Super scientist, Professor Stephen Hawking turned 70 years old yesterday, defying all the odds in his battle with motor neurone disease. Unfortunately, he was not well enough to deliver his birthday address – his chance at reflecting at his life and career.
Nelson Mandela’s life story is to be turned into a television mini-series, entitled “Madiba”. Mandela has given his personal approval for a series that will follow six decades of his life, but there’s been no word yet as to whether or not Matt Damon or Morgan Freeman will be involved.
Olympic Runner Auctions Ad-Space On His Body – Olympian Nick Symmonds, a vocal critic of what he calls track and field’s needlessly restrictive logo and sponsorship regulations, is auctioning advertising space on his body to raise money — and awareness. Symmonds, currently the U.S. national champion in the 800 meters, will wear the winning bidder’s Twitter […]
Cape Town police arrested an as yet un-named man today holding a virtual armoury of weapons, and a literal pharmacy of illegal narcotics in Woodstock. What was this man on a mission packing? We’ve got the whole list!
The Titanic has been lying at the bottom of the ocean for nearly a century. On 15 April this year, 5 000 items from the world’s most famous shipwreck will be auctioned off in one lot – on the 100th anniversary of the disaster that took place on April 15, 1912. See some of them after the jump.
Ryan rounds up the Top Tech Stories from 2011. He also talks to Marlon Parker, from Rlabs.org, about the role that technology can play in bettering human lives. And this week’s review, is software for all you video editing enthusiasts in the house.
Phobos-Grunt, the 13-ton, US$ 170 million Russian space probe that was launched into orbit and promptly crippled by failed auxiliary engines, is due to crash back onto Earth soon. Russian space authorities have named January 15th as the likely re-entry date. In case you thought that your fears of high-speed orbital debris ended with 2011.
Lepel Lê, a private beachfront camping site in East London, is a musem of sorts. It’s a museum, in the sense that it is a fine example of apartheid-era ignorance, racism, and hate, and also in the sense that the people inside the place are highly realistic copies of real human beings with souls. Juanelle Landman, of Cape Town, booked a stay at the private resort in East London for her family, and the friend of her son, who happened to be black. After receiving advice that she should phone ahead to confirm that the resort wasn’t subject to the Group Areas Act of 1956, she was told by an official at the camp that the resort was for whites, only.
Your CD collection has officially become outdated, because 2011 was the year that digital music sales finally surpassed their plastic disc-based counterparts, and the trend doesn’t look to be over.
Durban, the sweaty sticky place of my birth. Salty, thick air, slops, shorts, bananas and spice. If Capetonians are laid-back, it is because they’re stoned. In Durban people are simply mellow. It’s built in, climatic. It takes longer to walk through the weighty, humid air. As I was buffeted by this wall of jungle breath, and a filmy layer of sweat – that would remain with me for the next 10 days – formed, I wondered what wines would suit such a climate. And, more importantly, where could I get them?
Whether you love it or hate it, Facebook’s new Timeline feature is here to say. Rather than jump on the bandwagon condemning the new feature, an Israeli ad agency used it to send a powerful anti-drug message.
If you’ve been on the internet at all in the last year or two, chances are you’ve stumbled onto what is known as a “tumblr.” These are trendy blogs, mostly filled with pictures, and the occasional short posts by their users. The company is now looking at opening its own blogging operation.
Here’s a little inspiration for your Friday morning. A 19-year old boy with no arms has just found out he has got into the university of his choice, having written his matric exams with his feet. Letlhogonolo Mafela, from Matshepe Village, North West has done his school and his family proud.
Candice Swanepoel destroys all sense of calm and rational behaviour in the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar Spain/Turkey. The photoshoot shows our girl in sexy Victoria’s Secret lingerie wearing ready-to-wear pieces from Chanel, Isabel Marant, Christian Dior and Balmain. PopYaCollar.co.za has the full shoot. Click “continue reading” below to check it out.
