# Nathan Jeffery > Musings, stories and the occasional rant... Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages _No public content available._ ## Posts ### Avoid cheap work URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2016/02/03/avoid-cheap-work/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Cheap work is undervalued and seldom appreciated by the client. Cheap clients tend to be excessively demanding and disorganised. They often make you wait for information and input, and require regular follow ups when it comes to payment. In addition to the time and revenue lost while trying to complete the project, you’ll find you end up providing them countless hours of unpaid support. Frankly, sometimes it's better to have no work than cheap work. The time spent working on cheap projects takes away from the time you could have spent on something of value to you, even if it does not generate income up front. Occasionally you’ll take on a project that seems reasonable, but over time it becomes more demanding and the revenue generated doesn’t justify the amount of time and effort you put into it. If you have a good relationship with the client you can try explain the situation and renegotiate your fee. In many cases, clients won’t accept an increase in fees so you’ll be forced to take stock and decide whether to continue at a rate that’s unsustainable or simply stop working on the project altogether. By doing cheap work, you put yourself in a difficult position and your team at risk. ### Pay for good contracts and use them URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2016/01/25/pay-for-good-contracts-and-use-them/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z My team was poached several years back by our biggest client at the time. I didn’t have any agreements in place with any of our clients or staff back then so I didn’t have a legal leg to stand on. I knew contracts were important and had them drawn up, but we were so focused on production and deadlines that I never had the contracts signed. Similar to how your experience has prepared you to give your clients advice or build good products, you need to find a lawyer with experience. Keep in mind, law, like medicine or any industry for that matter, is specialised. You should consult the right type of lawyer for the issue you’re dealing with, whether it be human resources, a shareholders agreement or a merger. In addition to contractual issues, it helps having someone you can trust to talk to about business matters and legal issues. Hire a good lawyer, pay for good contracts and use them. ### Hire a boutique accounting firm URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2016/01/24/hire-a-boutique-accounting-firm/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Since the inception of MyEcommerce we’ve made an effort to keep our accounting and statutory records in order. I started off doing the books myself but as soon as we hired staff, we outsourced our bookkeeping and payroll to a ‘big name’ firm. We ended up dealing with a lot of unnecessary and unwanted issues due to the lack of competence and urgency of the firm’s accountants and ancillary staff. It took Amelia and me about two years to resolve the predicament we were in as a result of our books being left in disarray. You need to know and understand what is going on in your business' finances. Accountants can make mistakes. By understanding what is going on in your business' books, you'll not only be in a better position to manage your business but you'll also have a better chance of spotting mistakes in your financial statements should your accountant slip up. It's important to remember that, even if you outsource your accounting, you are still ultimately responsible for the accuracy thereof. When working with a ‘big name’ firm your work is often handled by interns and the partners hardly ever give you any attention. By choosing a boutique firm you’ll usually engage directly with one of the partners and have access to their wealth of experience and knowledge. ### Focus and Commit URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2016/01/23/focus-and-commit/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z If you're launching a business or embarking on a new career, it may be tempting to work a second job for a sense of security. What you really need to do is commit, decide what you want to do and focus on it. You need to give it your full commitment; if you don't, you can't expect your team to. I used to DJ and make good money doing it, but every hour I was out DJing was an hour I was not focusing on MyEcommerce and that was where my future was. Do one thing, maybe two but whatever you do, do it so darn well that it’s all you need to do. You can expand your service offering once you have a big enough team to handle it. There’s enough work out there for specialists to exist. ### Take Ownership URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2016/01/22/take-ownership/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Whether you’re a business owner, a team leader or starting your career, you need to put passion, energy and pride into everything you do. Taking ownership, to me, is more than taking responsibility and being accountable for your actions or lack thereof. You need to constantly be learning and questioning situations, especially when things go awry. Do things smarter. Be proactive; ask yourself why you’re doing something a certain way, whether it makes sense or if there's a better way. Be constructive; learn from your mistakes and help others to learn from theirs. ### Do what you love URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2016/01/21/do-what-you-love/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z You spend most of your adult life working so it's only obvious that you should do what you love and get satisfaction from your career. You should love what you do so much that, if it wasn’t for needing to eat, you’d do it for free. Doing something you care about will feel a lot more like fun and less like work. When this is the case, the concept of balance becomes less of an issue because you'll be spending most of your time doing something you want to. You need to get satisfaction from producing quality work; this is especially true for the creative industries. Your clients will hardly ever comprehend how much effort you’ve put into your work, and quite often they won’t really care, many won’t even thank you. You need to be happy within yourself and get joy from the work you do. It’s easy to say that if you don’t like your job you should leave but let's be realistic, you have bills to pay and you need to eat. Figure out what you like and what you don’t. Ideally focus on doing work you are passionate about. Sometimes it is really difficult to find work that you enjoy so you need to take on shitty work to pay the bills and keep the doors open. Sometimes doing work you hate is worth it, but mostly it's not. Remember, if you’re not in business, you’ll never have the option to take on the projects you actually want. Think strategically and focus on the opportunities out there. ### Micro Failure URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2016/01/20/micro-failure/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Failure is not an achievement and it's certainly nothing to be proud of. When you fail in business you lose money and often wreck the lives of your employees. The current flippant and arrogant approach to failure is disrespectful to everyone who works with and depends on you for their livelihood. The glorification of failure is bullshit. There is no value in failure but there is value in the knowledge obtained through failing if you’re open to learning. ## Failing could be fatal We don’t live in a failure tolerant society. If you go bankrupt, it's unlikely you'll be given money to start something new. Your personal credit rating will be screwed and you won’t be able to get credit again for a very long time, if ever. Failure is brutal and difficult to recover from. It can be expensive, frustrating, humiliating and emotionally challenging - it could fucking kill you so try to avoid it at all costs. ## Focus on success The way I see it, success is a state of mind and being. It's relative to what you want to achieve and long term it's a goal post that's constantly moving. Set specific, measurable goals to help you measure whether you’re succeeding. Acknowledge and celebrate all of your successes as well as those of your team. Focus on quick wins to gain momentum and add positive energy. ## Embrace micro failure Prepare for the micro failures so your business can become resilient and sustainable. It’s impossible to avoid failure altogether so building tolerances into your business and processes is crucial. Learning to be flexible helps you cope; you need to adapt when things go wrong and constantly keep re-prioritising what you and your team focus on. Fail fast so you have enough time to find a solution and save the situation. It's time to start avoiding failure by embracing micro failure and fast iteration. ## Be irrationally optimistic Be optimistic to the point that it exceeds all logic because the day you lose hope is the beginning of the end. Don’t let negative energy affect you. Look for the positive in difficult situations, and if you’re feeling down get out of the office or your usual environment and do something different. Whatever you do, don't be negative around your team as this will dampen their spirits and impact their productivity. Stress is your burden to bear, not theirs. Acknowledge failure but don’t accept defeat, and always remember, if it was easy everyone would be doing it. ### Chan Zuckerberg Initiative URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/12/05/chan-zuckerberg-initiative/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z It's amazing how so many people feel entitled to an opinion about what someone else does with their own money. The way I see it, there are only two people in this world who can possibly have the right to say anything about what Mark and Priscilla do with their money and those two people are Mark and Priscilla. Whether they're doing it to save on taxes or change the world is really not the point. It is their money, not ours. If you want to be entitled to an opinion about what to do with ±45 billion USD, you should get off your behind and earn some money yourself, then you'll have the right to decide what to do with it. For argument's sake, let's imagine for a minute you had a big stockpile of cash and you wanted to make a positive impact on the world and perhaps leave a legacy behind. Would you blindly give it to some charity, with potentially bad governance and highly paid employees, making little real impact on the world, would you give it to a corrupt government to squander or would you want to have some say in what happens with your money and try to influence the way it is used for positive good? Whatever your choice, if somehow it resulted in you saving taxes along the way would you consider that a bad thing? While on the topic of taxes, some people keep complaining about how other people and companies set up complex structures to optimise their assets and reduce their tax liability. Let's make something very clear, these structures are expensive and the obvious part, complex. If you want to set up a structure to manage your money that is complex and expensive to operate, there is no law prohibiting you from doing so. You are free to hire expensive lawyers and accountants and pay all the fees required in order to establish and operate any structure you desire but chances are you won't bother to do it, chances are you won't even research the options, chances are you won't even bother to change your savings habits to reduce your taxes by making medical contributions or saving for your own retirement. You see the thing is, a good portion of earth's human population is not interested in adding value to the world, the majority are too lazy to even do anything to improve their own lives and would much rather spend their spare time watching sport or soapies than improving themselves or building a profitable business. They see their weakness and failure in the success of others and their default reaction is jealously instead of motivation to be better and do better. ### Don’t be fucking mediocre URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/16/dont-be-fucking-mediocre/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Do more and do it better. Good quality at a reasonable price is hard to come by. The world is a very small place and people talk. Good word gets around but it takes a bit longer to spread than negativity. Be a legend and make history. ### Hire slow, fire slower URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/16/hire-slow-fire-slower/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Selecting the right candidates is tricky and many factors come into play. Academia doesn’t prepare candidates for real world software development so you can’t rely on a degree as an indicator of ability. I usually ask general knowledge questions in interviews as it gives me a sense of whether the person applying to work with me is actually interested in the industry and what is going on in it or just looking for a job. Sample work, example code, a functional prototype and mockups of ideas will all show that the person applying for a position is actually interested in the industry and making a personal effort to get to know it and become good at a specific part of the industry. ### You need to work on your tolerance and acceptance. Sometimes you’ll be faced with behaviour from people that is not at the level you expect but happens to be at the level you can currently afford. Most advice would tell you to hire slow and fire fast but when you’re constrained financially it’s difficult to just dismiss an employee you’ve invested time in grooming. Before you go down the path of dismissal you need to think about what caused you to hire this individual and how they stood out from the other people you interviewed. It might be that the work you’ve been giving them isn’t really something they’re good at and you should consider adjusting their workload. It could also be that you haven’t given sufficient guidance or structure or explained your expectations clearly. Make sure you’re doing your part before you start coming down on your team. ### Engage your clients carefully URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/11/engage-your-clients-carefully/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z We’ve lost millions in turn over due to scope creep and clients simply not paying us. Make sure your documentation is clear, avoid over committing and if you’re taking on a big project make sure you get a deposit up front. If a client isn’t willing to sign a contract it’s a good sign they won’t be willing to honour their side of the deal. ### Don’t stress about shit URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/11/dont-stress-about-shit/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z When you’re in shit is the worst time to stress about being in shit. Don’t focus on how bad things are, focus on solving problems, getting work done and earning more money. Hustle harder. ### Imposter syndrome and failure URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/11/imposter-syndrome-and-failure/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z In a world where people like Elon Musk are literally building rockets and cars that run on energy from the sun it’s easy to look at your own life as an entrepreneur and feel like a bit of a failure or be totally dismissive when people acknowledge your success or compliment you. Sure maybe you’re not changing the world at the same scale as Elon but you are no doubt having an impact on countless people’s lives through job creation and that alone is commendable. A lot of the time growth and client acquisition really feels like luck but if you think about it carefully the only reason you’re able to take on those clients is because you’re in looking mode and you’ve got capacity to do the work, both of which require planning and execution. I feel the majority of us have a complete misunderstanding of failure. Failure is not really something we can be but rather something that we can do. We can fail at getting our work submitted on time or fail at a test, that might indicate we were not prepared or we were lazy or some other symptom but it doesn’t mean we as individuals are failures, as individuals we’re far more complex creatures and our lives encompass a lot more than just one task during the day or the business we’re running. Start appreciating who you are and what you have. If you’ve screwed up and something didn’t go the way you wanted it to, rethink the situation and try again. It’s worth noting that some things are totally illogical and not worth trying in the first place, so sometimes you need to use failure as a sign and other times you need to trust your gut and push onwards. ### No one gives a shit, unless you broke it URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/11/no-one-gives-a-shit-unless-you-broke-it/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Software development is an 18+ hour a day job. Clients pay for solved problems and don’t have much patience, some problems are difficult to solve, some are easy. Clients don’t appreciate the work you do, you need to be driven internally. You need to get enough kicks out of building cool stuff as most times the pay will not be worth the time it takes to build what people want and few people will bother to say thank you No one gives a shit how long you spent working on a problem or how little you slept. People couldn’t care if your family is starving, all they want is the code finished yesterday and for cheap. Everything that goes wrong is your fault and you will get it fixed before getting any sleep. Don’t go into this career if you’re looking for constant gratitude and congratulations, few people truly care. Software development is a mostly thankless job, if you’re the boss thank your team even when no-one thanks you, because they deserve it. ### Client acquisition and sales is a full time job URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/10/client-acquisition-and-sales-is-a-full-time-job/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Client acquisition is a strange thing. We’ve had cases where we’ve identified the lead, quoted, did the work, invoiced and were paid within less than 24 hours and then we’ve had clients we’ve engaged with for years before ever seeing any real work come out of the relationship. When you are doing work that matters and is core to someone else’s business it can take time to get approval and sign off on budget. Working with small businesses is very different to working with corporates. In the small business environment, you mostly deal with the business owner directly and every cent you charge them is coming out of their own pocket whereas when working with a corporate you mostly deal with people who don’t have authority to make decisions and who aren’t spending their own money, they’ll be getting their salary at month end so often they don’t work with a sense of urgency. Social Media is a huge opportunity if you’re actively looking. People are online and complaining all of the time. Figure out how to solve their problems in exchange for some money and you’ll be in business. Just remember the problems don’t come to you, you need to go looking for them. Be a problem solver. ### Choose partners carefully URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/09/choose-partners-carefully/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z It’s easier to go the long distance with a team than it is on your own but don’t just go out looking for a partner and don’t let the lack of a partner prevent you from starting. Partners seem to find each other. It’s all about timing, connecting, looking for opportunities and having similar goals. A partnership is a lot like marriage. When it comes to deciding whether someone is the right partner for you or not it’s important that you know yourself, know what you want and what you don’t want. Know what you’re good at and what you’re not so good at. Find someone that compliments your skills and personality. You don’t need a clone of yourself as a partner, you need a companion, someone to walk the long lonely road of entrepreneurship with you. You don’t need someone who agrees with everything you say, you need someone who will be willing to stand up to you and argue with you constructively for the good of the business and your product. Make sure you get the details on paper and define what will happen if someone decides to leave the business or dies. Also make sure that all partners have valid signed wills, without this you can end up in a very long drawn out process if one of your passes away. ### Goals are important but the journey is too URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/09/goals-are-important-but-the-journey-is-too/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I started working at age twelve because I wanted an expensive bicycle. It ended up taking me between two and three years to build the bike up. I bought the parts as I could afford them. I kept the parts in my room so I could see the progress(or lack there of) everyday before I went to sleep and when I woke up in the morning. You need to know what you’re working for. In addition to working towards my goal of the bicycle I also used to enjoy my money by eating it. I used to cycle to some fancy food spots in town and the waiters would look at me weird. I would order steak, a milkshake and a chocolate brownie — I think I was 13 or so at the time. ### Want to make money? Disrupt an industry… URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2015/10/09/want-to-make-money-disrupt-an-industry/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z If you’re young and still deciding what career to get into, consider accounting, law or even the medical profession. You may be thinking those are pretty old school career moves so why should you consider pursuing one of them. Well, the trick is, enter those professions and become known for providing professional and personalised service. Your business will grow so quickly, from word of mouth, you’ll be chasing customers away. We’ve become so accustomed to bad service that good service will be seen as innovative and different. ### Changing social habits URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/12/12/changing-social-habits/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I used to keep every social network, I have an account with, open in a tab. This way I could quickly flip between social networks and catch up on all of my feeds. Earlier this year I made a decision to focus on better quality content and try to read a book or two. I haven't managed to finish a book yet but I have read a lot of really good articles. The first step was not having social sites open all day. I no longer have Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest or Google+ open by default on my workstation. This means I don't glance at them as often as I used to, I scroll less and I am less inclined to comment on something that's probably not that important anyway. I used to check social networks while waiting in queues, I now read articles in my reading list or try to get through a page or two of a book. I am less distracted and I have been getting to read some really interesting content on a wide range of topics which I used to do but somehow stopped. I still get a lot of value out of Twitter. I keep it open all day and check it regularly but I often have it minimised now. I'm always finding great content shared on Twitter and enjoy the engagement model. Instagram is still one of my favourites. I don't get to take that many interesting photos, so I don't post much, but I enjoy some of the artistic and creative content people publish on the platform. ### Stop wishing your life away URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/12/10/stop-wishing-your-life-away/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Every week, I see people posting the same shit online, how they can't wait until the week is over or it's almost the weekend. Every day you wish away is one less day you have to live and to be alive. One day you're going to be on your death bed wishing to have just one extra day to live. You've got that day, it's called today. Use it or lose it. You only have one life and it is short enough as it is. Embrace each day, each moment, each