What do you make of this?

Took this photograph this afternoon, couldn’t quite decide what to make of it..

bmw-m3-succes

When you get a custom plate, you can have 7 digits, so “success” could have been used. I’ve googled for “Succes” but can’t find much, except this retail shop – not sure if there’s a connection.

About the author:




Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM

Chris M has written: 4145 posts.

Cape Town Flat by Chris M – The patio

So yesterday I decided that I needed to put some effort into the patio, I’ve got a Weber and a table, chairs and umbrella, but there is still lots of space and it needed a little life. After some chatting to Being Brazen (Thanks Hun!), it was decided that cacti would be a nice approach; Fortunately, the nursery (Stark Ayres, The Garden Center, on Liesbeek Parkway) closes at 7PM, so I had time after work to shoot down and grab some. I think I did a decent job, but there’s still a lot of work, the patio is quite large.

cacti

As you can see, it’s just a corner, I think I need to get something bigger behind it to give that area some height. I have two suggestions so far, either a Cypres tree or a Yakkas, anyone else got a cool idea? I also wondered about putting the pots on top of something to give them some more height, but I can’t quite figure out what would be good to use as a stand, apart from a table and I’m not too sure that a table is the best idea.

Oh, and I’d just like to state that potting cacti is probably one of the biggest missions I’ve ever experienced!

About the author:




Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM

Chris M has written: 4145 posts.

Name Necklace competition

The other day, Brazen did a post on name necklaces and the post was incredibly popular, receiving over 2,000 reads!

Because of this it only made sense for Brazen to arrange a competition where one of you can win a name necklace! The competition is really easy to enter, all you need to do is click here and follow the instructions.

Here’s what the name necklaces look like:

2 name necklaces- collect

About the author:




Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM

Chris M has written: 4145 posts.

How are Apple products priced in South Africa?

A topic that I hear a lot of South Africans talking about is that of the prices we pay for Apple products. For example, an iPhone here might cost right up at R8000, whereas in the United States it’s just a couple hundred dollars, or look at the iPad, in the States it’s roughly 500 or 600 dollars, whereas here it’s going to be a small fortune.

Let’s look at a specific example: An entry level 13.3” Macbook Pro is 46.8% more expensive than its equivalent in the USA. Using information correct as of the 2nd of January 2010, the customer converted the South
African recommend retail price of R12,999 and arrived at a US$ price of $1760.79 by applying the spot exchange rate on that day. There are however, a number of factors that distort this perception.

  1. It is incorrect to compare RSA pricing directly to that of the US Online store as prices are quoted without any sales tax or VAT ( which is applicable, but varies from State to State). Prices in South Africa are quoted including a VAT rate of 14%.
  2. The customer used a spot rate of approximately 7.38 ZAR/USD, whereas our forward cover contract rate at this time was 8.10 ZAR/USD.

It is these 2 factors that lead South Africans to believe that they are being overcharged. Take a look at the table below to see that the actual premium over the US online store price is only 17.41%

apple-products

From this, there are 4 points that must be raised:

  1. Price differences are to be expected between South Africa and the United States due to the high cost of inbound logistics into South Africa and substantially different supply chain costs. As a result, we expect to see price levels that are higher in South Africa.
  2. Prices are often perceived to be much higher in South Africa because one does not take RSA VAT, or USA sales taxes into account (which is not shown on price lists in the US).
  3. A further effect that can distort price perceptions is the difference between forward cover rates and spot exchange rates. When the exchange rate slowly but steadily improves ( as is the case during 2009), the forward cover rates will be higher than spot rates, making products look artificially more expensive in South Africa. Equally, when the exchange ratio deteriorates, prices will look more favorable in South Africa because of better forward cover rates (although we have not seen this scenario in South Africa for over a year).
  4. A final point to be observed (but not applicable to the aforementioned example) is the negative effect of South African ad valorum and import duties.