Rebekah Brooks, the former News International chief, and News of the World editor, is enjoying a sabbatical in Cape Town. Cutting a notably different appearance from the fiery redhead we’re used to, the media mogul has been escaping the phone hacking and corruption scandal that’s followed her around for months.
Cape Town Prepares For The Most Prestigious Event Of The Year – More and more people seem to have come around to the fact that there is only one classy horse racing affair in South Africa – one that boasts limited numbers and genuine cool. Unlike other horse racing events, The L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate on […]
French clothing company, La Redoute has been left red-faced regarding an ad on their website. In the foreground of the advertisement in question, four young children play happily on a beach. In the background, a naked guy is going for a relaxing, pants-free stroll. Pic after the jump.
Five days into 2012 and we’ve already got fancy new technology. A team from Cornell University have developed a light-distortion device that can mask events as if they hadn’t happened; they managed to use light distortion to hide an event for 40 picoseconds. Which, granted, is 40 trillionths of a second, but the research is groundbreaking in the extreme.
I was lucky enough to watch this new David Fincher film starring Daniel Craig before it came out and I have been carrying on about it to anyone who will listen ever since. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a fantastic film and brilliantly satisfying remake of the Swedish film with the same […]
South Africa’s much awaited IEB Matric results are in, and while there is a noticeable increase in the overall pass rate, commentators have aired concerns over some of the trends emerging. Here’s the Sparks Notes version. Pay attention, there may be a test later.
Following on the heels of the now infamous Swedish Pirate Party – a political group that holds a seat in parliament and lobbies for file-sharing rights – recognition has now been given to a new religion. This is the Missionary Church of Kopimism, which holds Control-C and Control-V as their sacred symbols.
Scientists researching previously unexplored deep-sea vents in Antarctica stumbled upon a host of new species, including hairy-chested crabs, ghostly octopus and predatory starfish, in what has since been dubbed a “lost world”.
MINI fans will be pleased to know that Frenchman, Stephane Peterhansel is leading the Dakar Rally in Argentina! Check this out from smh: France’s Dakar Rally legend Stephane Peterhansel took the overall lead in the car section in Argentina on Wednesday after winning the fourth stage, a 326km special from San Juan to Chilecito. The […]
Yesterday we brought you an update on the news of the hunter who has paid nearly a million rand to shoot an endangered trophy white rhino. But where rhinos are poached, there are even more far reaching implications, not least finding the resources to care for their orphaned young.
Good times.. Robert Mugabe Will Attend The ANC Birthday Celebrations – The African National Congress expects 46 heads of state at its 100th anniversary bash this weekend, but isn’t sure its iconic leader Nelson Mandela will attend. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Nigeria’s Goodluck Jonathan and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni are among leaders that have confirmed. [timeslive] […]
A public and media outcry followed the release of information that a KZN businessman, who has not been identified, made a winning bid of R969 150 for the right to hunt a male white rhino in Mkuze Game Reserve. Rhino hunting permits are actually issued far more often than you might think.
This is rather spicy. When you’re in the spotlight a lot, like the Royal Family of England tends to be, it can be a little tricky to explain why the body of a murdered woman has been found on your estate. This is what has happened to the Her Royal Majesty herself, at her Royal Estate in Sandringham.
Tomorrow will mark what many Saudi women will consider a small milestone in personal shopping. From this week, only female staff will be allowed to sell lingerie, relieving the embarrassment of buying underwear in the highly conservative Muslim nation. This is by order of the king, incidentally. The new law provides a rare opportunity for the employment of women, which was previously outlawed.
It’s no secret, 2011 was a dismal year for Hollywood. The movie machine is running out of ideas, David Lynch has turned to music, budgets are being screwed tight and we’re getting a spill of bankable franchise sequels and unnecessary adaptations. Although one actor seems to have risen out of the ashes…
An advertising campaign addressing anti-obesity among children has come under fire in America. Many parents feel Strong4Life and their “Stop Sugarcoating” campaign blames the victims. One advert sees a chubby, young girl who stands with her arms crossed facing the camera. The tagline reads: “WARNING: It’s hard to be a little girl if you’re not.”