far more likely to get locked up for smoking pot than middle-class kids.

But Obama urges a cautious approach, saying people who think legalizing pot will solve social problems are, quote, "probably overstating the case."

When it comes to harder drugs, he says, the harm to users and the social costs are profound.

Young Man Dies of Boredom During Extended Trance Drop

It has been reported by Reuters today that a young man, Tommy Wadds, aged 19, has died of boredom at a trance festival he attended with friends. The incident occurred last night around 10 p.m. at the TranceLate festival in Berlin, during a two hour headline set by infamous shit-purveyor, Tiesto.

Event organisers said in a statement that “doctors arrived on the scene to find the young man unconscious due to extreme boredom.”

“They tried to revive him using the collected works of Jean Paul Sartre,” the report continued. “However this only served to worsen his condition. A second attempt was made to resuscitate him by paramedics, this time using Candy Crush, which has been known to temporarily relieve boredom. They observed some signs of improvement, however, after a short amount of time, the boredom returned and the young man was pronounced dead.”

“The official cause of death has been listed as ‘Cerebral Lethargy’ or Asphyxsiata Lethargia, which is known to the layman as ‘Terminal Boredom.’”

Asphyxsiata Lethargia is caused by a lack of oxygen in the Medulla Oblongata, a part of the brain required for controlling blood pressure and heart rate. There has only been one prior known case of this strange illness, which occurred during Scooter’s European Tour in 1995, where the death was blamed on Ecstasy rather than lethargy.

Doctors are theorizing that the young man may have had a latent problem which had gone unrecognised, citing his attendance at a Tiesto gig as proof that he did not have normal brain functions prior to the incident.

“The drop had gone on for about fifty minutes, and lots of people were feeling uneasy,” claimed one witness. “Some people still had their hands in the air, but you could see the strain on their faces. When the guy fell, some people made their way over to see if he was OK, but due to the fact that it was a Tiesto gig, nobody had either the desire or mental capacity to effectively help.”

In an interview given to Wunderground, his parents, who are reformed clubbers themselves, said that “the outpourings of sympathy have been very touching, and we appreciate them, but we did warn him. It was Tiesto after all. We raised him on good music, Robert Miles, Londonbeat, Black Box and C+C Music Factory. We did all we could for him.”

***Hard-hitting Video Just Gone Viral***

SLOW DOWN: 

That is the simple message the New Zealand Transport Agency is hoping drivers will take away from their startling new road safety ad, which went viral this week.

The powerful commercial features a father begging another driver to slow down for the sake of his son’s life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvLaTupw-hk

ANC Campaign Poster Causes Hassles Over ‘hustle’

At first, the public wondered at the posters, thinking they may be some kind of joke played by Julius and his buddies.

Unfortunately, no one has come forward to claim responsibility and so we must assume that this was, in fact, a legitimate attempt by the ANC to capture the attention of young voters.

Perhaps they should have consulted a dictionary first? (Or perhaps those who put the campaign together are part of the reason for our mortifying 30% minimum pass rate.)

What exactly is meant by “hustle” is not clear in this context – except that it could help create a “better life for all.” We’re not sure if this means all ANC members, or all South Africans…

The dictionary defines ‘hustle’ as follows:

-  To move or act energetically and rapidly
-  To push or force one's way
-  To act aggressively, especially in business dealings
-  Slang - An illicit or unethical way of doing business or obtaining money; a fraud or deceit

All of which seem to fit with the current ethos of the ANC, with President Zuma and Nkandlagate leading the way. (I wonder if Thuli Madonsela will be able to use the posters as evidence?)

The Urban Dictionary expands on the conventional definition:

"Anythin you need to do to make money... be it sellin cars, drugs, ya body. If you makin money, you hustlin."

I’m not saying that hustlers shouldn’t get a vote. But I probably wouldn’t put it on a poster.

Officials Act After Woman Takes Bath In Pothole

Social media was abuzz following the story about a woman who decided to prove a point and take a bath in one of the potholes last week, a Sapa correspondent reported.

The story made front-page headlines over the weekend.

Lydenburg Guest Farm owner Alison Botha and volunteer teacher Rosie Morrison recently published photos of Morrison taking a bath in one of the potholes on the R36.

Morrison was armed with a shower cap, book, glass of wine, and shampoo.

The two women posted the photos on Facebookand encouraged people to spread the message that government had to fix potholes that threatened the lives of tourists and locals.

"This specific road, the R36 between Machadodorp and Mashishing, has been unusable for years now and it's mainly because there are 40-ton trucks that make use of the road every day due to a lack of railway structure. It is the responsibility of government to fix this road," said Botha.

Botha said she used to take guests out on horse trails, but the road had become so damaged that neither her horses nor vehicles could use it.

"It's simply too dangerous," said Botha.

The Mpumalanga transport department has blamed the deterioration of the R36 between Machadodorp and Mashishing (formerly Lydenburg) in Mpumalanga on heavy trucks and rain.

"Much maintenance has been done on the road, but the large number of heavy trucks from various mines that use the road have contributed to the deterioration of the road," department spokesperson Dumisani Malamule said.

"The road has now deteriorated to the point where patching is not a feasible option anymore, but rehabilitation is required."

Malamule said the rehabilitation would be done in the 2014/15 financial year, adding that government would make every effort to ensure the road was rehabilitated.

"As we are approaching the end of the current financial year, all efforts are being made to ensure that rehabilitation of the road is done in the 2014/15 financial year. The MEC will pronounce the plans for the provincial road network during the 2014/15 policy and budget speech."

Source:  News24