challenge and each success. Before you know it, it'll all be over. ### Remote work URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/12/06/remote-work/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z In April this year we decided to close our office in town and implement a distributed work model. We set up a small office at home for some of the team and the rest of the team would work remotely. It was quite a change as our previous office was fully serviced. We had loads of space, shared conferencing, boardroom and kitchen facilities along with multiple redundant high speed internet connections. It's been about eight months working mostly distributed and I can honestly say it was one of the best things we've done for the business. Nicholas alone saves close to 40 hours a month due to time he previously would have spent commuting. Our working hours have changed in the sense that we used to have office hours and everyone would be together for the whole day. We still have a general framework of business hours, but the remote team work with a lot more flexibility. Now that the office is at home I am essentially at the office 24/7. This has introduced some changes, Amelia and I don't leave the house much. We work pretty close to 18 hours every day and we work on weekends although we used to work long hours anyway. I used to have my day split into sections, leave home, grab a coffee, go to office, fetch Amelia from work, grab food, go back to office work till wee hours and then go home. Now days my routine is pretty much, fall out of bed and work. Grab food or coffee whenever I get a chance, but otherwise work. On the one hand it's allowed us to do some things we couldn't usually do, like hang up laundry during the daytime, on the other hand, we literally work all of the time. I have definitely found that there are times in the evening when I otherwise would have just slept that I now get up and go work. Having an office area set up outside of the bed room, means I can work late in front of a large multi colour internet connected light bulb and not have an impact on Amelia. Amelia is also working longer hours than she's ever worked before because it's so easy to just hammer away and get things done. The team is busy growing and this month we're trying our first remote internship. It's probably quite unconventional to go from having an office for six years to working with a distributed team and not the other way round. I still see value in having a central presence but more often than not, the in person time is not spent working or being productive, remote time seems to be optimised and focused on achieving results and not fluff. Interaction with the team is more intentional and I think this is good as it forces us to think before interrupting someone. I hope to have a team event soon to get everyone together in one place and catch up in person. ### No more out of office replies URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/12/04/no-more-out-of-office-replies/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z It's the year 2014\. Mobile phones are portable computers with built in modems. If you don't have email on your phone then you are doing something wrong. Out of office replies are the height of nuisance. No one cares if you're out of the office for the day or if you're on leave for the month. If you're in a client facing role, answer your email or redirect your mail to someone who can attend to your mail in a timely fashion, if not, your team should know you're out of office anyway so you can reply when you're back. ### Are mailing lists good, bad or ugly? URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/11/24/are-mailing-lists-good-bad-or-ugly/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z It’s not uncommon for website or business owners, looking to increase traffic to their website or promote a specific product or campaign to consider sending out bulk emails or bulk SMS as a means of reaching a greater audience. One of our clients was even approached by someone who said they could send out mail to a large number of email addresses for a fee. The problem with this approach is that the recipients on this list do not have a direct relationship with our client and sending a direct mail out to someone who has not subscribed to your mailing list could (would) be considered spam. The first reason not to go the bulk email route, to people who don’t know you, is it might alienate them from your brand. You want to put your message in front of people who want to see it or products like it and who are in a positive frame of mind when viewing your mail. There are companies that specialise in building these types of open relationships with users and it is advisable to consider partnering with one of them when attempting to enter the email marketing space. Once you’ve built a personal relationship with these users you can then engage with them on a more personal level directly. The second and probably more critical point to consider is that sending out unsolicited emails may result in legal issues for your business. ### Launching a Website URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/11/24/launching-a-website/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Business is online. Whether you like it or not, we’re living in a connected society and consumers are more enabled to do product and company research than ever before. The average household or business is operating with a limited budget and needs to get the best value for money they can within their means. ### What this means for consumers. In the past we were limited to shopping where we live, at stores near our home or out of town if we went on a special trip to do so. With the advent of the internet and especially mobile, we can now find nearly anything while sitting in bed or eating our toast in the morning by searching for it online. All of a sudden we can buy what we want from who we want no matter where they are, even if they are not in the same country as us. In addition to being able to buy from more places than before, we as empowered consumers can do far more research in terms of value offerings available elsewhere and can therefore make informed decisions even if we are planning to buy locally. ### What this means for business. As business people we are no longer competing with the store down the street or in the next town, we’re now competing globally. It might be difficult to think this way if you’re running a small garden service company, but the fact of the matter is that consumers are searching before they spend and if they don’t find you then you won’t be on their list of companies to consider. ### In order to compete you need to be online and you need to be engaged. Here are a few things to consider when planning the launch or relaunch of your business website: - Register a domain name that is easy to remember and not too long - Ensure that your website is built to support mobile browsers, a responsive design should be good for this - Consider the legal implications and chat to your attorney about a Social Media Policy, Privacy Policy as well as PAIA manual as may be required by law in your country - Plan content in advance and be prepared to publish - Keep it simple and fast instead of complex and slow — not everyone has high speed internet access - Keep the design easy to read and be aware of those with vision problems — use contrasting colours to ensure readability, an easy to read font goes a long way. - Establish an organic web strategy encompassing your website as well as social media Once you have the building blocks in place, remember the web is constantly evolving and your website will need to evolve with it. You’ll need to regularly spend time working on your site and engaging online. ### Launching an App URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/11/24/launching-an-app/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z We often engage with clients who would like to launch an app or software solution. We feel it is our responsibility to make our clients aware of some of the issues pertaining to the success of launching a digital product and gaining any worthwhile traction. Here are a few points to keep in mind: - Your idea is probably not that unique so make sure to research your competition - Consider your value proposition and figure out what will make it worth someone’s time to do business with you instead of your competition - A digital product still requires work, it won’t just generate revenue because you made it, you need to build your brand and focus on managing it proactively - Your website is only as good as your content so be prepared to spend long hours writing original content and taking your original photos - Social Media is not a one way broadcast communication channel. Once you go digital, be prepared to manage ongoing, borderline 24hr, conversations with your clients The rewards of launching a game changing product are much greater than the money you will make out of it but you need to understand the amount of commitment it is going to take to turn your product idea into a success. ### No time for nonsense URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/11/22/no-time-for-nonsense/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z In the past I made time, I literally made it. Whether it was to go to events, meetings, meetups, quick coffees or general get togethers, I made a plan. The last year or so has shown me that meetings, events and meetups are all pretty much a waste of time and don't actually do much of anything to get you anywhere in life. I've come to this conclusion in part because I have been really busy and have been unable to attend these events. These events are theoretically aimed at growing your network and ultimately generating business. Now I must be clear, I don't go to events and stand in the corner, I hand out business cards like a boss. The fact of the matter is that even though I have not attended regular networking events in over a year and I have not been actively leaving the office to go and meet people, it has had zero impact on how my business operates. In fact, by not participating in all of these events I have actually had more time to get work done and be productive. This feeling of getting stuff done and making progress has influenced other parts of my life and ways I engage with people. I've come to appreciate the term *time is money* in a way I never did before. I'm in the business of solving problems and building complex solutions. Every minute I spend doing something that is not helping me do that job is a minute wasted. I don't have time for excuses and I don't have time for gossip. If you're not doing something useful get out of my way. ### How we work URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/11/15/how-we-work/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I often have conversations with business owners or managers about internal systems and collaboration tools. MyEcommerce is turning seven soon and we've tried numerous collaboration tools but seem to have settled on a few to keep things simple and focused. Our business is Google based which means our email runs through Gmail. Hangouts is integrated into Gmail so using Hangouts is a pretty natural thing for us as everyone has Gmail open all day. Our work revolves around the production of code or refinement thereof, so we make use of GitHub and Bitbucket to manage our centralised task lists as well as source version control. This way developers only need to check one location for tasks assigned to them and don't end up getting emails for each task or request. We make use of Dropbox for file sharing. Our team is distributed so having synchronised file sharing is really important. We also share folders with clients to make it easier to handle file sharing on projects. Instead of filling in an attendance register, we use Harvest for time tracking. Time is logged for all activities and it's really interesting to see how much time is spent on what might often be considered simple tasks. It's really important to get insight into how time is being spent as it allows us to plan for days off and mitigate risk on future projects by adjusting our cost estimates to take historical performance into consideration. There are a few use cases we haven't found existing tools for just yet so we might just launch a side project to scratch our own itch. ### Email is not broken URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/11/08/email-is-not-broken/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z My social feeds are constantly flooded with people sharing links on how to combat email. Seriously, combat it? Email is the way clients contact you, it is asynchronous and it is super efficient if you use it properly. A big problem is very few people know how to use email properly. They don't read through all the points in an email, don't respond to all questions and use bad language in their responses. If you or your team lack reading and writing skills then you won't get much value out of email but then you won't get much value out of any written form of communication so you might as well get off the internet. If you don't want clients to contact you via email, don't give them your email address. It's pretty simple, but I'm sure your business will slowly grind to a halt. Some people may be justified complaining about internal email, but seriously, there is no excuse for mail overload internally except for lack of order in a business. Whether you decide to use Slack, Google Hangouts, iMessage or Skype, internal communications can for the most part be switched to real time instant messaging. Add in a centralised task and note management system like Wunderlist, Trello, Basecamp or Evernote and you'll be well on your way to reducing the amount of internal correspondence. Email gives us the ability to reply in our own time, review a message thoroughly, draft a response, ensure all the points have been addressed and then reply. It's cross platform and it works. It's time to change your perspective and embrace your mailbox. ### Ten years on the Web URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/10/12/ten-years-on-the-web/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Ten years ago today, I decided I was going to build a website. I started my journey by registering my first domain. I needed to get the site hosted so I signed up for an account with Hetzner. Thinking back now, embarrassing as it may be, I really didn't know anything about the internet or building a website. I remember phoning the Hetzner support desk and asking seriously silly questions. I was given links to look at and nudged in the right direction. At one point, I think a Hetzner consultant even helped me debug a page I was trying to get working. In 2008, Hans Wencke, MD of Hetzner at the time, took me on a tour of their data centre in Cape Town. It was quite an experience walking through aisle after aisle of servers. At that stage I was working on an elearning startup idea which didn't pan out but I've moved on to other projects. It feels like a lifetime ago. I never would've thought that ten years down the line I would have worked on projects affecting thousands of South Africans, assisted with launching multiple web based businesses and successfully exited my first software startup. In the beginning, my only way to get online was dialup; I later moved on to GPRS using a data card, then 3G and now, I run a mix of DSL and Fibre delivered via last mile wireless. I remember printing code examples and tutorials to store in a flip file for future reference as looking everything up when I needed it either took too long or simply cost too much. Thankfully networks have evolved and I can now search for something I need and get a result almost instantly. Throughout this journey of discovery and progression, Hetzner has been a constant. It's pretty amazing to think I've been a client of theirs for ten years. They must have great staff retention as I have come to know many of the staff by name through engaging with the team on many different matters. The team is knowledgeable, friendly, fast and efficient. I hope to one day, if not yet, have people walk away from an engagement with one of my businesses and have the same feeling of satisfaction that I have after engaging with Hetzner. Although the knowledge and experience I've gained and lessons I've learnt over the past ten years is invaluable, it feels like I'm just getting started. I look forward to experiencing the next ten years of the web. ### Dear Twitter - an open letter URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/08/30/twitter-clean-and-simple/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Dear Team Twitter, You have served me well over the past few years; helped me find many tabs worth of great content, facilitated interesting conversations, provided a medium to broadcast and follow conferences and current topics. Through you, I have met people who have become friends, clients and business partners and I'd just like to say thank you. Through all that you have helped me do and learn, you have maintained a clean overall experience and stuck to one application. It has been great, please keep it up. The recent public launch of Twitter Analytics is great, providing valuable insights and great perspective. It's so cool of you to roll this our for all users. As a user who has Twitter open all day, everyday, I'd like to share a few thoughts with you: #### *Direct Messages* I use them regularly and they work well, right there, in the app on my Mac or iPhone. If you do feel like giving DMs some love, it might be nice to be able to send longer messages, but if not, that's ok, just please keep DMs in the main app. The flow between DM and the main feed works well and it's great to simply be able to go between Tweet, DM and someone's profile with little effort at all. #### *Adverts* I know you need money to provide and maintain this technology. You need to pay developers and cover operational overheads. Adverts are a pretty normal way of deriving revenue from a web platform, so I totally understand why you're doing it. I would however like to ask you to consider providing us with a premium option with an advert free experience. I'm sure there would be people willing to pay for this. Please make sure though, to keep the premium affordable for the masses. I live in a country where everything is many times more expensive than in the USA due to exchange rates. #### *Verified Profiles* I think many will agree that we'd like to be able to apply for Verified Profiles. Please open up this process and make it available to more people. I realise there is a certain amount of human effort involved so perhaps bundle it with the premium account or charge a once off verification fee. I think that would be pretty cool. #### *Web User Interface* I'm not sure what you have in mind with the 'more' option in the menu. It would probably be better if you put the 'lists' button straight in the navigation bar and got rid of the 'more' button altogether. It doesn't make sense to have a drop down for only one menu item. Thanks again for the awesome platform. Feel free to ping me if you'd like to talk about this, you know how to find me. Nathan ### I am an edge case URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/08/23/i-am-an-edge-case/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z After much anger, frustration, rage and ranting I had the opportunity to engage with Sam Brown, Foursquare's lead UI designer and front-end developer. He was receptive and open to critical feedback, which I think is great. They've looked at the data, made difficult decisions and upset a lot of users but ultimately have done what is better for the majority. I have come to understand their approach and motives leading to the release of Swarm, even though I don't fully agree with them. Only 1 in 20 people used Foursquare for checking in and searching for places, therefore 19 out of 20 were either checking in or searching. Splitting the feature sets off into two distinct apps will improve the experience for these 19 out of 20 people. I personally still want one app with one simple user experience. Instead of hating on them for doing something I don't agree with, I now accept that I am just not part of the majority. Foursquare is not to blame, it's my personal preference. I'll keep Swarm on my secondary device for now, to see how it evolves, but it's defintely not part of my daily routine the way Foursquare used to be. ### A case against Unbundling URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/05/11/a-case-against-unbundling/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z The news broke that Foursquare is splitting off part of their functionality to build a new app called Swarm and it got me thinking about this unbundling situation. I'm disappointed, frustrated and angry. I use Foursquare daily as a social tool to engage with friends around the world, a personal log book of places I have been and want to go as well as a way for me to discover new experiences when I am travelling. I primarily use the mobile interface but really enjoy the desktop interface and the ability to view history. I also quite like the gamification layer with mayorships and badges which enhance the whole experience. The entertaining messages that the team has built into notifications, when you achieve different badge levels, show how much thought and personality they've put into this product. ### Unbundling is Lazy It seems to me that software and social media companies have now completely lost their way with this unbundling trend. Unbundling as a product design strategy is lazy and means additional code bases to manage for developers. It might make team management easier as development and design resources could be divided amongst your unbundled products. This approach to development is however, exchanging innovation in design and thinking, for splitting off features of their product into individual products of their own. Those in favour of Unbundling would argue that it allows them to build a more immersive and engaging user experience around the specific feature set. I'm sure, if they were to be totally honest, it's because they could not think of a better way of doing it within their main app and this boils down to lack of creativity, problem solving skills or pure laziness. Next thing you know, I'll need an app to check my bank balance, an app to load beneficiaries and another to make payments. Come on people, an app per feature or use case is not a way to build software. I'm not saying there is no need for stand alone products or that these stand alone products can't get special attention or *secret sauce* but unbundling is not innovation and it's not solving the real problem. Unbundling is a quick fix for a dev team to implement a new experience while creating more apps for a user to manage. ### Fighting for the home screen I am selective in what I install and I am sure many other people are too. Each new app consumes disk space and some of them simply just drain your battery whether it be for GPS related usage or polling for updates. If you want to get onto my home screen you better offer me something of real value in one package. New apps are launching regularly and competing for attention. Mobile devices are small and people have even developed *methodologies* for managing the limited space on their home screens. Your unbundled products are competing for a spot and if you're lucky, one will remain on the home screen or quite possibly neither will end up there. You're forcing users to either use all of your apps on their mobile devices or lose out on part of the experience or functionality. What if they decide to jump ship all together? Do you care? A good example is Facebook which has built-in messaging, *for now*, but Facebook decided to launch a separate messaging app. I now keep getting prompted to install Messenger. I don't want it, I don't need it. The primary Facebook app caters for messaging just fine already. If you're concerned about user experience rather spend time and effort on ehancing it in your existing app, instead of splitting off functionality into a whole new one. If you do decide to invest time in a whole app for a feature, don't keep prompting me to install it and don't rip it out of the main app feature set altogether. Let me, the user, decide which apps I want installed and how I want to engage with the platform. I am sure some users will love having an app per feature experience, so develop these if you wish, but let adoption be up to the user. Don't destroy an already functional solution. **It's time for this to stop, right now, dead in it's tracks.