I hope that paints a good picture for everyone; I know it sounds like a fail deal and all, but it’s how things work and there isn’t really anything we can do about it.

About the author:




Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM

Chris M has written: 4145 posts.

Kitties!

So, it would appear that the kittens have found a new sleeping spot, right on my bedside table, how cute is that! I think I should put a cushion up there for the little critters..

kitties

About the author:




Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM

Chris M has written: 4145 posts.

Don’t obsess about testing optimization

You know, this is a really good topic on SEOmoz, I’ve run into so many people who spend days and days testing SEO tactics on a website, but at the end of the day, that’s not how things should be done. If you’re looking at “free” organic traffic, then you need to let “nature” take its course; have a watch:

What do you think?

About the author:




Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM

Chris M has written: 4145 posts.

Bewitching black lace

Black lace has always been around, but for a long time it had been mostly reserved for underwear, funerals and gothic chicks. Recently that has changed, as black lace outerwear has made its way back to being “trendy” again (considering the world’s dark romantic, vampire obsession, its not surprising, is it?)

Personally, I have not owned anything lacey, black and suitable to wear outside of the bedroom since the 90’s – but after a little trot around YDE the other day I am now the proud owner of a fabulous black lace shift dress by Vida (for R425).

I think the only thing to be careful of when wearing lace is to not overdo the trend or wear too much see-through lace (or you may end up looking as ridiculous as Lady Gaga at the 2009 VMA’s)

Will you be wearing black lace out this year?

About the author:




Brazen is a quirky, Cape Town gal. She has a blog, stumbles in stilettos, makes too many lists, needs a bigger closet and likes to ramble about pretty things.

Brazen has written: 2 posts.

Weekly car news

Another week has passed us by and of course there is always something to talk about in the motoring world. A battle is soon to commence in our sub-compact class, with the introduction of Volkswagen’s new Polo Vivo this week and the imminent arrival of the new Ford Figo. Internationally, Audi stole the limelight recently with the announcement of their A1, but this week BMW has confirmed they will be building a 0-Series car to compete in the premium sub-compact class.

On the local front, I jetted off to P.E. on Wednesday morning for the launch of the new Volkswagen Polo Vivo. Essentially a budget version of the previous generation Polo, the Polo Vivo is now the entry-level car for the Volkswagen brand and arrives a couple of months after the legendary Citi Golf was retired in January. Not surprising is the way the new Polo Vivo drives – exactly like the Mk4 Polo it’s based on. This is not a bad thing and in terms of a Citi Golf replacement, the Polo Vivo is leaps and bounds ahead in safety and build quality, whilst still offering value for money (prices start from R101 500). The Polo Vivo’s story is as much about the car itself, as it is about the steps VWSA have taken to source parts and produce the car locally. Polo Vivo is a proudly South African product, with a R1.1 billion investment in a new supplier park and 700 jobs having been created as a result of the new car.

Ford’s answer to the Polo Vivo is their Figo, that was recently launched to the world’s media in India. In a similar story to VW, Ford have used the previous generation Fiesta as the base upon which to build the new Figo. 85 percent of parts are reportedly new for the Figo, but the Fiesta was a good car to begin with so the Ford Figo comes with a solid reputation regardless. The Figo will be launched here in SA within the next month or two, with pricing expected to be in the R100k to R130k range.

As mentioned, BMW Chairman, Norbert Reithofe, has confirmed this week that a rival to the Audi A1 is in the works – dubbed the BMW 0-Series at this point. Perhaps most surprising though is the announcement that it will be based on a front-wheel-drive platform, in contrast to BMW’s rear-wheel drive tradition. Reithofer said “For these new vehicles, we are developing a common architecture for both front and four-wheel-drive”. With an all-new MINI Cooper expected to arrive in 2014, the new models would likely utilise the same front-wheel-drive layout. Worrying for BMW purists is the fact that the use of the same platform for a new BMW 1-Series can’t be ruled out. Hopefully BMW is not about to make a u-turn on their rear-wheel-drive philosophy. There is no news on when the 0-Series is expected to make an appearance, but with the A1 heading to showrooms, expect to hear a lot more in the near future.

