Hoke’s Ramblings

So, Site5 has just hit my credit card for another year’s hosting fees. Hopefully the next 12 months will yield more blog entries than the last 12 did (a grand total of 6, including 2 pathetic jokes). @ $7.95 per month, that costs me a whopping R125 per entry!

In the age of bulk SMS’s and blogs, let me take this moment to wish one and all a Merry Christmas, and stupendous 2007, whilst I test out my spiffy new Logitech® Cordless Desktop® MX™ 3000 Laser – Thanks, Lina!

It seems to me Kalahari understands the true spirit of Christmas shopping…
And on that note, I’m feeling like a bit of an e-commerce junkie, with three orders pending at three different stores.

Hmm, seems I was a bit hasty in updating my blog software, as there's a bug with the comments.

Until further notice, y'all will have to keep your flaming and ranting to yourselves.

- Management

[EDIT] Bizarreness – It works if you add in a smiley, so think happy thoughts, everyone!

[EDIT2] No it doesn't. My first comment was a freak fluke

[EDIT3] Everything should be working again. And now you can use emoticons!! Yay!!!

What a wonderful language we have. The book I'm reading at the moment is 'Mother Tongue' by Bill Bryson, which is an entertaining, but in-depth look at the origins of English.

It really does make me realise that's it's quite pointless wasting efforts on grammar and spelling, because we speak such a bastardised hodge-podge tongue anyway.

But nonetheless, I'd like to draw your attention to this article, citing numerous other references to “the proof is in the pudding” being a modernised contraction of the somewhat wordy, although admittedly more sensible saying, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”.

Oh, and the only reason you can't split infinitives is because some deranged monk centruries ago didn't think it was a good idea.

So boldy go, all of ye!

FLAME SHIELDS UP!

Last night, while driving back from Lydenburg, I saw this sign just outside Middelburg. I wish I'd been able to take a photo, but didn't think stopping was such a hot idea…

GENERAL EXCLAMATION MARK WARNING SIGN, Underneath: “Heavy Vehicle Wheels Stolen”

??

I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought I'd go into the weekend with a rant…

Take 2 sucks.

I last ordered from them two years ago, and when they sent me the Sinatra Ocean's Eleven instead of the Clooney one, I became a bit wary of their reliability.

You'd think in two year's they'd have sorted themselves out, but alas, no. It's called Take 2 for a reason. I ordered the “Con Air” SPECIAL EDITION (over a cheaper double-pack with Face/Off), and imagine my dismay when I find nasty run of the mill vanilla Con Air instead. “Con” indeed.

Two emails and a phone call to their DVD department later, “sorry, Nu Metro has discontinued the special edition and this is the only one available”. No refund offers or anything.

If you're buying online, the places to do it (in my somewhat frightfully extensive experience) are: www.kalahari.net, www.amazon.com/.co.uk/.de (yes, some things you can only get in Germany – now if only I could find the unsubsribe link in their newsletters) and, my favourite from overseas: www.cdwow.com – FREE worldwide shipping, and they stock all DVD regions.

Others I haven't tried: www.jump.co.za, www.mediaplum.co.za

(Note my restraint at only placing one hyperlink in this blog entry)