** ### Focus on quality not quantity We need fewer apps to do more and do it better, instead of more apps doing less. Use your brain and your budget to design a better, more intuitive user experience, instead of trying to create a lot of separate ones. ### Simple Backup Plan URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/01/07/simple-backup-plan/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z The beginning of the year is a perfect time to implement a new disaster recovery plan. All businesses rely on computers in some way or another these days, so it's imperative that you ensure your data is backed up in case of system failure. Not only should you have a backup of your data on site, but you should have a copy of your data off site in case of a burglary or a fire resulting in loss or damage of your core infrastructure as well as your backup storage. If you haven't got a combination of onsite and offsite backups in place yet, follow the easy steps below to ensure you've got some data protection for the year that lies ahead. ### Requirements To implement this solution you'll need: - A file server at the office - A file server at home - A Dropbox Pro or Business Account ### Design with Purpose I firmly believe in segregation of functions when it comes to computer infrastructure, so one of the things I do is always split storage from processing. If you have the opportunity, set up your systems in such a way that data is stored on a different physical storage volume to your operating system and programs. My opinion about work networks and work data is that workstations should not be tasked with handling data storage, but rather only be tasked with handling the running of apps and processing of data while it's in use. You should as far as possible always use a file server for your data storage. This way everyone in the office can access your work files in one central location and all backups can be managed by one machine. The added benefit of this is that your workstations will need very little onboard storage so you could set up all of your workstations with small solid state drives to enhance performance. Another reason I firmly believe that workstations should not house critical data is that they have a much higher chance of going down, than a server that is only tasked with storing and serving up data. As you won't be using your server to do any actual work, you can have regular virus scans scheduled without worrying that it will interfere with the performance of your workstation. As this solution leverages cloud storage; by having one central data store in your office you reduce the amount of bandwidth being used by the synchronisation service, as only one computer on the network will be sending and recieving data throughout the day. ![home office cloud data sync](https://storage.ghost.io/c/07/be/07be9d6f-8c94-43f7-9a48-e6dd5c8fa559/content/images/2014/Aug/data_cloud_diagram.jpg) ### Implementation After implementing the solution below, you'll have a solution that combines onsite data storage and backups as well as two off site copies of your data, one in the cloud and another at your secondary location. #### Work At the office I'm making use of a HP Proliant Micro Server configured with Windows on the root volume, as well as a Western Digital Velociraptor set up as the storage volume. The storage volume is shared on the network so that other users can log in and access files on the drive. You can configure different levels of security and folder access and even configure some folders as ready-only, depending on your needs. In Windows, configure Volume Shadow copy to run as frequently as possible. The only limiting factor is the amount of disk space available, so if you've got space to spare incease the frequency. This allows Windows to store versions of files as they're edited so you can roll back to different versions of the files or folders in case someone makes a mistake, overwrites the wrong file or simply deletes something they weren't meant to. The more frequently Volume Shadow Copy runs the more versions of a file you'll have saved and the smaller your chance is of losing data. #### Home At home I've got a Mac Mini Server, with an External Hard Drive configured as a network volume. I've got a Time Capsule set up for onsite network backups. In OS X, configure Time Machine to connect to the Time Capsule and use it's data volume as a backup location. You could configure Time Machine to make use of multiple Time Capsules or additional USB storage volumes, then it will automatically rotate backups between the two backup volumes. Time Machine works automatically in the background and provides an intutive interface when performing rollbacks. Sometimes it's just fun to click the time machine button to see the animation. #### Cloud Sync Set up a [Dropbox](https://db.tt/O5ojaiz?ref=nathanjeffery.co) account and install it on your office and your home server. Set the location of your Dropbox folder to your server's storage volume. Once complete this will provide a synchronisation function between your two servers as well as offer an additional hosted backup of your data in case something goes wrong in both locations. For additional peace of mind, sign up for Dropbox [Pack Rat](https://www.dropbox.com/help/113/en?ref=nathanjeffery.co), for a small additional fee you'll have unlimited roll backs and version history of all of the files and folders in your Dropbox folder. You can share individual Dropbox folders with staff or clients, allowing them to collaborate on files without having direct access to your office or server infrastructure. #### Mobile I've got a very clinical approach when it comes to the use of Laptops. I don't believe you should be storing any data on them if it is at all possible. Your laptop no doubt travels with you between home and the office. When you're at either locations, you'll be able to access all of your data on your file servers over the network. When travelling you could either access the files you need to via the Dropbox web interface, or you could decide to synchronise selective folders to your laptop while on the move. Due to the nature of laptops, they can fall and break or they could be stolen, so by reducing the amount of data stored on your laptop you reduce your risk of unsynchronised data loss or data theft. ### Round Up Although I have used a mix of Windows and OS X, this could also easily be achieved with Linux as well. You could configure more advanced RAID storage, depending on how much data you have to store and how much money you have to spend on hard drives. When it comes to backups, more really is more. What's really cool about this solution is that I could add extra server nodes at new locations easily and it would automatically fit into the workflow and all come together thanks to dropbox working their magic in the background. This solution fully implemented caters for; multi-site backups and operations as well as multiple sets of backup data both in the cloud and on site, allowing for mutlple points of failure before risking any data loss. Worst case scenario, you could recover all of your data by installing a new server and synchronising with Dropbox from scratch. Now that you know how to do it, go out there and backup your data. *Everyone's backup needs vary and understanding the solution you're implementing is important. Ensure that you test your backups regularly to ensure they're working.* ### 2013: Year in Review URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2014/01/03/2013-year-in-review/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z 2013 was quite a year. It was both difficult and exciting. On a business level, MyEcommerce achieved some amazing results, our team has grown and we've launched some great projects in a seriously short space of time. I'm very proud of what the team has achieved. On a personal level, it was both fun filled and stressful, I guess that is pretty much the norm for an entrepreneur. I've had the opportunity to meet lots of new people and have some seriously insightful conversations. I also feel I've learnt a lot and grown as an individual. I most defintely learnt a lot about my limits and what I can pull off under pressure. In additonal to everything achieved within [MyEcommerce](http://myecommerce.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co), 2013 also saw the official registration and launch of the [Garden Route ICT Incubator](http://grincubator.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co), a project Imel, Rudie and I have been working on for quite some time. Looking back, I know I've been busy and we've made a lot of progress but it feels as if time has flown and it's difficult to quantify what I've done with a year of my life. ## Where did the year go? If you're like me, you're probably wondering what happend to the year, where did it go and what do I have to show for it. One of the habits I have got into, although it's a difficult one to stick to, is logging my time. I do this for a few reasons: - To make billing for time easier - To gain insight into where my time goes - To make estimates on future projects easier To start with, I had a look at the total amount of time I've logged in relation to the total time available in the year. Each year brings us 8,760 hours to utilise or rather 8,765.81 to be scientifically accurate. I based my calculations on the former. We can use the hours we're givien to be productive, sleep, eat or have fun. I track almost everything I do, but haven't got so far as to start tracking sleep or eating yet. Anyone who knows me well will know that productivity and fun don't need to be mutually exclusive, or as my mate Tim would put it: "work should be more fun, than fun itself". Bearing this in mind, my first thought would be that I would have logged at least 50% of my time. ![Hours Utilised 2013](https://storage.ghost.io/c/07/be/07be9d6f-8c94-43f7-9a48-e6dd5c8fa559/content/images/2014/Aug/available_hours_utilised_2013.png) Turns out, I only tracked 32% of my time, totallying in at 2,824.895 hours which means the remaining 5,935.105 were not utilised as well as I would have liked. With the number of late nights I worked in 2013, I would never have thought that I was only 'working' 32% of the year. I put a graph together to visualise how much time I've spent on the various activities that I track. ![Work Hours Breakdown for 2013](https://storage.ghost.io/c/07/be/07be9d6f-8c94-43f7-9a48-e6dd5c8fa559/content/images/2014/Aug/Work_hours_breakdown_2013.png) After reviewing this, one thing is clear; I spent a lot of time in meetings, which I should probably try to optimise or monetise. I also spent a lot of time on various forms of correspondence and communication, which needs to be a bit more objective driven. Generally speaking though, I don't feel overwhelmed by email, and I have got quite a structured system in place. I should just get through individual mails quicker. ## What does this mean for 2014? I'm not the resolutions type and don't think I can cut back on much specifically as my role is quite fluid. There are however things I would like to be doing more of this year. I'd like to be spending a lot more time reading and I would like to present at a few more conferences. I'd also like to spend more time travelling if the opportunity avails itself. There are a couple of products I've been planning that I would like to see launched and I'd like to spend more time writing, well actually typing. Lately I have become a lot more aware of my mortality. I'd like to make as big of a dent in this universe as possible before I depart, so I need to utilise the time I have available to me as best as I can. I've got a few goals which are linked to me turning 30, so the concept of time and results has never been more real to me. I'm super excited for the year ahead and looking forward to experiencing each and everyday. ### My take on investing URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/12/14/my-take-on-investing/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z I was 17 when I first took an interest in the financial and investment markets. I was invited to buy shares in a company called Beget Holdings that was pioneering sms technology back then. I wasn't able to get funds released from a 32 day notice account in time and ended up losing out on the offer. If I had been able to get in on the action those shares would've been worth quite a bit now as Beget Holdings has grown substantially since then. My first investment was in StratCorp Ltd in December 2002 followed by Supertow International Ltd in March 2007, GlobalJewel Ltd in September 2007 and then a series of investments in an Empowerment initiative in 2008, managed by StratEquity. I carried on investing via StratEquity until early 2013. What I've learnt about owning listed shares is that you need to work with an organised financial institution. I found out the hard way that StratEquity was not as organised as it should have been and this made for some very frustrating financial year ends as I needed to follow up and search for information in order to provide my accountants with what they needed to compile my financial statements. The sheer frustrations with this was one of the deciding factors that lead me to liquidate all of my listed shares. I'm all for aggressive investing as well as slightly more passive saving but ultimately you need to have a solid understanding of what is happening with your money and work with people who know what they're doing and can communicate clearly. The sooner you can start saving and putting your money to work the better. I wish I had started when I got my first job. Compound interest is a wonderful thing and it's one of the reasons that you need to start saving as soon as you can. There is no doubt that long term investments are appealing because they offer higher returns but I believe you need a combination of short, medium and long term investments to be able to build wealth as well as remain liquid in difficult times. As a first step set yourself up with a short term savings account, this would typically offer a low interest rate but be better than your current account. I recommend you aim to have a minimum of one month's living expenses in this account in case something goes wrong then you can still pay all of your bills. Once you've got enough in a savings account, to cover a months living expenses, start putting your savings into a medium term investment or a notice account. These accounts usually offer a higher return but come with a notice period which means you don't have instant access to your money. This is why it is important to have enough in your short term savings to cover you in case you get paid late or something goes wrong and you need money immediately. Usually the notice period is short enough so that you can get access to your money within a month or so. The notice period makes it less of a temptation to spend your savings as you'll need to make a conscious effort to put notice on the funds before you can make a withdrawal. Set a target balance on this account of say six months to a year's worth of living expenses, this becomes your emergency fund. Once you've reached your targets in your savings account and notice account it is time to start thinking long term. Do research and find a financial institution that offers a blend of risk and reward that you are comfortable with. You can usually negotiate higher interest rates if you invest your money for longer periods so make sure that whatever money you invest in a long term plan is money you can do without as you will often be faced with penalties should you wish to withdraw your money before the investment reaches maturity. In addition to savings and investments, one of the ways to not only save for your future but also save on taxes in the present is to sign up for a retirement annuity. The more you can put away into a retirement annuity the better as you'll be able to substantially decrease your taxable income. When you eventually do retire and begin to withdraw funds and benefit from your retirement annuity, you'll pay tax on the amounts that you take out so you're not avoiding taxes, you're just deferring them until a later stage and your money earns you interest at the same time. I often hear of parents saving for their children in separate accounts. It's tempting to have multiple savings accounts for different reasons, one for education, one for when they get married or simply something to leave to them as inheritance. The problem with this approach is that the capital is split and therefore the potential to earn high interest rates is reduced significantly. Financial institutions often reward you with a higher interest rate if you have more in your account, never has it been truer that it takes money to make money. The way I see it, if you're planning on saving for your children, keep your money consolidated in one account but make use of a spreadsheet to keep track of what money you're allocating to each child or to yourself. This way you'll be able to increase the overall balance quicker and reach different interest rate thresholds a lot faster. *Everybody's financial situation is different though and I'm not qualified to give formal advice so make sure you chat to someone qualified on the subject before you take any action.* ### I'm talking at Net Prophet 2013 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/05/17/im-talking-at-net-prophet-2013/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Just got an exciting mail from the [Richard Mullhand](http://richardmulholland.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) at [Missing Link](http://www.missinglink.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co), that I'll be doing a power talk at [Net Prophet](http://www.netprophet.org.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) 2013. Now I need to take that massive presentation and all of the boring stuff, throw it far away and put a story together to tell in a total of up to 3 minutes. Exciting stuff. ### Two months without Android URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/03/09/two-months-without-android/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z When we opened up the office for the new year, Nicholas told me he had dropped his HTC Sensation in the Ocean, on a family trip to the Beach, over the holidays. He did his best to save it, drying it out, but it was too late. He had lost his HTC to water damage. He needed to be connected, so I gave him my Nexus S, to get him back online. Up until recently I have been carrying a Nexus S and an iPhone 4, so this is the first time I've been flying solo with an iPhone only. One of the first things I noticed was that the apps I used to use regularly on my Android performed a little better on iOS or at least that is how I perceived it. The iPhone only experience has been pretty good so far, Gmail for iOS is great, Google Maps is Great, the one thing I do miss is Google Talk. At work we run most of what we do with Google based services and Android really does this better than iOS. Google have however made most of their apps available as Native installs for iOS and they all work really well. I'd dig to get my hands on a new Android at some point, preferably a Nexus 4, but until then I'm pretty comfortable using my iPhone as my primary communication device. ### Trying something new for Hardware Night URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/03/06/trying-something-new-for-hardware-night/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Rudie and I were talking and decided we should do something differently at [G3ECS](http://g3ecs.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) to try and get everyone engaged and ensure we're catering for the different levels of skill within the group. Tonight Rudie split everyone into four groups, each focused on a different level of our learning programme. - Group one was looking at the basics of electronics and making some throwees. - Group two was getting started with Arduino. - Group three was focused on more advanced Arduino and programming. - Group four was the project table, but they ended up tearing a printer apart. It looks like this approach worked quite well, so I'm going to try and come up with a similar split for the coding sessions. ### Cloud Connect Hot Spot at Caloroso URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/03/05/cloud-connect-hot-spot-at-caloroso/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Got a message from Justin last night that there's a new [Cloud Connect](http://www.cloudconnect.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) Hot Spot to try out and it just so happens to be at one of my favourite Espresso Bars, [Caloroso Coffee](http://calorosocoffee.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co). I popped in this morning to give it a try and it's great, the connection is backed by fibre so it's got a super low ping and is perfect for catching up on mail or getting some work done away from the office. If you're looking for a change of scenery during the work day or just feeling like a good cup of coffee, do yourself a favour and pop in at Caloroso. ### Networking Evening at Lynn Schroeder BMW URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/02/28/networking-evening-at-lynn-schroeder-bmw/ Last updated: 2025-07-18T10:20:04.000Z This months Business Chamber, Networking Evening was hosted by Lynn Schroeder BMW. The Event was well attended, it's as if everyone knew how good the food was going to be. The Lynn Schroeder Team went all out and arranged a really awesome spread. They kept the talking to a minimum and showed us a BMW Demo Video. I'm sure everyone left wanting a BMW Motor Bike after that. Carli introduced the chamber to the ProtoCon Exhibition and I got quite a bit of positive feedback from some of the members. We also discussed the concept of Prototyping Ideas instead of spending money on research papers and this was well received. I'm really looking forward to seeing the results of the Protothon next month. Rudie also joined us tonight for his first networking evening, let's hope it's not going to be his last. ### Software Night at G3ECS URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/02/27/software-night-at-g3ecs/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z We had a full house tonight and started off with a quick refresh of the basics of HTML as well as how the Web Works. Rudie, was great at explaining some of the concepts in a really easy to understand way. We then continued working through the HTML course on [Codecademy](http://www.codecademy.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co). It's great to see how some of the youngsters have just sparked and taken to coding. Quite a few of them have continued ahead in the course and are making some great progress. ### Free roam at G3ECS URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/02/20/free-roam-at-g3ecs/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Tonight was free roam night, basically a do what you want as long as it is geeky, kind of night. On the gaming front, we had a group playing Minecraft, another group playing Call of Duty and a few playing World of Warcraft. On the programming front, there were a few geeks working on Code Academy. On the hardware side, we had a major tear down session. A good few digital decoders were taken apart along with a few dot matrix printers and a toaster. Lots of fun was had by all and a good few usable parts were recovered from the otherwise throw away items. It is great to see the group has maintained size this year and we have a few regular girl geeks attending as well. Next week it's back to code. ### A week with Moves URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/02/16/a-week-with-moves/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I saw a post from Robert Scoble, mentioning Moves and I was interested to give it a try. First off, this app is super easy to get started with. You don't need a user account, you literally just download the app and it does the rest. It became nearly addictive to monitor my movement during the day, and I took more than one walk, just to increase the number of steps and try and reach a new achievement or best day. I did however find that my battery, was simply not lasting at all. They rate battery usage to be around charging once a day, and they're pretty close. The problem for me, is I rely on my phone and need it to have charge for more than a standard day, as I use mine for calls and email. Battery life is probably the main reason that I decided to uninstall. What I have learnt from the experience, besides the obvious that I am not active enough, is that there are some really interesting gadgets out their that offer a lot deeper analysis of your over all activity and have better battery life. The other benefit of dedicated hardware is that even if it does die, it does not mean your phone is flat. Some of my favourites include Lark, Nike+ and Fitbit. The one big downside is that none of the current solutions offer the ability to measure intensity of a workout and I guess that is a big challenge as no-one is doing it yet. I have a polar heart rate monitor and it does a great job of telling me what I've done and how hard I have done it, but it is a pain to synchronise with a PC or Mac and it requires me to wear a belt around my chest in order for it to work. I think, if Polar got their act together, they could be launching the killer fitness device-app combo, I really hope that they do. So for now, I'll be pacing the hallways increasing my steps, without getting to watch the stats and my battery will last a little longer. ### Hardware Night at G3ECS URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/02/13/hardware-night-at-g3ecs/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Tonight was our first Hardware focused night at [G3ECS](http://g3ecs.