A small car of a different kind, is Honda’s recently launched CR-Z hybrid hatchback. Hybrid cars are still in their infancy relative to the age of the motor industry. The Toyota Prius was the first model to bring hybrid technology to the mass market but other manufacturers are beginning to joining the party. Running alongside the motor industry is the business of tuning or modifying. As one can imagine, tuning and modifying of electric and hybrid vehicles is something very new. Brabus has done it with the Tesla Roadster and with the launch of the Honda CR-Z a few weeks back, Honda’s in-house tuning division, Mugen, released a few cosmetic updates for the new hybrid. However, tuning legend Spoon Racing hit the headlines this week with news of the beginnings of their tuning package for the new CR-Z. Among the parts being tested are new coilover suspension components (lowering the car by 50 mm), N1 exhaust, ECU, ‘twin-block’ calliper and slit rotor brake upgrade. There’s no information on the ECU at this stage, but the N1 exhaust has reportedly given the CR-Z a more sportscar-like note, in contrast to the near-silent stock exhaust system. A set of blue Spoon CR93 alloys finish off the car and compliment the new ride height.

I’ve also had the Nissan Qashqai n-tec on test for the week. In short, one of the best looking cars in its class, with 18-inch wheels and chrome accents setting it apart from the rest of the range. It’s comfortable, rides well and the 2,0-litre engine provides enough oomph for running around town and cruising on the open road. An optional accessories package adds leather seats and an infotainment system, which we had an argument with. You can read the full report here.

Next week Toyota will be launching a facelifted version of their Toyota Auris and Hyundai will be introducing a new model. If you’re in Cape Town this weekend, why not head down to Killarney for some serious excitement with the Wesbank Super Series on Saturday. In contrast to all the speed, don’t forget it’s the Argus Cycle Tour on Sunday in the Cape, so choose your Sunday drive route wisely.

Some related items for you:

About the author:




Scott is the editor of SACarFan, one of SA’s most read and fastest growing motoring websites. His time is spent writing reviews, attending launches and of course, driving the latest cars. Keep your finger on the pulse of the motoring world by visiting www.SACarFan.co.za.

Scott Hayes has written: 3 posts.

AfriGator goes real-time

Google Reader has gone real-time, MyScoop has gone real-time, Wordpress is involved with it and it’s all revolving around an open protocol known as pubsubhubbub (click here to find out what pubsubhubbub is).

Now, joining the crew is AfriGator, which has just implemented pubsubhubbub and will be aggregating your posts instantly. Just remember, if you have your own installation of Wordpress, you will need to install a plugin, which is called PuSHPress and is available here.

afrigator-logo

It’s really super to see South Africans jumping onto this and realising how important instant information is!

About the author:




Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM

Chris M has written: 4145 posts.

What is Pubsubhubbub?

If you spend a fair amount of time online following the news, you’ll probably have heard about this weird word, “Pubsubhubbub“. One of the strangest words I’d ever heard and I think most people don’t know much about it, so let’s have a look:

Wikipedia defines it: PubSubHubbub is an open protocol for distributed Publish/subscribe communication on the internet. The protocol extends the Atom and RSS protocols for data feeds. The main purpose is to provide near-instant notifications of change updates, which would improve on the typical situation where a client periodically polls the feed server at some arbitrary interval.

What this means is that content is being syndicated as close to real-time as possible aposed to the usual delay.

Pubsubhubbub is a Google initiative, which appears to be cropping up all over the Internet. Google Reader has gone real-time, Wordpress have adopted Pubsubhubbub technology and an assortment of other companies are starting to use it.

Here’s a video to help you understand:

I think we’ll be hearing a lot of hubhub over the next few months to come!

About the author:




Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM

Chris M has written: 4145 posts.
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