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co). It was great to have a full house again and it was lively as ever. Rudie led the group through building LED Throwies and getting started with Arduino. I'm looking forward to seeing the group building some awesome little projects. ### Tertiary School in Business Administration URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/02/07/tertiary-school-in-business-administration/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z We were invited to a site visit at TSiBA in Karatara. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but knew it was about education. There is so much to say about what they're doing, but the way I see it; is they're preparing people for life. They've set up a campus that has it's own bank trading with TSiBA currency and have multiple businesses operating on campus which are used as part of the on site practical training that learners go through. Learners are taught everything from basic business admin skills through to how to manage a garden and grow food. I think it is really great to see such an holistic approach to education. TSiBA is a private university registered with the Council for Higher Education. They're currently launching a few really innovative qualifications focused on Small to Medium business and I'm excited to see what happens after the launch. Their pricing for qualifications is also much more competitive than those of your typical university. It Shows they're in it for the education and not for the money. I was super impressed to see their computer lab is equipped with Ubuntu, preparing learners for an open minded approach to technology, this is really great. I wish more educational facilities would equip learners for working on open platforms. One thing that didn't appeal to me was the number of dogs on the lose walking around campus. I don't like animals in the work place and don't feel it makes all visitors comfortable. Besides that, awesome place, awesome vision. ### Introduction to the web and some HTML basics URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/02/06/introduction-to-the-web-and-some-html-basics/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Tonight would have been hardware night, but we had a smaller turnout than usual, due to an event at one of the high schools and we had a few new faces so we decided to do a night focused on the internet and on HTML. We started off the session discussing how the internet works, the basics of Servers and Clients, Domain Name System, Universal Resource Locators and a few other web related fundamentals. We then moved into the basics of HTML and the structure of a web page. It's really inspiring to see youngsters getting started on coding. I can't wait to see them turn into strong coders down the line. Tonight was our first session where girls attended and showed an interest in technology, we hope it won't be the last. ### First G3ECS coding session complete URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/30/first-g3ecs-coding-session-complete/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z We had a great turn out an [G3ECS](http://g3ecs.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) tonight. Tonight's session was focused on getting everyone up to speed with the basics of the web and HTML. We're basing our first phase programming sessions on the [Code Academy](http://www.codecademy.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) framework. I really like the way they have set up their course material and the way they've turned learning to program into a game. I'd like to spend more time on the site myself, just to level up. We also discussed the importance of a strong password, especially when it comes to securing your email account. We had an interesting browser wars debate where I was basically pro FireFox, Safari and Chrome and Rudie was pro Internet Explorer... On the show and tell front, we saw a do it yourself headset and hands free microphone, made of an old desktop microphone and a standard headset taped together as well as a homemade laser built into an old laptop power supply with parts harvested from an old DVD rom. We even got to see spontaneous combustion. Next week it's hardware week, Arduino here we come. ### Sommerset Mall URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/28/sommerset-mall/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z We decided to leave town early in an effort to miss after work traffic, but today was not our day. We ended up spending an hour in traffic just outside Sommerset. Don't know how people cope with this type of a time suck on a daily basis. We decided to pop in at the Sommerset Mall as we always drive past it on our way to Cape Town, but don't ever go in. The first thing you notice is you don't pay for parking, which is great. We wanted to grab something to eat before hitting the road on the way back to George, but were quite disappointed with the food court and frankly, it was a little lame. Still on our mission to find a sleeve for Amelia's MacBook Air, we popped in at Dion Wired and at Incredible Connection, but no-one seems to stock what we're looking for, which is quite disappointing. Looks like there might be a market selling Accessories that people actually want to buy. I grabbed a Coffee and a chocolate croissant at Vida E Caffe. It was really impressive that the Barista was super energetic and eager to serve near the end of the day. In George people simply say they're closed even when it is far from closing time. Amelia popped in at Limnos Bakery and grabbed a cup cake and a chocolate mousse cake to go, although, if we had more time we probably would have left with a lot more than that, they really make some awesome looking baked goods. We saw a Caffe Rossini and with nothing else inspiring us we decided to stop there and grab something before we hit the road. We had a Chicken Mayo Tramezzini, Chicken Quesadilla and a side order of fries. There kitchen was open till the end of the day and they didn't make any excuses to avoid serving us when it was almost closing time. The food was good and the service was there. Seems like people in Sommerset have a good work ethic, it's impressive. ### Bean There Coffee Company URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/28/bean-there-coffee-company/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z We struggled to find them, as Google Maps led us to an entirely different location, but fortunately in the same street. When we found them it was luckily coolish inside and we could hide from the blazing sun. They roast their own coffee and have quite a neatly set up store although there were a few too many flies flying around their food display which was not awesome, but in this heat flies are the norm. We had an Iced Latte, with a secret ingredient, all we can say is that this was awesome. We also tried a Tony Glass Melon Iced Tea, and we both think this might be slightly addictive, really worth trying if you find it on a menu. Over all a good experience, but probably much better on a cooler day. ### Escape Caffe disappoints URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/28/escape-caffe-disappoints/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I had read some reviews on Escape Caffe and was really looking forward to the experience. To say that the experience was disappointing would be an understatement. They are supposedly known for their variety of cheese cake, of which they had none in stock. We asked what they would recommend we try to eat, and the waiter made some recommendations, then said we can't have any of them as they don't have any cooked chicken. We then asked when they would be finished preparing the chicken, so she said, no one had started yet as she was supposed to do it, but was busy serving tables. Their coffee which was also raved about online was nothing spectacular. Perhaps it was just because the owner wasn't in the store, but I didn't find it to be an exciting or overwhelmingly awesome experience at all. ### Jason Bakery URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/28/jason-bakery/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Today we decided we're going to try as many new spots as we could, in an effort to rack up some additional points on FourSquare and for a change in scenery. Jason Bakery was first on our list. Jason Bakery was recommended to us by Craig McLeod, who I am starting to believe is somewhat of a Cape Town food guru. We had an Ice Coffee and the Lamb Ciabatta, both were really good. We saw quite a few other meals coming out of the kitchen, and they all looked fantastic. We'll definitely be giving their salad a try next time. ### Matt and I decided to meet up URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/27/matt-and-i-decided-to-meet-up/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Matt and I decided to meet up for supper so I headed back to Canal Walk. We grabbed a coffee at Seattle, because you can never have enough. We then popped in at Col'Cacchio and had a Morituri and a Foresta split in two. The food was great. ### Time for Swedish House Mafia URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/27/time-for-swedish-house-mafia/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I just dropped Amelia off with Britney, to go and watch Swedish House Mafia. I probably would've enjoyed the music, but I most definitely did not feel like the crowd. Guess it is back to a mall with me. ### iStore and the new iMac URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/27/istore-and-the-new-imac/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z We're on a bit of a mission to find a super thin sleeve for Amelia's MacBook Air, but there are little options in George so we always pop in at an iStore when we get a chance. I also use the opportunity to see some of the gadgets we don't get to see in person in George. Got a Chance to see the new iMac and is it thin. Personally I think they didn't need to drop the optical drive on this beast of a machine, but I guess it does save them quite a bit when you look at them not paying for it on every iMac they make, plus I think I have only used my optical drive once or twice since I have had my iMac so I guess it just helps drive people towards digital distribution. I don't think I am going to be rushing to lay my hands on one of these ultra thin iMacs, but if we expand at the office then I might decide to upgrade my unit, although. I am mainly interested in the Fusion Drive option. They really do look awesome on a desk. ### Seattle Coffee is back at Canal Walk URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/27/seattle-coffee-is-back-at-canal-walk/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z To our delight, while walking through the mall killing some time waiting for our food at Simply Asia, we noticed Seattle Coffee was open again at Exclusive Books. We were really disappointed when they closed some time back, but it's great to have them open again. Amelia and I had a Grande Cappuccino and a Red Espresso with Apple Juice. We've recently started enjoying Red Espresso with Juice, it makes quite a refreshing combination. ### Simply Asia URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/27/simply-asia/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z One of our favourite spots in Cape Town, is Simply Asia. In recent months, their turn around time has become much longer than usual, but I guess it is just due to popularity, so I guess good for them. We had a 504 Traditional Phad Thai, and the 524 Exotic Yellow Noodles. We had both of our meal medium, as we've heard the hot is simply insane. The Phad Thai, was really awesome but the Yellow Noodles, where a little bit disappointing, all you could really taste was the burn. Simply Asia is still a hit on my list, but it's disappointing that you need to make special time available now as you can wait up to an hour after placing your order, which to me is a bit much. Hopefully they continue to grow and perhaps get a bigger store and some more staff. ### Kopi Luwak at Haas URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/27/kopi-luwak-at-haas/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Decided to start the day trying out a different coffee spot, so we headed off to [Haas](http://haascollective.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co). I saw they had Kopi Luwak on the menu, so figured it's on my bucket list so I should give it a try and I did. It was served as a double shot espresso along with a jug of warm milk and a jug of warm water. The espresso was quite smooth, but wasn't particularly awesome, but maybe this was the sinuses talking. After giving the neat espresso a taste I added some milk and made my own cappuccino, it was good but not particularly outstanding, maybe this was the sinuses talking here too. I'm glad I can tick it off my list though. Amelia has an apple juice with red espresso in it and it was pretty refreshing. I had an omelette with Bacon and Veg and Amelia had their Chick Ciabatta with Salad, the food was very good. I'll definitely come here again. ### M-Kem is open 24 hours a day URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/26/m-kem-is-open-24-hours-a-day/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z On our way home I decided enough is enough and it was time to get something to try and tame these sinuses of mine. What better than to find M-Kem, a pharmacy that is open 24 hours a day. I grabbed some pills and we headed home. More businesses should embrace the 24 hour model, I think they will be surprised at the benefits to their client relations. ### Orphanage URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/26/orphanage/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z [Orphanage](http://www.theorphanage.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) on Bree Street was recommended to us by, Craig McLeod. I was still feeling pretty much not awesome, with my sinuses and all so first thing I wanted to do when I got there was blow my nose. When you walk into their bathrooms and find Africolgy hand soap, you know this is going to be an interesting experience. We started off with two cocktails while we waited for our food to arrive. We had the Lamb Burger, Chicken Espetada, Crispy Calamari and a large portion of their truffle chips. Each individual food item, felts like it was uniquely planned and executed with a specific sensation in mind. The food was really good. They truffle chips, well I think this is something I could become addicted to. If you're looking for an interesting and tasty place to go and have a bite to eat in Cape Town, make sure to pop in at Orphanage on Bree. ### Table Bay on the Ameera Catamaran URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/26/table-bay-on-the-ameera-catamaran/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Every time Amelia and I are in Cape Town, we threaten to go out on the water, so this time we decided to actually do it. We walked around the Waterfront looking at the various tour options and eventually decided to go on the Ameera, as it was leaving soon. The trip took us out towards Sea Point, with a great view of Table Mountain and the Stadium. We got to see dolphins having a good time and quite a few seals too. The Captain was quite a jolly fellow and took us as close as he could so all of us land lubbers could take photos of the dolphins. After the boat ride, it was time for something to drink, so we went into the Waterfront, only to discover that there is a Food Court we have not seen before. We decided to have a freshly extracted juice and then a quick pop in at the iStore before heading back to the car and much welcomed Air Conditioning. ### Origin to kick the day into gear URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/26/origin-to-kick-the-day-into-gear/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z If you haven't been to Origin Coffee Roasting in Hudson street, I can highly recommend you treat yourself to some good coffee and a bite to eat. First thing we noticed, was the new menu with an interesting graphical representation of the difference between all their different espresso based drinks. Amelia and I really enjoy the origin breakfast, so we each ordered one with scrambled eggs along with, fried mushrooms, avo and I had some bacon too. While waiting for the breakfast to arrive, we gave their Almond Croissant a try, it's not bad, but not as awesome as the ones you can get from La Patisserie in George. After breakfast, still feeling in the mood for savoury, we gave the toast with mushrooms and goats cheese a try. It was great except for the toast being exceptionally hard, making it difficult to cut. With savouries sorted, we decided to have a piece of their carrot cake, which is really good. On the liquid from, I had a Grande Latte, Amelia had an Iced Coffee, ok I had some of it too. I finished off with some of their specially cold brewed coffee as I wasn't quite feeling like more milk with my sinuses acting up. We got to see a siphon in action and I must say, it's quite an interesting way to make a cup of coffee, think I'll need to try that soon. ### Sinus issues really suck URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/26/sinus-issues-really-suck/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I woke up this morning, feeling terrible. Nose just not on my side today. Well, not going to let my sinuses hold me back so off we go in search of Coffee and Breakfast ### Asoka URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/25/asoka/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z You know you're almost in Cape Town when you drive over Sir Lowry's Pass, even though it's still quite a bit of a drive until you're in the mother city, it just has a feeling to it. We headed straight to [Asoka](http://www.asokabar.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) where we met up with Parveen and Britney. From the moment you walk in the door you get the feeling this is a place to be. The door man, keeping a close eye on who enters and the overall atmosphere of the venue. Amelia and I had, the Seared Tuna, Green Thai Curry and Lindt Brownie and it was all really good. I can highly recommend you take the time to pop in and have a meal as Asoka. ### Cape Town trip a little behind schedule URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/25/cape-town-trip-a-little-behind-schedule/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z As things go, I started off the day with the intention of hitting the road early so as to get into Cape Town a bit earlier than usual. Good intentions aside, I had a super productive start to the day and spent longer than planned at the office. Imel, Rudie and I had a quick meeting, discussed some renovation ideas before I headed home to pack. ### G3ECS starts this week. URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/21/g3ecs-starts-this-week/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Rudie and I spent some time today discussing the new year of G3ECS. It's going to be great fun and lots of learning. To make things easier and a little bit more predictable we'll be splitting meet ups into three main categories, Electronics, Coding and Free Roam sessions during which you can work on your project and maybe play a little bit of Mine Craft in between. We'll be working according to a semi-fixed curriculum, so that you know what to expect and so that you can work on the projects when you're at home. We're want to make the weekly meet up session, more practical and hands on and we feel that one of the ways to achieve this is to outline what we'll be working through in advance, so you can go through it in your own time and then focus on discussion sessions and dealing with any particular difficulties you may have during the weekly meet up. We'll be giving out some more details on Wednesday. Don't forget to invite your friends, this year is going to be awesome. Hope to see you there. ### Killer hot cycle URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/13/killer-hot-cycle/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Imel, Sean and I decided to take part in the Hillbillies summer series event this afternoon. Little did we know if was going to be about 42 Degrees Celsius, standing in the sun, with no shade and very little wind. The ride ended up starting at about 14:00 and it was hot. After the first lap, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish, the water in my camelbak was luke warm and breathing in the hot air was not super comfortable. Well, I managed to stick it out and finish the three laps. Needless to say, I downed a good few glasses of ice cold water after getting home. ### The bitter realisation URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/11/the-bitter-realisation/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z So I guess my birthday has had time to set in. I've just realised it's two years until I am thirty. When I was in school, I had set quite a few goals, that I wanted to reach by the time I was thirty. Thinking about it now, I feel I still have a long way to go to get there, but I also feel confident that I can still make it. It's going to take some hard work though. ### Bolognese with a creamy twist URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/10/bolognese-with-a-creamy-twist/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Anyone who knows me, will know how much I enjoy food. One of the things I love doing with food is making my own rules when preparing it, so I thought I'd begin sharing some of my kitchen experiences in the form of recipes and cooking ideas. One of my favourites, is bolognese. This time round I'm doing it with a creamy twist. **Ingredients don't need to be followed strictly, I encourage you to experiment with different combinations to come up with combinations that work for you.** - 5 large Onions - 1 Table Spoon of Garlic - 3 Chillies - 500 Grams of Mushrooms - 2 large Tomatoes - 1 Red Pepper - 1 Green Pepper - 1 Can Whole Peeled tomatoes - 1 Can tomato and onion mix - 1 KG Spaghetti - 1 KG Mince - 2 Table Spoons of Butter - 1 Litre of Milk - 2 Cups of Flour - 100 Grams of Cheddar Cheese - 30 Grams of Camembert - Soya Sauce - Red Wine - Olive Oil - Salt - Black Pepper - Ina Paarman's Season Sea Salt - Ina Paarman's Garlic and Herb - Vegetable Stock **Whipping it all together into tasty goodness.** Preparation work before cooking starts: Chop the following ingredients into medium size pieces. You don't want them to be too small as they will reduce in size as the moisture cooks out of them. - Onions - Chillies - Mushrooms - Tomatoes - Red Pepper - Green Pepper Grate the Cheddar Cheese and the Camembert. The cooking begins. You need to follow your instincts when it comes to how hot your pans need to be. You want it to sizzle, but not to stick. We don't use oil as the ingredients provide their own moisture. *Pan 1 -* Fry the garlic, onion and mushrooms until the onions are more or less transparent and the mushrooms are soft. Add, black pepper, season sea salt, vegetable stock and, garlic and herb to taste. *Pan 2 -* Fry the peppers, tomato and chilli until the peppers are soft. *Pan 3* \- Fry the mince until it has browned, add some soya sauce and some red wine *Pot 1* \- Add the spaghetti to boiling water, allow the pot to simmer for about 7 min, until the pasta is aldente, which basically means, soft but not mushy. Add about a table spoon of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together and add some salt to add a bit of flavour. To make it interesting you can consider adding some vegetable stock while the pasta is cooking. *Glass Bowl* \- melt the butter in the microwave. Add the flower and whisk. Add milk and whisk until smooth. Microwave for about 6 minutes whisking every 2 minutes. If it is too thick at more milk. Once you're happy with the consistency of the white sauce add the cheese and whisk again. It is important to add the cheese right at the end and not to microwave again as the cheese becomes chewy if you microwave it. Mixing it up... *Pot 2* \- Mix the contents of all the pans. Add the whole peeled tomatoes as well as the tomato and onion mix. Allow to simmer on the stove for a bit to allow the flavours to combine. *Glass Bowl* \- Gradually add pasta into the bowl of white sauce until the sauce is evenly distributed and the pasta still feels moist. Serve it hot... Now that all the hard work is done, dish up pasta and white sauce with the bolognese sauce on top. If you'd like to see some pictures you can find them on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151336382753608.490962.671598607&type=3). This should make enough for about eight to ten good size portions or food for four people for two nights. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out. ### How I spent my birthday URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/09/how-i-spent-my-birthday/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I started off the day at about 07:00 with the crew at Beans about Coffee. Headed in to the office at about 08:00, had a quick project meeting, processed some mail and then realised the team needed some coffee, so I headed back to Beans to grabs some Columbian Dark Roast for the office. I spent some time reviewing a project that is close to launch, and did some admin before heading out for another coffee, a bit of a break and an impromptu meeting at Caloroso Coffee. Then back to the office, for some more meetings. I got an invite to meet up with my mate, [Peter Delaney](http://peterdelaney.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) so we met up for a coffee and Caloroso Coffee, before fetching Amelia from work. Amelia and I headed back to the office to get some more work done. After being at the office for a while we got hungry, so we decided to go out for a bite to eat. We ended up going to Kingfisher for sushi and some supper. After supper it was back to the office with us, for a bit more work before heading home to watch something and end up falling asleep earlier than usual. All in all it was a good day. ### 2013 kicks off with a bang URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/08/2013-kicks-off-with-a-bang/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z The office hasn't even officially been open for a week yet and you can already sense that this year is going to be great. The team are busy with two new apps and we're busy wrapping up a few from last year. Imel, Rudie and I had a great ProtoCon session today, working on the roll out and event arrangements. The technology incubator is gaining momentum and the electronics club will be turning a year old, can't believe how quickly time passes. Looking forward to embracing the year, one app, one project and one coffee at a time. ### Apple product protection URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2013/01/03/apple-product-protection/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z In the past few weeks I have become border-line obsessed with leather and felt iPhone, iPad and MacBook sleeves. There are really quite a few companies making some awesome natural products for protecting our expensive and beloved Apple goodies. Some of the brands that are making some great sleeves include: - [http://www.hardgraft.com](http://www.hardgraft.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co "http://www.hardgraft.com") - [http://byrdandbelle.bigcartel.com](http://byrdandbelle.bigcartel.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co "http://byrdandbelle.bigcartel.com") - [http://www.mujjo.com/the-sleeves-collection](http://www.mujjo.com/the-sleeves-collection?ref=nathanjeffery.co "http://www.mujjo.com/the-sleeves-collection") One of the really cool products, with no real purpose except for being awesome is an [iMac Slipper](http://www.hardgraft.com/products/imacslipper-heritage?ref=nathanjeffery.co "iMac Slipper"). I'm personally leaning towards Hard Graft products at the moment, so maybe I'll get myself some of the gear later when it's time to upgrade my iPhone. ### A chilled out birthday URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2011/01/09/a-chilled-out-birthday/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I had a pretty chilled out day, drinking coffee and spending some time with my PS3\. I literally spent the whole day playing God of War III and Prototype. It was pretty good. ### Cop Out URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/09/11/cop-out/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Bruce Willis is a total nut in Cop Out a combination of action and comedy, that should be able to keep you entertained. The story does not take a lot of concentration to follow and is not particularly twisted, so you could probably get bored if you're not careful. All in all not bad, and probably worth the risk. ### Brothers URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/09/09/brothers/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z This is a sad movie about a guy who goes off to war and ends up doing something that changes him forever. His brother and him are total opposites that find each other in a time of struggle. This movie is very sad, yet probably such a real situation, for those that get caught in the midst of terrorism and war. Definitely not for the faint hearted. ### The Hurt Locker URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/09/04/the-hurt-locker/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Motherless! Hurt Locker is one insane movie. It starts off with some action and it has some really heart wrenching scenes too. This movie get's you thinking and makes you wonder how many people are used in terror attacks against their wills. If you are not into gore or if you are sensitive in anyway, then don't watch this. If you're a war movie type of person and can handle movies like 5 Fingers then this is for you. ### Case 39 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/08/22/case-39/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Amelia and I have not had a big night in, in a while so we decided to make this a good one. We opted for having a King Steer Burger and Chips as well as a Nandos Chicken burger and grilled veg each, this is definitely a winning combination. On recommendation of one of Amelia's colleagues we decided to take out Case 39. The movie was quite hectic and definitely not what we had expected. Case 39 is not for the timid and it could leave you feeling a bit uncomfortable. This is not a movie you should be watching before going to bed, as you're bound to end up with some strange if not freakish dreams... ### Pomodoro Save Face URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/08/21/pomodoro-save-face/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z The forgiving and understanding people that we are, Amelia and I decided to give Pomodoro's in Wilderness another shot. We got some fantastic and friendly service from the moment we walked in the door. The food did not take too long either. We had Graham beck rail road red and it complemented the combination of Pizza, Pasta and Salad which we had chosen very nicely. We finished off with some coffee which was also surprisingly enough not bad at all. We were also very pleased to find that the chairs were clean, a pet hate of ours being restaurants with dirty chairs. All in all a good experience. ### The Wilderness Experience URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/08/06/the-wilderness-experience/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Amelia and I decided to go to the market in Wilderness for a change, and what an experience did it turn out to be. Well, we're not particularly cash people, so we couldn't really buy much, as no-one accepted cards for payment. We did however get to try some of the most interesting Garlic Mayonnaise. We decided to take a stroll and look for something to eat at a place that would accept plastic. We ended up walking into Pomodoro's and were seated and given menus. After waiting quite some time not getting any service, we decided to leave. On the way out, we were thanked for coming, and we politely told them that we were leaving because we did not get any service. The manager was all to eager to sort us out and make us happy, but we continued out the door. We then moved our way up the road and had a look at the Blue Olive, and what a good decision it was. The service was great and the food was good too. You get the feeling from the moment you walk in the door that it is an owner manager establishment. The only thing I would personally like to see is a proper uniform. If you are going to own a restaurant and want to make it a success, the best way is to be personally involved, but then again, I guess that only works if you're a restaurant person yourself. ### Woolworths - good yet disappointing URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/08/06/woolworths-good-yet-disappointing/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Woolworths have seriously got some good coffee, but they are an utter disappointment, when it comes to operating hours. Amelia and I decided to go and get some coffee from Woolworths Cafe at the Garden Route Mall, quite some time before closing, but the Cafe was already "Closed" pretty lame when the rest of Woolworths is still open. Considering we were unable to tame our desire for a good cup of Woolworths Coffee Goodness, we decided to try and find some of our favourite Tiramisu. After searching the entire refrigerated section for the good stuff we gave up and decided to ask for help. We were disappointed to find out that Woolworths have discontinued the best pre-packaged Tiramisu that we have found thus far. Such a lot of good and such a lot of disappointment all in one visit. Woolworths, please make us happy and extend your Cafe hours and bring back the Tiramisu. ### A long day in Gauteng URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/08/03/a-long-day-in-gauteng/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I got an early start to the day and dropped Pieter at the airport. I then decided to park and head into the airport in search of some good coffee, from Woolworths. After calming my craving, I hit the road off to centurion, for a short meeting with Marius from Balance Your Debt. I then began my way towards the head office of the Banking Association of South Africa(BASA), where we were to have a meeting with some of the major banks and credit providers in the country. We had quite a productive session and made quite a few decisions, relating to standardisation within the Debt Review sector. After the meeting with BASA, we decided to have a short Credit Technology Association(CTA) meeting. Then for the long drive home in some serious traffic. You never truly understand, what is meant by peak traffic until you sit in it yourself. I honestly believe that Gauteng people have been gifted with a surprisingly large amount of patience, if they didn't have it, I am sure there would be far more reports of road rage. The traffic seriously moves at snails pace and a distance that would take you ten minutes to cover during the middle of the day, easily takes up to an hour to cover in peak traffic. I hope that the Gautrain has the positive impact that it was intended to have as this could not only reduce traffic and frustration, but also reduce the amount of unnecessary fuel consumption during peak hours. ### Social with Pieter Cloete URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/08/02/social-with-pieter-cloete/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I headed up to Gauteng for another meeting of the Credit Technology Association. After landing at OR Tambo, I headed to where I stay when I'm in Midrand and was surprised to find Pieter Cloete from [inikak.co.za](http://inikaka.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) at the house. We had a great discussion about social media and the web in general. It is awesome to be able to talk someone who is as excited about technology and social media as I am. Pieter is an iPhone guy and puts his one to good use in keeping his various social media profiles up to date and keeping track of all things digital. If you are looking for a good laugh and some South African humour, check out [inikak.co.za](http://inikaka.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co). ### Schuks Tshabalala URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/08/01/schuks-tshabalala/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I am not always a fan of funny, but old Leon really does know how to be politically incorrect and make the most of it. If he caught me out, I'd probably be insanely angry, but nonetheless this is funny. I do however feel that it would take a South African to really "get it". If you haven't seen it yet, take a chance and laugh at a little bit of South African humor. ### Early morning at the Dentist URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/07/24/early-morning-at-the-dentist/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z I managed to get an appointment for early this morning to get some work done on my tooth. The dentist was pretty shocked when he saw what had happened and told me that I might lose the tooth, or need to go through some expensive implants if he could not save it. He needed to cut some of my gum away to be able to see what was going on lower down and to determine if he would be able to put a crown on. Thankfully, he was able to do a great job and saved the tooth and put on a temporary crown in the interim after doing some core strengthening work to stabilise the foundation of the tooth. I must admit at one point it was quite nerve wrecking experiencing what I can only describe as having the remains of my tooth broken and scratched out using surgical tools, although I am not totally sure what I was experiencing at the time as I didn't want to ask. I'll need to go back in a few weeks time, to get the official crown done, but luckily it can all be sorted out while I am in the chair. It is good to know that the medical practitioners whose hands you put your health in are knowledgeable and organised to do the things that need to be done to keep you going. ### Look after your teeth URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/07/22/look-after-your-teeth/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z Amelia and I were feeling like having something to eat so I prepared us some two minute noodles, tuna and sweetcorn. While eating this seemingly soft food, I felt something hard in my mouth. After investigating I found out that almost half of one of teeth fell out or broke off. Fortunately for me I had already had a root canal done on the tooth, so I was not in pain, although my mouth was now seriously uncomfortable and I was pretty much upset about the matter. I will need to get the tooth repaired soon, so that I don't lose it altogether. ### Hyunny the Hyundai URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/07/14/hyunny-the-hyundai/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:28.000Z After the test drives, some internet research and some heavy decision making, I made up my mind and decided to go for the i30\. I collected the car today and it is fantastic. Amelia didn't know that I was collecting the car today, so when I fetched her from work it was a total surprise. I had some CDs ready and immediately hit the road and drove through to Knysna. Amelia and I decided to stop at the waterfront and had some awesome pizza, coffee and tiramisu at Caffe Mario. We then took an easy drive back to George. ### Hyundai i30 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/07/05/hyundai-i30/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z After trying out the i10 and i20 Amelia and I saw the i30, which looked like far more of a car. We did some enquiries on Saturday but did not have enough time to do a test drive, so I decided to go for one today. When getting into the i30, you feel absorbed into it's comfort and sporting feel. It is a superb drive and feels as if it has got performance wanting to pop out of every particle. This one has definitely caught my attention. ### Hyundai i10 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/07/03/hyundai-i10/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z After trying out the i20, Amelia and I were not even sure we wanted to try the i10, but we had come so far so we thought that we would take it for a spin. The i10 felt a lot smaller and was a very different drive, the overall feeling and styling was simpler and felt a lot noisier inside. We did not need to drive far to make our decision that this one was not for us. The i10 offer good value for money with a good warranty and service plan, but lacks in some of the comforts of the i20. I'd imagine the i10 would be a great run around vehicle and would offer very good fuel economy. ### Hyundai i20 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/07/03/hyundai-i20/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Amelia and I decided that today is the day we go and test drive some cars. I made a booking to test drive the Hyundai i10 and i20\. When we got to the dealership the i20 was ready for us first. My first thought was that this was a clever sales technique, getting us to drive the slightly more expensive car first so that it would set some form of a standard and well, it did. The i20 is a really good buy and very comfortable drive. It more or less comes with everything except ESP and Leather interior, but it is a really awesome car. ### Adobe CS5 Master Collection URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/07/02/adobe-cs5-master-collection/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z I have always wanted to know what people were on about, when referring to PhotoShop or Illustrator, so I finally got myself CS5 Master Collection today and personally feel lost. For the past few years I have been using a combination of Inkscape and Gimp, but I am looking forward to the learning curve ahead of me, getting familiar with some of the awesome tools that I have heard and read so much about. ### Dell Studio 1558 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/06/28/dell-studio-1558/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z I have had my new Dell Studio 1558, for just close to two weeks now and it is great. The new Studio 1558 features, 500Gb 7200RPM HDD, Core i5 CPU, 4GB 1333 Mhz DDR2 and an ATi Radeon HD 4570. So far battery life is about three hours and the embedded 3G connection seems a lot more stable than that of the 1555. Right now I have got my eye on the new [Dell U2311H](http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/monitor-dell-u2311h?c=za&cs=zabsd1&l=en&s=bsd&ref=nathanjeffery.co) as an add on to my workspace. I have always liked the idea of a notebook with a big external display to be used as my digital canvas and a Dell monitor seems to be the perfect fit... ### Pelham 123 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/06/27/pelham-123/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z The third time, recreation of the film, based on the novel by Morton Freedgood writing as "John Godey", Pelham 123 has got some excitement, but is also quite predictable at times. If I wasn't using my notebook as a DVD player, I would have liked to do some work and follow up on some mails, while watching this one. Pelham 123, does not demand all of your attention and would probably be good for a social evening with friends, as you could comfortably follow the movie as well as participate in a conversation. It is not one of those keep you on the edge of your seat type films, but all things considered it is not that bad. ### Duplicity URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/06/26/duplicity/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Duplicity, was most definitely misleading and not exactly what we expected, but was not a total disaster either. Duplicity, is funny and actually border lining hilarious at times. What we thought, would offer us a little cloak and dagger, turned out to be a laugh and a half. If there is anything that the film accurately presents, it is that people you try to screw will most often end up screwing you. ### Office 2010 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/05/17/office-2010/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z First Windows 7 and now Office 2010! Microsoft has really come to the party with a higher performance and truly worthwhile business productivity suite. For quite some time now, I have not been using MS office at all and have been an advocate for Open Office and all things open source, but I have recently grown closer to my proprietary roots and have developed much appreciation for the work and effort that goes into bringing out products like Office 2010. The new version of the well know business productivity suite, is simply impressive. Office 2010, loads faster, can handle more diverse file types and offers a host of functions and embedded applications, for tasks that one would previously need to perform in external programs. I have still not managed to pull myself away from using Gmail as my mail management system and I can't see myself moving back to Outlook anytime soon, unless Gmail and Exchange can communicate with each other directly. Gmail simply offers me the flexibility and scalability I need to manage multiple profiles and access my info instantly from multiple locations on the go. For business use and from a corporate perspective, I think the new MS Outlook is definitely becoming a player and integrated with MS Exchange 2010, it makes for efficient management of internal work flow and cost effective email. I am looking forward to playing around with the latest versions of Project and Visio as planning and monitoring seems to take up most of my time these days. All in all, the new Office 2010, is most definitely worth the spend. ### 2012 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/05/15/2012/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Amelia and I decided to do a big day in at the office. We spent most of the morning and afternoon working and then decided to go out and get some pizza and a movie. We decided to watch 2012 and were not disappointed. The movie has got some awesome effects, and an interesting yet sometimes troubling story line. 2012 has got some sad moments and makes one wonder what could be going on behind the scenes, is there something we're missing or don't know about. This was probably a great big screen movie, but is just as good to watch at home, or at the office for that matter. ### Gamer URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/05/04/gamer/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Gamer shows what the world can become when run by a bunch of sick and twisted individuals and on the other hand, Gamer draws a contrast to what is going on in the world and how governments play games with real lives, with a cavalier regard to human life. On the funny side, Gamer exposes the lameness among us and how some of us really would prefer to be characters in a game instead of making our own decisions. Gamer is very graphic and not for the faint hearted. This movie will bring out your inner gadget freak and you'll get excited about the technology. If you can handle a bit of gore or your into first person shooters, watch gamer next time you're looking for a movie on a rainy day. ### XIII Conspiracy URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/05/01/xiii-conspiracy/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z At long last a long movie, that is not totally boring. XIII takes the typical overthrow the government story and adds a little flair to it. It was not as high paced or exciting as it could be, but it was good enough to keep me engaged through out it's more than 2 hour duration. If you're into covert/conspiracy type movies, give this one a try. ### The Airport URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/04/30/the-airport/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z We flew up to Gauteng for a meeting that lasted about two hours. Considering our meeting ended early and we were catching a lift to the airport, we decided to go to the airport early, that way ensuring we won't get stuck in traffic. We had some fish and chips and the Keg and Aviator which was pretty good. Herman also spotted Sekoati Tsubane (Kabelo Padi) from 7de Laan. We then headed down to the security check point which was busy as hell. The staff were also hasty as could be and practically threw us through the checkpoint. After gathering my things together and getting comfortable again, I noticed I had dropped my ticket, fortunately for me it was on the floor underneath the check point. The wait had only just begun and we heard our plane was going to be about 40min late. I looked for a decent coffee shop but only found the wimpy. Herman, who sits through hours of 7de Laan also spotted Hennie Jacobs(Diederik Greyling) and Christo Davids(Errol Pieterse) who ended up sitting right behind us on our flight to George. He also spotted Nico Panagio (George Kyriakis) who is now presenting on Top Billing. It seems that OR Tambo is the place to be if you want to spot SA Celebs. Now craving a good cuppa, little did I know that I would find I Vida E Cafe on the way to the plane, now why weren't they placed closer to each other... Well at least I know for next time. The trip into George felt faster than the trip to Johannesburg, but got really noisy on descent, with a few children screaming, probably due to the change in cabin pressure on their ears. We landed just around 20:00 after getting to the airport well before 15:00, we truly spent most of our trip at the airport. ### Trip to Midrand URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/04/29/trip-to-midrand/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z I haven't been in a plane for quite some time, so the take off had me a little nervous, but before we were even all the way off the ground I was staring out of the window. What an awesome view, we live in a beautiful country. The flight from George to Johannesburg was pleasant and when coming in for our landing we caught site of the new soccer stadium, it was already dark and the stadium lights were on. What an awesome sight. I am not particularly excited or enthusiastic about the soccer or sport in general but the view of the stadium from the air definitely gives one the sense of awe. Herman, Konstant, Eugene and I had supper and Rhapsody in Pretoria, the steak and conversation were great, even though business didn't leave the table for long. It would be great to travel without needing to deal with business, or at least being able to bring Amelia with me. ### The Informant URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/03/22/the-informant/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z I can take a lot when it comes to bad movies, but this takes the cake. We had to watch this more than three times before we managed to get all the way through, every time we fell asleep from boredom while waiting for something to happen. I thought I had lost all respect for Matt Damon after "The Good Shepherd" but this was torture. What an absolute load of rubbish, Matt Damon was either broke, which I doubt, or was trying to prove a point that he can act in bad movies too. The movie almost offers a hint of comedy. It teases you with the hint of a twist but then it's a lame one. They had good intentions with the story line and good actors, but some how managed to miss the bus. If you are considering suicide and looking for something to push you over the edge, this is for you. ### Law Abiding Citizen URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/03/16/anywhere-but-home/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Law Abiding Citizen is not what it seems. This movie is full of emotion but not as exciting as the clever story could have been. Is the legal system in general screwed up, I guess we all know it is. This is a story of a man who has lost all he had to live for and ends up losing himself through the process. We were not exactly sitting on the edge of our seats all the way through, but the story has got some good bits and may be worth the watch if you are a Jamie Fox or Gerard Butler fan. ### Desktop URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/03/06/desktop/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z Collected my new PC today and busy getting it configured. This is my first desktop so I'm seriously stoked. It's no super computer, but it's a darn lot faster when it comes to rendering than my notebook. I'm running Core 2 Duo 2.93 Ghz, 4Gb RAM, 500GB HDD - OS, 160GB - Slave, Nvidia Geforce 9800GT 256bit 1024 GDR3 and a 23 inch full HD LG display and Windows 7 64bit. I'm looking forward to getting into all of the design work I've been wanting to, but never had the patience to do on any of my notebooks. Already playing around in blender a bit, I can seriously appreciate the benefits of a dedicated graphics card. Now to start saving for atleast a 256Gb SSD to use for my OS and apps and then re-purpose the 500GB for storage. I'd also dig to add another graphics card and an additional monitor, but we'll see, maybe the iPad launches in SA before that. ### Revamp URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/03/02/revamp/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:27.000Z The first phase of our revamp started today and is already almost finished. It's awesome to have the additional space and be able to talk to Deon without walking outside or picking up the phone. The place was full of dust but the maintenance crew did a neat and quick job breaking down the inside wall and have cleaned up most of the dust already, which is great. We'll hopefully have our air conditioning and flooring installed soon and then our desks. Looking forward to see the changes and an improvement in productivity. ### Google Buzz URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/02/09/google-buzz/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I'm one month older and Google launches Buzz. I think this is what many of us have been waiting for. Buzz is integrated directly into Gmail and can import a numerous amount of other life streams. Buzz is new and will probably take a while to stabilise but already it feels as if it will be adopted very quickly and I presume that it will draw more people to the Gmail platform. I am glad to see the integration with Google Profiles, this is going to make Profiles more relevant and content rich. If you're not on Gmail yet the now is the time to open an account. I recommend Gmail to all of my clients as a system to keep track of all of your various mail identities and manage your digital life. Once you've got a Gmail account check out all of the other services offered by Google, most of them are also available directly on your mobile phone which is great. ### District 9 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/02/07/district-9/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z It's been quite some time since District 9 was released, and I've heard some funny things about it so I thought it was about time to find our for myself. I brought District 9 home to watch and Amelia and I didn't know what hit us. Now, I would not say it was movie of the year material, but it was crap funny. The production team managed to find so many ways to rip off other movies and others countries when producing this film it is simply incredible. I would recommend that you watch with subtitles, just to make sure you don't miss anything due to the pronunciation. The main character is brilliant and did a great job and keeping the tone of the movie serious and insanely funny at the same. We'll be watching this again some time, if you haven't watched it yet you are missing out. ### Quarter Century URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/01/09/quarter-century/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Today I reach a quarter century, damn has it been that long. It's nice to be typing this on my Dell and not my old Acer, it's amazing what a different experience it is working on a new computer. I hope that I can write about my next birthday on a MacBook Pro or at least sitting at a proper desk in a nice comfy chair, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. The past twenty five years have been full of learning and a lot of work, not always doing stuff I wanted to but nonetheless earning some money and learning about business and dealing with issues and people. This year looks promising and I'm excited about all of the opportunities that lie ahead both personally and for *M*y*E*commerce. Amelia and I started off the day in a mad rush to get ready for Daniel and Marile's wedding. For some bizarre reason, weddings always seem to invoke a form of natural chaos, even if it's not your own wedding. The day was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, they had their service at the Moederkerk and their reception at one of the halls at Saasveld. The food was cool and they had the most awesome pumpkin dumplings in a caramel sauce and some really great desert too. Amelia and I left the wedding stuffed and jealous. I hope that by next birthday I'll be driving something with four wheels and hopefully be closer towards achieving my endless list of goals. ### MyEcommerce is Growing URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/01/06/myecommerce-is-growing/ Last updated: 2018-10-16T10:12:19.000Z Today sees our team grow to ten. MyEcommerce now has a dedicated hardware and networking team, social media management and SEO team and a lot of fresh project ideas. Welcome to Craig Moss, Ryan Shipton, Dereck Bester, Donald Chipppendale, Gerard Mopp, Nicholas Hoffmann and Kobus Beets. Gregg, Deon and I look forward to working with you. On an ownership level, MyEcommerce has now restructured and Deon Steyn now holds a 33% interest, Gregg Jansen van Vuren has 33% and I own 34%. Welcome to Deon we look forward to some exciting new projects. Once everyone has settled into the new year, we will be rolling out a range of new product offerings. ### DJ Set - New Years Eve at Fancourt URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2010/01/01/dj-set-new-years-eve-at-fancourt/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Well, as it goes, I'm not really a celebrator of New Years or any other special occasion for that matter. Needless to say, Amelia and I did not have anything planned to bring in the new year. This morning, I got a call from Jovan and was asked to play in the [Fancourt](http://www.fancourt.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co), Members Bar to welcome 2010, and I was more than stoked to do so. I kicked off with a mellow mix from 19:30 till about 21:30 then picked it up a bit as some of the guests were looking for a slightly more upbeat vibe. While we were waiting for more guests to arrive, Amelia and I had an awesome seafood pizza, prepared by the La Cantina Chefs, along with some really good coffee. If you get the opportunity to visit [Fancourt](http://www.fancourt.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) and enjoy seafood, I'd highly recommend you have one of their seafood pizzas, if you don't like seafood, you can't go wrong with the coffee. The crowd streamed in from about 22:40 and it was pumping through till 23:50 when I called last rounds for 2009\. At ten seconds to midnight, we started the countdown and welcomed in the new year. One of the guests lead us, in singing Auld Lang Syne after which, I brought the pace down a bit, with some chilled dance tracks and good old classics. I gradually slowed things down from then and finished off my set at 02:00. Placing and Sound provided by [Jovan & Thelma](http://jovanthelma.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co). ### De Vette Mossel URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/12/25/de-vette-mossel/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Amelia and I decided to treat ourselves to some bottomless seafood and headed down to De Vette Mossel for our Christmas Lunch. As usual the food was great and the staff were funny. Knowing what to expect, we took our own cutlery which made the world of difference. If you are in the garden route over the holiday season and you're wondering what to do for supper, we'd recommend you give this seafood spot a try. They are based on the beach, so wear shorts and slops. You get a complimentary glass of wine on entry but they don't sell any other drinks so you'll need to bring your own, just don't forget your bottle opener. You're sure to go home full and ready for a good sleep. ### DJ Set - 7's After Party at Cactus URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/12/13/7s-after-party-cactus/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I hit the decks from just after 21:00 and dropped my first house track immediately, with no more rugby for the weekend, tonight was all about partying. There were supporters dancing and drinking in the most elaborate outfits. We even had a guy who fell in love with a chair for the evening. I kept things drifting between chilled and uplifting, with a spread of local, and international house and underground. I was on the decks till last rounds were called and began striking at about 03:00. Outdoor sound was provided by AudioWorx. After getting all the gear together, I decided to take advantage of McDonald's 24 hour drive through and went there to grab myself a McFeast Deluxe... I ended up in the cue for about forty minutes, before getting my food, it was well worth the wait though. ### DJ Set - 7's Party at Cactus URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/12/12/dj-set-7s-party-at-cactus/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I kicked off the night at about 19:00 and worked through some laid back tunes, some rock and eventually into some chilled house, every so often dropping something a little more uplifting. With a number of Flat screens spread throughout the premises, some people were watching the rugby, while others were eating, and the rest were partying it up. By 22:00 the night was alive and the party was happening outside under the Bedouin Tent in the Castle Chill Zone. I held the tempo through till just after 02:00 when I started slowing things down, as people started leaving. All in all a good night was had by all. ### Windows 7 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/11/23/windows-7/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Got my Windows 7 upgrade DVD from the states a few days ago. Why it had to come from the states I'll never understand. The DVD was free but the transport was flipping ridiculous, don't Microsoft know that they have an office in South Africa and it would be cheaper for all concerned to ship some DVDs in one crate to SA and have them distributed locally. They could even have sent the serial code via email and allowed us to download the media kit, while we waited for the package to arrive from overseas. Well, I did a fresh install and it was super fast. I was a bit frustrated with the fact that Dell didn't send me a copy of the latest drivers. Windows didn't natively support my integrated 3G, so I could not get online as fast as I would have liked to, thank goodness, Windows 7 had native support for Bluetooth and I could hook up my Sony Ericsson in a matter of minutes and downloaded the required drivers from Dell's support site. I have found Windows 7 to be an absolute pleasure to work with and had all of my programs installed and running in less than a day. I find the performance to be substantially better than that of Vista and it requires far less resources. Will make sure that I have got all the required drivers before I do a fresh install again. If you have got the option to upgrade or you're buying a new PC, if you're not getting a Mac or going with Linux or Solaris, get yourself Windows 7 and be sure you'll be happier than you were with XP or Vista. ### Google Chrome Frame URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/10/02/google-chrome-frame/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z My first thoughts when reading about Chrome Frame in one of Google's developer newsletters, was "Awesome we can now ditch support for IE". IMHO I feel that as a development community we should simply not support IE, but according to W3Schools stats on browsers [http://w3schools.com/browsers/browsers\_stats.asp](http://w3schools.com/browsers/browsers%5Fstats.asp?ref=nathanjeffery.co) we're still looking at about 39.3 % of all internet users running IE, so as a Businessman I need to look at things from a WHO IS PAYING perspective and from a ROI perspective, also the purpose of the website or application in question makes a huge difference on which browsers to support. A corporate venture could not afford for 39.3 % of their potential clients simply not being able to navigate and view their site. Chrome frame will be great if people actually install it, but in reality, end users who have not upgraded from IE6 and who are not using Fire Fox, Opera, Chrome or Safari yet are not likely to install Chrome Frame as they would probably not know how to install flash or Java Runtime either. I guess at the end of the day to support Chrome Frame, one needs only support Chrome and then add the additional line of code to your pages initialising the Frame if it is installed. But we will still need to support IE, at least 7 and 8 for those users who are on corporate networks or work for narrow minded organisations that don't allow Open Source standards based products on their IT infrastructure or who are simply not interested in allowing users to control their own web experience. Browser support boils down to your web site's target market, which I see as follows: 1. Corporate Informational/Portfolio/E-commerce Site - Open User Group - Want to sell something, product or service. Generally you will need to support more browsers as you are not sure what your potential customer may be using and your site should look good no matter what they are using. For example a shop selling flowers online, is not in control of who visits the site and the end users environment, if a visitor working at a commercial institution browses to the site or finds it in a seach and wants to buy flowers for someone and the site does not support IE then the flower shop will no doubt lose the sale to another site that does support IE. Also anyone searching for information on a product or service, from work where the environment is restricted and are forced to use IE, would not get benefit from a site that does not support IE and would be forced to look for services/information from someone who can provide them access to the information while they are looking for it in the format that they are able to view it. Web Application - Closed User Group If you are developing your application for a closed user group or for a company who is going to use it internally and you are able to control what environment they will be using to access the application, then I would say opt to run Chrome or FF, if you are using a lot of JavaScript then go straight for Chrome as V8 is SOOOO fast. We have done some tests on JS interfaces that we use on some of our web apps and Chrome performs extremely better than other browsers. The other option of course is to develop only for IE if the company or client you are developing for would like to use it, on their network, but I would recommend choosing an Open and more regularly updated browsers and basically motivate from a web standards perspective that they should opt to use FF or Chrome. Once you have agreed on a browser, focus 100% on making your app work in it and don't' worry about other browsers at all. Learn all the browser specific optimisation tricks and features that you can leverage from in the development language that you are using, so that when you do launch the app it will be really fast and look good. If you choose, FF or Chrome, I would recommend you consider building an extension/plugin, that runs in the browser, this way you can leverage more client side processing and have faster access to features, by running the some of the features natively from within the browser. Also building plugins for an Open Browser can usually be done using XML or JS so you're probably already fluent in either of these languages if you are building a web app for a commercial venture. 2. Personal Blog - the world Depending on whether you are one to make a stand or not and whether you care if users can see your site in different browsers, I think support the open ones and then redirect IE users to [http://abetterbrowser.org/](http://abetterbrowser.org/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) automatically. I haven't got to that point yet for my own site, but will probably implement that soon, as I think it is good to let people know that their are more browsers out there and you can do so much more with an Open Source one. ### Bing URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/09/19/bing/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Anyone who knows me will know that I am a Google Supporter, but will also know that I am a Microsoft partner and believe that Open and Proprietary software can coexist and should. When Bing was released I was not super impressed and didn't like the whole image background and well images in general on a search page. I have now made a point of testing queries in Google and Bing and am surprised to see the difference in results, Microsoft has come a long way in their search technology and Bing is starting to impress me. I have set Bing as my default search engine in IE, I guess that they are kind of made for each other so I have paired them up on my system. I do feel that Bing should clean up it's interface a bit and that some of it's features which may be awesome on a really fast uncapped connection, but consume a bit more bandwidth than I am willing to part with on my connection at this stage and may pose a serious impact for corporate users as well as home users on slower connections. I find that Bing is really good at helping me find info MS related troubleshooting and have spent a lot of time using it to find solutions to vista related issues. Something else that I really like about Bing is the fact that my website and more of my social profiles come up in the first page of results when searching for my name. Either Bing knows I am actually just hoping to see my site at the top of their list or they are using totally different ranking methods, which is more than likely the case. Google also has a bigger index and more history of other sites to compare my query against, so results in Google have probably been weighted against a far greater data pool making the order in which results appear more relevant to the web at large and the context in which the search query was submitted. Will I be switching to IE and Bing on a permanent basis, to that I would have to say no. I'll be sticking to FireFox and Google for now and keep all my other browser for testing and site evaluation. ### Sony Ericsson W995 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/09/18/sony-ericsson-w995/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Finally decided to upgrade my voice contract. Got my new Sony Ericsson W995 today and have been finding more and more features ever since opening the box. I did a lot of research before deciding on what phone I was going to take. I had my mind set on an iPhone for a long time but decided on the Sony based on the cost to benefit ratio. The phone has proven to be far better than what the reviews and resources said it would be and it has really got a bunch of awesome features. I really like that I have got a GPS now as well as some of the awesome bluetooth features. The phone can take control of my notebook via bluetooth and I can do basically anything one can do with a mouse with my phone and from a much longer distance, watching DVDs in bed will never be the same again. The phone has got an crystal clear display and comes with a 8GB memory card. The 8.1MP camera's flash also doubles as a flash light which is pretty cool, especially when programming late at night and not wanting to bump things over in the house when in search of a late night snack or some coffee. ### Dell Studio 1555 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/09/17/dell-studio-1555/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Finally decided to restructure my mobile communication package. I changed my voice contract and reduced the monthly bill substantially. I reallocated my monthly spend to an additional data contract and now hooked myself up with a Dell Studio 15. I have had my Acer for almost five years, and was so used to the speed, that I actually thought it performed quite fast. I am so stoked with the boot times and with the over all experience of my Dell so far. I have made contact with the Dell Support Centre and they have been very helpful. I am also not as frustrated with Vista as I thought I would be. I have registered for the Windows 7 which is being rolled out to all users who recently acquired Vista based machines and I can't wait to see what impact Windows 7 has on performance. I also appreciate embedded 3G, I have had to slot in and slot out my 3G card for quite some time and the ability to pull out my notebook and simply start working and be able to work without any wire for up to three hours, with my custom configuration is super cool. Only thing that is bit disappointing is that even though various graphic options are available on the Dell website you cannot up grade graphics as an after market upgrade and RAM is VERY expensive. It will cost about 80% of the cost of a new unit to upgrade my RAM from 4GB to 8GB, so I guess I am going to be stoked with what I have until I custom spec a desktop for myself. Looking forward to the next three years with my Dell and can't wait to see what option I can upgrade to when my contract expires. ### Eastern Promises URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/08/22/eastern-promises/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I'm in such shock I simply don't know what to say, I spent the duration of the movie waiting for it to begin. The odd twist, was not nearly worth the wait and the movie ended before there was any action or excitement. The movie had a lot of potential and had some good underlying story potential but did not seem to get off the ground. If you are looking for a reason to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and fall asleep in an awkward position on the couch then get this movie, otherwise don't waste your time or your money. We were totally disappointed. ### Prison Break URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/08/21/prison-break/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Amelia and I took to Prison Break from the first episode we saw and decided to take it out on DVD. We were hooked and in a matter of a few months went through the first three seasons. When we got to the end of season three we found out the season four was not yet available in South Africa, to our extreme disappointment but to the benefit of our work and studies we waited in eager anticipation for season four to hit the shelves of the video stores. Last week, we where at Scooters Pizza, getting ready to fill up on some of the good stuff when we saw the Prison Break poster in the window of Mr Video and we went straight in and to our excitement, season four was in and the first disc was ready for us to take out. We finished our Pizza and went home to get into the next season. Within a matter of a week we went through the entire season as well as the bonus disc. This season, the "last season" introduced us to some exciting new ideas and gadgets. The good and the bad, teamed up for some seriously suspenseful scenes. The pace of this season was really fast and things happened a bit too easy for my liking. The end of the season is a total disappointment and I couldn't believe it was the end. I watch the last episode more than once, to make sure I understood it right and then watched the bonus features to see if there was something that we had missed. The season really did not finish off in the same Prison Break style that we had got accustomed too, and I seriously hope that they can catch a hint from the Prison Break followers and bring us a season 5 even if only to end off with a bit more style. If anyone is looking to buy us a present, we'd be happy to get a box set with season 1 through 4, we won't be watching them too soon as the ending is still fresh in our minds, but would dig to be able to watch this series from the beginning again. ### The Proposal URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/08/11/the-proposal/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Not sure what to say about this. The movie does not exactly leave you inspired and full of things to say. The Proposal was funny and didn't go exactly as we'd expected. The odd twists in this funny tale was appreciated and makes for good lighted hearted viewing. The movie illustrates the oh so typical, over eager family scenario where one needs to "please the parents" and pretend to be who and what you aren't and where the family just won't let you be yourself. It seriously works on my nerves when people get involved in other peoples business, even parents, need to know what their boundaries are and get a life. Even though the Proposal is targeted at an adult audience, it is probably suitable for whole of the family. I'm not sure that we will watch this one again, but if we do it won't be too soon. ### Google Changing the world URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/08/07/google-changing-the-world/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Ever since I opened my Gmail account I have grown to become a Google Fan. I have seen Gmail and other Google services, change and grow demonstrating a unique breed of innovation. I believe that Google is changing the world as we know it and opening up numerous new and exciting ways of using the internet. ### Google Voice I recently got an invitation to Google Voice, I'm sad to say that it is not currently supported in South Africa, but the concept is great and I really hope that it becomes available internationally soon. I think this is going to make telecommunication providers think again about their exorbitant cost levels and hopefully spark some innovation on that front. ### Google Wave I have been one of the lucky few to get access to the Google Wave Sandbox. The day my invitation came, I was so excited. Wave is still a bit slow and as it is still in beta, it is a bit buggy, but it is great. Just as Gmail has changed the face of email I think Wave is going to change the face of collaborative working and social communication. Currently Wave Sandbox users are only able to interact with other Sandbox users, so we're not really getting the feel of what it is going to be like using it on a daily basis, but get to see just enough to look forward to the public release with eager anticipation. ### Chromium Since the release of Chome, I have switched to the developer channel and have seen Google roll out some really awesome features and serious speed. Chrome is seriously the best way to interact with any Google Powered product and if you haven't tried it yet then now it is time you do. ### Chrome OS Since the release of the Chrome Browser, I think most of the web community have been waiting for the announcement that Google will be releasing their own OS. I simply cannot wait to get hold of Chrome OS and hope that I can afford a new little netbook to run it on when it is released. Google is revolutionising the web, the way we use computers and changing the world. ### Education System URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/07/25/education-system/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z As much as I hate to say it, education is critical to success. The problem I have however is not with education but with the education system. As a country we are suffering from fewer and fewer people qualifying with University degrees as costs are increasing and entry criteria is hindering access to even distance learning institutions. I feel that we need to review our education system as a whole and rewrite it from scratch. ### Pre Primary In the beginning stages of schooling we need to focus on the development of efficient reading and mathematical skills. Classes should be smaller and more intimate. Younger learners need closer attention and more assistance. The curriculum should be based on language skills and mathematics only, other subject matter such as history and geography should be introduced to learners, via reading exercises, comprehension tests and group discussions ### Primary As the learner progresses, we need to gradually increase the number of learners in a class and focus more on additional content matter. Introduce computer and typing skills and electronic based learning as well as assessment. ### Secondary By the time a learner enters Secondary School, the learner should have developed good reading, interpersonal and learning skills. This combined with good computer and research skills will allow classes to be even bigger and the learner will be able to take more responsibility for what they are learning. From this stage a learner should be preparing to either enter into an academic university programme or a technical programme. ### Tertiary Access to Tertiary Education needs to be opened up. Universities, should be accepting learners even if they did not do the best during their Secondary Schooling. The Tertiary Education system is currently only catering for people who are already doing well and it is very difficult for someone who did not do well at a schooling level to get in. Even distance learning institutions restrict access to courses based on school results, even when they are not providing any form of support or interaction with the learner that could possibly justify this rejection. The learners would still need to pay for their subjects even if they don't pass, so what do the Universities have to lose. Government should set up incentive schemes to encourage learners to progress and subsidise those who achieve good results. State owned institutions also need to offer far more competitive and accessible rates as they are being subsidised by tax payers money any way. ### Energy Efficiency URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/07/19/energy-efficiency/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Energy efficiency is a doubled edged sword, it is not only the green way but it is the economically sustainable way. I feel that there is a lot that can be done around the topic of Energy Efficiency which is being ignored. ### Legislation As with most things in life it starts at the top. Our Government is not actively encouraging or should I say enforcing green legislation. In my humble opinion I feel that the government should be doing more to get greener energy systems in place. Government housing schemes, should all be fitted with Solar or Wind Powered energy units. All new building plans should not be approved unless they are implementing green energy systems as well as Grey Water management systems to harness both energy and usable water from household waste. All products that would cause damage to our food chain need to be outlawed, this way our food chain and the environment at large are protected. ### Eskom The Government, who were dumb enough to keep Eskom as a state owned entity, need to reposition Eskom. I feel that our energy market needs to be opened up and Eskom is perfectly positioned to become a national network provider for energy transfer. The Government should be encouraging private sector investment into energy generation using green technologies. All homes and businesses, should be given the opportunity to participate in the energy harnessing network. Homes with green energy units, should supply excess energy back to the national grid which can then in turn be used by businesses during the work day. In the evenings when industry closes down, excess energy should be returned to the grid and made available to homes. Eskom should be placing themselves not as energy generator, but as energy distributor. All users of the network should be able to earn based on a usage in usage out system coordinated by Eskom, so that those who need to draw extra energy from the grid will pay for it and those who provide excess will earn an income and or rebate from this. Eskom should place itself as an Energy Network and Systems Provider. ### Transport Our country is blessed with a large workforce of welders, electricians and numerous other professionals. We need to be focusing on the development of green vehicles and green energy systems locally. The Government could be saving and creating jobs by setting up incentive scheme for industries which have got the skills but are currently focusing on slow moving expensive product lines, such as petrol driven vehicles or conventional geysers. With the right governance and correct application of funding, we could be positioned to provide Southern Africa with energy efficient vehicles as well as green energy. ### Valkyrie URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/07/18/valkyrie/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I'm not always one for movies set in the past, but [Valkyrie](http://valkyrie.unitedartists.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) caught my attention the moment I saw the trailer and I can always do with some cloak and dagger. Having seen a few movies based on [World War II](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%5FWar%5FII?ref=nathanjeffery.co) and being somewhat familiar with some of the history surrounding the demise of [Adolf Hitler](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf%5FHitler?ref=nathanjeffery.co), I started watching the movie with a certain sense of expectation that [Valkyrie](http://valkyrie.unitedartists.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) would not end the way we all wanted it too. [Valkyrie](http://valkyrie.unitedartists.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) tells the exciting story of a group of brave German people, fighting for what was right and for the sake of Germany, aswell their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. If their plan went the way it was supposed to, or if they simply used more explosives, the actions of these people would have changed the face of history as we know it, and many lives would have been saved. Although [Valkyrie](http://valkyrie.unitedartists.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) does not end the way we would like it too, it is a good movie and has some really intense scenes, some funny ones and is most probably worth watching twice. ### Roosters don't have large chips URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/07/15/roosters-dont-have-large-chips/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z After Leaving Steers unsatisfied, Amelia and I decided to go and give Roosters a try, as [Dereck](http://dereckbester.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) told me that they have got a cool, burger deal as well. We ordered one special and a large chips. The attendant then informed us that they didn't have any large chips. Seriously confused, I asked the attendant if they use different chips when you order a large, and the attendant said no. I then asked if they had chips in stock, and was told that they had chips, but were unable to sell me a large chips as they did not have the correct bag for me. Still not understanding their logic I asked if they could just put a large portion into a box or any other packaging just so that we could order. We were told that they would not be able to help us. In total shock, we ordered a medium chips and went to sit down. The food didn't take long, the chicken was quite good but the rolls must have been from the week before, maybe that is why they had the burgers on special. The difference in price between a large and a medium was quite abit and if they are sending away every customer asking for a large with a medium, they must be losing out on some serious revenue. I cannot believe that a restaurant will show away business when they have got the capacity to deliver, it will certainly never happen in any of my establishments. The staff were friendly and polite, the food was not fantastic, their system and approach to business is very bad. I don't think that we'll be going back any time soon. ### Steers still not meeting the mark URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/07/15/steers-still-not-meeting-the-mark/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Amelia and I, the forgiving people that we are, decided to give Steers another chance and headed straight there after work. We ordered a Wacky Wednesday special, to bide us over until supper, but were sadly disappointed. My Burger was lukewarm when it got to me and Amelia's was still raw. We sent Amelia's burger back to be cooked properly, and consumed mine in the mean time. The desire to eat immediately sometimes over ways the want to talk to the uninterested staff about heating the food. We obviously gave the sauce a skip this time. When we eventually got Amelia's burger back it was cold. In shock we finishing eating and left. ### McDonalds setting the trend URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/07/12/mcdonalds-setting-the-trend/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z [McDonalds](http://www.mcdonalds.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) is now open 24hours a day. The only thing that would make this better, is if you could sit down as well as drive through. Amelia and I wanted a snack so off to [McDonalds](http://www.mcdonalds.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) for 2 McFeast Deluxe Meals with a cappuccino and an orange juice. The service was friendly, for the early hours of the morning, the food took slightly longer than usual, I would assume that it is because they're not that busy, around 03:00. I can't wait until more restaurants catch on to this trend as people are spending more time working and we need to be able to eat at flexible hours. The food was good, but was getting a bit cold near the end. We by far prefer sit down meals over take aways. If you're awake in the early hours of the morning, go down to [McDonalds](http://www.mcdonalds.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) and super size it. ### Hancock URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/07/11/hancock/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Saturday means Scooters Pizza and Movie Special, so Amelia and I decided to take out [Hancock](http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/hancock/?ref=nathanjeffery.co). The Trailer looked cool, so we figured it'd be well worth watching. The movie was fun and had some good special effects. The movie takes a few unexpected twists, which were both funny and appreciated. I do get a bit irritated when they blow up cities and destroy things that could be avoided, it makes some of the scenes appear to be a bit overboard and even more unrealistic than they already are. Even though it was not exactly what we had expected, it was worth the watch. ### Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/07/07/transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z After watching the first one, Amelia and I couldn't wait for our chance to catch this one on the big screen. What an exciting and fun to watch movie, I'm almost speechless. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, kept us holding on to our seats from the moment it started with action packed scenes and some really funny ones. With the original cast and some good planning, this movie seamlessly takes off from where the first one left us. The story line is good and engaging, and toys with history, a little like the way Da Vinci Code does but not in such a theological sense. The visual and effects team have done an amazing job with this film, the imaging is simply incredible and believable. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is most definitely worth watching twice, I can't wait for it to come out on DVD. ### Seven Pounds URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/07/04/seven-pounds/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z After seeing [Will Smith](http://www.willsmith.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co)'s interview on [Oprah](http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081106%5Ftows%5Fwillsmith?ref=nathanjeffery.co) and hearing them rave about the movie, Amelia simply couldn't wait to see what they were all on about. We looked for it in video stores a few times before finally finding it in, after ordering a Scooter's Pizza, Saturday Special, buy two large pizzas and get a DVD for free. Now that's what I call a deal. I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad about this one. [Seven Pounds](http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/sevenpounds/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) takes you on a slightly confusing, emotional journey which becomes almost predictable mid way. This movie is graphic and thought provoking and you will catch yourself wondering who's side you are on some of the time. [Seven Pounds](http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/sevenpounds/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) reminds us of how important it is to be vigilant while driving, the huge impact of being an organ donor and most of all that we should appreciate every moment we have with our loved ones. Life is short, so make is sweet. ### Transformers URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/06/27/transformers/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z With the release of, Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen, I wanted to watch the first one, before watching the sequel. The action doesn't seem to stop from the moment the movie starts. The movie is exciting and fun and definitely worth seeing if you haven't seen it yet. It is in a sense a bit thought provoking and lets one wonder a bit about the singularity, and the influence technology will have on our existence in the future. I can't wait to watch the new one. ### DJ Set - 40th Birthday at Powell Farm URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/06/21/dj-set-40th-birthday-at-powell-farm/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z The ABBA themed, 40th Birthday party for Gregg Powell was hosted at the Powell Residence. The night kicked off with drinks in the Powell pub at 18:00, and moved into the Decked out venue at about 19:00. After dinner, there was a show of ABBA style dancing, with some convincing costumes, after which the dance floor was open. The party of 70, partied it up untill the earlier hours of the morning. Needless to say, many hangovers will be experienced by all. Catering, Décor and choreography arranged by Tracey Powell, Gregg's wife. Audio and lighting by AudioWorx. Placing by [Uranium Studio](http://uranium.co.za/?ref=nathanjeffery.co). ### Deception URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/06/14/deception/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z From seeing the trailer, we were interested in watching this movie and expected some good twists and turns, but were irritatedly disappointed. The concept of "the list" was a bit ridiculous, yet quite believable at the same time. In today's age of long work days and the amount of crap people have to put up with to get to the top, the concept of a sex club is believable yet, demeaning and sick. Do the screenwriters not think of things like AIDS and other STDs when writing movies. The bad guy's plan was actually quite clever and must have involved quite a bit of research, taking advantage of and preying on the weakness of the introvert with no friends or girlfriend, who does nothing but work. The ending worked out half well, for the good guy. Half good because he got the girl, but chose to leave the money, when he could have had both! ### Max Payne URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/06/14/max-payne/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Looking at the cover of [Max Payne](http://www.maxpaynethemovie.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) or watching the trailer for that matter, one gets the impression of being taken on a thrilling, super natural ride, with demons, monsters and some real mean stuff. I'm almost sorry to say that [Max Payne](http://www.maxpaynethemovie.com/?ref=nathanjeffery.co) was not exactly what we had expected. The movie had the odd surprising twist and was not incisively boring either, but it wasn't all the trailer had made it out to be. After the movie starts, it feels as if everything happens so quickly and then it is over. When watching it for the second time, the movie seemed to start and end, which is not really the way I like it, I prefer to feel totally lost while watching a movie and lose all track of time and sometimes reality. Some of the scenes are a bit stupid and Max doesn't exactly lead by example. Seriously when you live is such a dodgy area, you don't let people walk home on their own, especially if they're high and you're a cop. I think the obvious and ridiculous stupidity of some of the scenes echoes the realness of what we are all subject to at some time or another, when faced with people who can't think for themselves. The movie has got some good action and exciting scenes and you could easily find yourself, wanting to scream kill or shoot. If you're battling to choose what movie to rent and it is in, take it. ### Mad Money URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/06/13/mad-money/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Aren't we all mad about money, or at least what we can do with it. Mad Money demonstrates, how ridiculous some people's perspective of the real world is and what they think it takes to get a job and keep it. The movie depicts how high flyers, maintain their altitude, on the banks money and how they crumble and fall, when they can't sustain their debt any more. This movie also reminds us how filthy and stinky, cold hard cash is and why we should all use credit cards and fund transfers. With a star studded cast, Mad Money, is funny and enjoyable. Just when you think it is all over, the story takes a pleasant twist which allows the movie to end on the oh so typical positive note of a comedy. Comedies are not my first choice, but this light hearted movie, is most definitely worth a watch. ### Proof of Life URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/06/13/proof-of-life/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I must say this is not the first time that we've watched [Proof of Life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof%5Fof%5FLife?ref=nathanjeffery.co), we actually took it out by accident, not knowing that we had seen it on TV a few times already. [Proof of Life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof%5Fof%5FLife?ref=nathanjeffery.co) reminds us all of the harsh realities of living in a third world country and that we should be glad that we are not living in utter fear on a daily basis. We are reminded to be thankful for the health systems we have access to, even if our government and medical practitioners carry on like a bunch of uneducated dim wits and go on strike making fools of themselves, while trying to screw us as tax payers out of even more than they already are. [Proof of Life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof%5Fof%5FLife?ref=nathanjeffery.co) highlights the greedy and money hungry, budget hogging practices in place in many large corporates and prompts us to make sure we have got all the right policies and financial plans in place should something go wrong. Reading the fine print is important to ensure you do not save on budget by cutting back on something that you actually need. This movie is enjoyable, has some good action scenes and can be quite exciting at times. After watching this you might just decide to become a mercenary. ### X-Men Origins | Wolverine URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/06/09/x-men-origins-wolverine/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Whether you're an X-Men fan or not, this movie will turn you into a follower. There's no need to watch any of the previous movies in the series, as this one gives you a good background on, as aptly put in the name, the "Origins" of The X-Men. We'd highly recommend that you watch X-Men Origins on the big screen, to get the most out of this action packed, and exciting film where Hugh Jackman, is finally not the bad guy. Avoid buying pop corn, as you'll probably forget to eat it. ### Life Aquatic URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/06/07/life-aquatic/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z We started watching this movie more than once, and today we brought ourselves to watch it to the end. We were so upset with ourselves for wasting our time. This movie is, boring, stupid and has absolutely no story line or point what so ever. With a cast of well known actors, we thought it might surprise us, but it didn't, not in the least. If there was even a single moment of drama, action, romance or comedy, it was very poorly brought across. Watching this movie was absolute torture and we would only recommend it to you if you suffer from extreme insomnia. ### Angels and Demons URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/05/26/angels-and-demons/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Amelia and I both enjoyed Da Vinci Code and were looking forward to Angels and Demons the moment we knew it was coming out. The film was great, it had us riveted to our seats and was full of twists. This was definitely not predictable or boring. The film was well researched and touched on some really interesting subject matter. If you get a chance we'd highly suggest that you watch this one on the big screen. If you haven't seen Da Vinci Code yet, we would recommend watching it first. ### DJ Set - Customer Awards Evening at Coyote Cactus URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/05/23/customer-awards-evening-coyote-cactus/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Richard, owner of Coyote Cactus Cafe, decided to host the first Annual Customer Awards Evening, to say thanks to regulars and recognise unique individuals all while having a bit of fun. I hit the decks just before 21:00 and got into some good old school rock. The Cactus Team decided to take the mickey out of Richard and ripped him off about his shoes. They gave him the first prize for the evening, a tiny pair of shoes tied together for him to hang around his neck for the night, everyone had a good chuckle. I picked up the pace with some chilled house until the first official prize giving. Prizes were awarded for, Worst Dancer, Worst Singer, Person who spends the biggest percentage of their salary at Cactus, the person who drinks the Worst Shooters and a variety of other equally funny titles. Each of the prize givings spread out through the evening were filled with wholesome laughter, we even had the odd performance by "The Worst Dancer" which was well worth seeing. Amelia, Parveen and Ziyaad decided to drop in and give me a much appreciated surprise visit. I also got to see William, a mate I used to work with at the Spur, as well as Quintus and Andre who I used to work with at Rossini, all of whom I haven't seen in ages. I slowed things down with some rock and picked it up again at about 01:30 with some of the latest house tracks, with the last of the guests leaving at 03:00. Thanks to Richard for being an awesome host, a good sport and for organising the event. Audio and Lighting Equipment by Ryan and Luca at AudioWorx. Placement by Uranium Studio. ### Fast & Furious - New Model. Original Parts. URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/28/fast-furious-new-model-original-parts/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Went to grab a half price movie, straight after work, not sure what we'd be watching. Got to the cinema in time to catch Fast & Furious 4, what a good movie. It's awesome to go to watch a movie and actually enjoy it all the way through. It was exciting from the first minute and filled with non stop action. The movie finished off, with us on the edge of our seats, hoping for another one in the series. Amelia and I would recommend this to anyone. ### 27 Dresses URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/27/27-dresses/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Well, we've considered this one a few times and it's title is about clothes so Amelia was keen to have a look see what it had to offer on this boring Monday... 27 Dresses is supposed to be a romantic comedy, that almost met the benchmark. The dresses were really quite ridiculous and truly strive to prove the point of a bride choosing ugly bridesmaid dresses to accentuate her own beauty. The film had some typical story lines slotted in, which did not add to the originality at all. It ended on a typical positive note. ### I think I Love My Wife URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/26/i-think-i-love-my-wife/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z While I am not always in the mood for comedy this one was quite good. Although this is essentially a comedy it was written with serious undertones, and frankly left Amelia upset. Definitely full of humour a man can enjoy. ### Elections 2009 URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/22/elections-2009/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Amelia and I went to vote today, the ques weren't nearly as bad as we had expected. I waited for about 20 minutes at the voting station in my ward, and Amelia didn't wait at all, she went straight in and voted and we then went for our free "Voters Coffee" at the Wimpy. I hope that the lack of cues does not mean that people didn't vote at all... Results have been streaming in and News24 and The Times have been competing for the most up to date content provider. ### Election Coffee @ Wimpy URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/22/election-coffee-wimpy/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z After Voting, Amelia and I went for our "Voters Coffee" at Wimpy. On arrival we were to our surprise promptly asked if we had voted and then offered a complimentary cup of coffee, which we gladly accepted. The coffee didn't take long, but was lukewarm when it got to us. When we got to adding some sugar and having a sip of the warm liquid, Amelia asked me if they had forgot to add the coffee, as she was convinced they had given her a cup of warm milk. Considering we were not paying we didn't complain but did however think that this was not the best advert for Wimpy Coffee... ### Rise - Blood Hunter URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/22/rise-blood-hunter/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Amelia and I have looked at the cover, a few times but never got to the point of taking it out. This weekend, we were not sure what we wanted so we took it out. Rise was not particularly exciting or nerve wrecking, if you are in to gore this this is up your ally, with plenty of bloody scenes typical to a vampire film. The film did however take one of two twists, but not so much as to the point where you jump out of your chair in astonishment. ### Steers staff are asleep URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/15/steers-staff-are-asleep/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Amelia and I decided, as we so often do, that we wanted to eat something after work. For a change we chose to try out Steers for their Wacky Wednesday promotion... The burgers are not particularly small and don't taste crap, but they're definitely not served hot, which is quite a disappointment. By the time you get to the last bite the burger is damn cold and it's not as if I eat slowly. When we got up to leave a guy walked in and took our seat, before we had even officially left the table. Okay, guess that's not so strange, and typical to a place that doesn't cue their guests or seat them, but what happened next was a bit unsettling. As Amelia and I get to the Scooter, where we had parked in front of Steers, the guy picks up our serviettes and looked underneath them. The thought of someone looking at our plates where we just had food, obviously looking for something to eat is heart wrenching, but what happens next is simply gross. The guy takes the lid off one of the bottles of Steer sauce still on the table and takes a swig, not one but a few, out of more than one bottle. It's sad to see that someone is hungry and needs to resort to that, but from a business and health perspective Steers should be looking out for it's brand and it's customers and simply paying attention to their front door. Unsettled, I walk back into Steers and alert them to the situation, and the man was asked to leave. Needless to say, Amelia and I didn't feel as well as we did when we arrived. ### Wazeer's Birthday at OB's URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/11/wazeers-birthday-obs/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z After leaving the wedding we took a drive through to Wazeer's birthday party at Ob's house in Rheebok. Ziyaad and Parveen went all out with the catering and their was still some great tasting pudding left, that we gladly indulged in. I made OB and myself some coffee, using his awesome Siemens Espresso Machine, i could so do with one of these at home and the office. The youngsters decided to go out clubbing, so Amelia, Parveen and I, after finishing our coffee with OB hit the road back to George. ### Leigh and Velizar's Wedding at By Grace Alone URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/11/leigh-and-velizars-wedding-by-grace-alone/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Wow, what a fun night... Leigh and Velizar had a really cool wedding, that they organised on their own. The reception, held at By Grace Alone, was awesome. The venue has a medieval theme, with suites of armour, a moat and the whole castle effect. The power even went out for part of the evening, so we sat in candle light, experiencing the true personality of the venue. We were seated as if we were at a royal banquet. The food, which was aplenty was really good. My favourite was the pumpkin fritters with caramel sauce, which i had more than enough helpings of. The meal was rounded up with some interesting berry and chocolate mouse pudding. The dancing then began, with young and old enjoying the some classics. ### Leigh and Velizar's Bachelor and Bachelorette's URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/09/leigh-and-velizars-bachelor-and-bachelorettes/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z With the wedding drawing closer, Leigh and Velizar had their Bachelor and Bachelorette parties tonight... The Girls all went to Far Hills Hotel, for a night of nails and dressing up, while the guys had a get together at the Prezens' house with lots of beer. I dropped Amelia off at Far Hills Hotel at about 16:00\. I had work to do so, I stayed at the office till about 19:00 then carried on with some work at home. The two parties met up at Cactus and I joined up soon after. Amelia and I decided to have the legendary Cactus Pizza we always have there with; chicken, avo, garlic and feta. Leigh-Ann was so funny, she was dressed up with a shirt saying bride, a white fluffy boa and a tiara. She must have had a lot to drink cause she had this glazed look in her eyes and was being so funny. She stole a few pieces of avo off our pizza, it was totally hilarious. I am sure that they are all going to have funny stories to tell us at the wedding, not to mention some serious hangovers tomorrow. ### 4 Years with Amelia URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/06/4-years-with-amelia/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Today Amelia and I have been together for 4 years. Damn, time flies when your having fun... It's like just the other day we were getting into trouble for talking too much, while working together at Caffe Rossini. Well, with me experiencing late payments from a few of my clients and Amelia studying, we didn't have any plans to leave town. It just so happens that Leigh-Ann is getting married on Saturday so she came down early to finish off some of the arrangements. We got an invite to visit Leigh-Ann, so we went over for a bit. I got to catch up with Ewan, Leigh-Ann's brother, who I was in scouts with years ago and has been living in Sweden. We got to hear all the wedding prep stories and found out that you can get really awesome dresses custom made and imported from China for really good prices. After some yummy chocolate from Leigh-Ann's mom and watching Las Vegas we hit the road. I really look forward to being out of George this time next year. ### Kelly's Birthday at Picasso's URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/04/04/kellys-birthday-picassos/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Meryl organised a Birthday Bash for Kelly, and Amelia took the opportunity to take a break from studying. We met up with the crowd at Picasso's. The ladies and one of the guys did cocktails while the rest of the guys enjoyed a round of Heineken. While enjoying our beer, we came up with the idea of having a group wedding. We all figured, the girls all want to have elaborate event's and we would prefer to have a simple signing of papers and save the bucks for a flatscreen. So we thought, let's give the girls what they want and have one huge wedding splitting the cost and inviting the friends we have in common, needless to say the girls didn't like that idea... We thus had another round of Heineken... ### Presentation at Absa Business forum URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/03/25/presentation-absa-business-forum/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I had the honour of being invited to be one of the guest speakers at the Absa Business Forum, held at Far Hills Country Hotel just outside of George. I spoke on the needs for a business website, things to ask a developer before engaging with them as well as a quick introduction to Search Engine Optimisation and Marketing. The session went well and I received good feedback from members of the forum. The event was Coordinated By Ebrahim Abrahams (Business Development Manager) & Hosted at Far Hills Country Hotel. I also saw Ziyaad Brown, hard at work, in his chef suit bringing in some awesome food that we all enjoyed. I look forward to attending the next forum. ### DJ Set - 70's Party at St. Augustine Hall URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/03/14/dj-set-70s-party-st-augustine-hall/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z 70's Themed school fund raiser, goes grunge... The night started off at 18:00 with some mellow 70's tunes, from the likes of Abba and Cliff Richard. After the main course, there was a show presented by some of the parents from Holy Cross Pre Primary School, dancing to Waterloo and YMCA which ended in with them dancing to Mama Mia and pulling the audience on to the dance floor. The floor stayed full for a while then emptied out while dessert was being served. The night progressed into some good old Grunge and some 80's Rock, with a bit of chilled house in between finishing off at 02:00. Audio, lighting and placing by AudioWorx. ### DJ Set - Wedding at Kwelanga Lodge URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/03/08/dj-set-wedding-kwelanga-lodge/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z The wedding kicked off at about 16:40, followed by photos with the reception starting at about 17:40. Beverages flowed a plenty and the party was on, had requests from Shakin' Stevens & Bob Marley through to Tiesto and Pit Bull. Finished off the night with some slow jams and drinks at the bar. The food was really good and the chef made the biggest tiramisu I have seem in my life, and it tasted awesome. Hardware and placing by AudioWorx with catering by Kwelanga Lodge. ### MyEcommerce Goes Dedicated URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/02/13/dedicated-server-a-new-era/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I had the privilege of ordering a dedicated server today. - Core 2 Quad 2.33 GHz - 4 GB DDR2 667 MHz - 2 x 160GB SATA HDD - H/ware RAID 1 - 99.9% uptime with SLA It is something that has been a hot topic at the office and a very important decision for me to make. I guess everyone would like to have one but being ready for the commitment is another thing all together. Ordering the server is only one step in the process. I will have my work cut out for me over the next few weeks, till the end of the month. I will be completing all the administration involved with the upgrades and transfers of the domains that we are currently managing. MyEcommerce will be releasing some exciting new packages and promotions for both new and existing customers. ### I'm rusting.... URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/01/17/im-rusting/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Decided to go for a cycle while Amelia was at work. I took a relaxed 51min ride to cover 13.5 km. I went past the dam and had a look at the old "bomb hole" or should I say what is left of it, had some good times there, on the ramps and at the drop off, back in the day when the dam was still Hillbilly Country. Although the trees are gone, the roads are over grown and very rough, I was shaking like crazy. Going down the hill was quite fun but coming up took a little bit more energy than I had expected. I'm definitely not as fit as I used to be. I guess my boep should be an indicator of the obvious. ### Dusted off Bicycle URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/01/12/dusted-off-bicycle/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z Amelia suggested going for a walk and I ride next to her so I got my Wheeler out and dusted it off. It was cool taking the bike for a spin, I haven't had a ride in ages. Some youngster came past me throwing a wheely so I was motivated to do the same. I managed to do about 50m, my cornering is a little rusty but it was a blast. ### New Years Eve at Britney's new pad URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2009/01/01/new-years-eve-britneys-new-pad/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z A combination, house warming and new years party. We had a braai in some crazy ass, Rheebok wind... the fire was blazing on the balcony and we had some of the hottest tunes from 2008 pumping throughout the evening. Amelia and i had the biggest steak I've seen in my life, 3.4 Kg of tender beef... Amelia, Parveen and Lunchen whipped up some potato bake to go down smoothly along side the steak and my Heineken. Finished off the night with a really smooth cup of coffee... Happy New Year Everyone!!! May this year be filled with good food, good drink and good money!! ### DJ Set - 18th Birthday at Tramonto URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2008/12/18/dj-set-18th-birthday-at-tramonto/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z An upbeat and funky party that pumped with some of the latest tunes. I got to play on a set of Pioneer CDJ 200s for the first time, supplied by Audio Worx with the placing for the evening arranged by DJ Mickey D. ### DJ Set - ACSA Year End Function at Tramonto URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2008/12/07/dj-set-acsa-year-end-function-at-tramonto/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z A company with personality! Airports Company South Africa hosted their, Indian Themed, year end function at Tramonto in George. What an awesome evening, ACSA staff and family came dressed for the occasion in exciting and colourful Indian costumes, ready to belly dance the night away. I set the mood with some authentic Amr Diab and Cheb Khaled, Buddha Bar and then picked up the pace with some of the latest commercial vibes and some old school classic house. Front end hardware for the event was provided by Audio Worx with the placing arranged by DJ Mickey D. All catering and décor was provided by Tramonto as well as backend hardware. ### DJ Set - DHL Box at IRB 7s URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2008/12/06/dj-set-dhl-box-at-irb-7s/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z I pulled in at just after 21:00, to take over the decks from DJ Mickey D, for a two hours set until the end of the night. ### DJ Set - Wedding at LakeSide Lodge URL: https://nathanjeffery.co/2008/11/15/dj-set-wedding-at-lakeside-lodge/ Last updated: 2018-08-20T15:15:26.000Z What a night! Thanks go to DJ Mickey D for organising me the gig... the entire event was coordinated by ISP Group who provided the DJ Rig. The party thumped until the early hours of the morning, when the bride and groom wanted to "go to sleep". At the centre of the attraction was an awesome Pioneer DJM 700, with two Pioneer CDJ 100s combined with my Notebook, external creative sound card and Tracktor 3\. The night went down like a bomb, let's not forget the great food catered by Amaqueta Foods. I played a range of genres. The night started off with, some chilled out tunes from Michael Buble, Santana, Cesaria Evora, Vanessa Carlton, Russel Watson and Anthony Callea. Things livened up after dessert with, some good old school and new school tracks, including the Bee Gees, Bon Jovi, Ashanti, Rihanna, Whitney Houston, Mr Big, Eric Prydz, Global DJs and Will Smith. A truly good night, thanks to all involved.