This year local comic-book store Readers Den organised the biggest Free Comic Book Day event that Cape Town has ever seen. Thousands of fans were treated to free comics, great discounts, awesome prizes, local comics creators, and a huge cosplay competition.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 15 May 2013  |  View Comments

This year's Free Comic Book Day celebrations in Cape Town, organised by local comic-book store Readers Den at Stadium On Main in Claremont, were the biggest ever. I've previously written about the event for my (now somewhat defunct) personal blog (2011, 2009, 2007) but this year's event really warrants an in-depth showcase here on brainwavez.org. Read on...

Ahead of this year's Free Comic Book Day festivities, here's our roundup of the most interesting comics, graphic novels, and zines that have been produced by South Africans in the past few years.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 3 May 2013  |  View Comments

There have been all sorts of exciting local independent comics and publications appearing in the past few years and I've picked up a few here and there but until last year's Co/Mix festival, which was held as part of the 2012 Open Book Festival, I wasn't really aware of how much has been happening, and who has been involved. Read on...

What percentage of people have dropped their iPhones in the toilet? (It's more than you think. Also: yuck.) Do more men or women care about the brand of iPhone case they have? We have an infographic with the answers to these and other pressing questions, courtesy of Tiny Prints.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 25 April 2013  |  View Comments

Tiny Prints is a company in the US that offers a large range of stationery, photo books, gifts, and accessories (such as mugs, self-inking rubber stamps, and acrylic trays), most of it customisable, including its iPhone cases, which you can design with your own photos, graphics, or designs for a unique or truly personal case. Read on...

The Shining Girls, the new novel by Lauren Beukes that features a time travelling serial killer, is launching this week in Johannesburg and Cape Town! To celebrate, we have five copies of the e-book to give away, courtesy of Random House Struik/Umuzi.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 17 April 2013  |  View Comments

Update: The winners have been drawn and notified. Thank you to Random House Struik/Umuzi and Lauren Beukes. To see the really cool answers we received to the question we posed to the entrants read on...

An atmosphere of intense concentration and some nail-biting close calls during a number of gaming challenges were counterbalanced by four Good Hope FM DJs enjoying the first MWEB GameZone Celebrity Challenge at April's 2upGamers event in Cape Town.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 16 April 2013  |  View Comments

2upGamers is a casual get together of gamers in Cape Town that has been running for just over a year and which usually happens on the first Friday of each month. For the first year it skipped around at different venues all over the peninsula and the Northern Suburbs, partly because it kept outgrowing the venue sizes as it grew more popular, but now it has settled comfortably at Trinity in Green Point. Read on...

A little pixelated girl plagued by nightmares of being chased by a grim reaper needs your help to find her way to peaceful dreams - so grab a sword and start running!

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 12 April 2013  |  View Comments

Fear Less! is a pixel-art perpetual-running game in which you play as a little girl who is trying to escape being caught by a ghostly grim reaper figure that is chasing her in her dreams. She has a health bar that is reduced by encounters with enemies and obstacles in her path, and each hit slows her down and brings her closer to death. Should you avoid obstacles for long enough, over time her health will begin to replenish slowly, and the gap between her and her deathly adversary will widen, which means that the gap between her and what lies ahead reduces slightly, forcing you to be on your toes a little more. Read on...

There are serious costs attached to keeping things old school on a trip to the post office to mail some letters, such as being harassed by a belly button.

By: Rémy Ngamije  |  Posted: 26 March 2013  |  View Comments

It is a normal afternoon in Windhoek, Namibia. That means it is 30 degrees Celsius in the shade and certain death anywhere else. The sky is blue and devoid of clouds - they might have scattered for fear of being indicted as accomplices to the murderous heat that radiates from every surface. The city traffic is languid; most holidaymakers have escaped Windhoek and headed down to the cooler Swakopmund coast for the December holidays. Those who are possessed of a preternatural love for their extended families have braved even worse heat and a more robust species of mosquito by travelling to the north. I, on the other hand, find myself standing in a queue at the post office. Read on...

A new venue, tattoo professionals from all over the world, and an expanded lifestyle exhibition were on offer to curious visitors at this year's annual tattoo convention in Cape Town, South Africa.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 20 March 2013  |  View Comments

This year the 5th Cape Town International Tattoo Convention was held at Cape Town City Hall, which is a much more atmospheric, interesting, and historic location in the middle of the city than the previous venue, The Pavilion at the V&A Waterfront, where it was held in 2011 and 2012. Read on...

From geeky gifts to anonymous messages, the Internet offers a 21st Century way to celebrate Valentine's Day, with a little old-school handiwork thrown in for good measure.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 14 February 2013  |  View Comments

Last year we looked at love (and other things) separated by distance but if your relationship doesn't have that challenge we hope your plans for this year's Valentine's Day were well prepared. If not, there's always services such as Netflorist to help you with the anonymous gift-giving process. Don't forget to use one of them next year (or even tomorrow). Meanwhile, here are some interesting projects and objects from around the Web, as well as a few suggestions to help you rescue the day if you've found yourself in a last-minute pickle. Read on...

Presenting: an unveiling of the South African cover designs for The Shining Girls, the highly anticipated forthcoming novel by Lauren Beukes, and an in-depth interview with designer Joey Hi-Fi in which he discusses typography, Ray Gun magazine, and things that glow in the dark.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 25 January 2013  |  View Comments

Today we are very excited to announce what author Lauren Beukes has termed a "binary exclusive" (Pornokitsch and brainwavez.org were both given access to this) - a first look at the South African cover designs for her latest novel, The Shining Girls, which have once again been designed by award-winning cover designer Joey Hi-Fi. Read on...

Mix sailors, sirens, creatures from the depths, nautical superstitions, and a few skulls and crossbones with Levi's Trucker Jackets and wine bottles and you have the recipe for Homeward Bound, this year's art showcase at the Cape Town International Tattoo Convention.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 24 January 2013  |  View Comments

The kick-off event of this year's Cape Town International Tattoo Convention was the opening of the Homeward Bound art exhibition on Tuesday, 22 January 2013. The exhibition, which has been set up in an upstairs room at the Cape Town City Hall and which will run throughout the tattoo convention, comprises original outworks created to explore the nautical roots of tattoo art. As part of the exhibition visitors can also view a series of Levi's 7050 Type III Jackets (the "Trucker Jacket") that have been customised by local and international tattoo artists, and a series of wine labels that were designed by local and international tattoo artists specifically for the show under the brief of "sailor superstitions". Read on...

The rollercoaster ride of your life is calling but do you have the skill the keep the coaster, and its crazy thrill-seeking occupants, on the track while thumping music elevates your heart rate and cheering crowds pop up to distract you? Probably not - but give it a try anyway.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 18 January 2013  |  View Comments

If you're tired of trying to outrun the sun (or a laser), how about a doomed ride on a rollercoaster where, once again, the only certainty is death (but while you're getting there you can rack up some serious points)? Read on...

The sun has turned into a red giant so you need to jump from asteroid to asteroid performing tricks to build combos that will award you extra points as you try to outrun the red, burning death - for as long as you can because sun, sun, sun, here we come, come, come....

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 11 January 2013  |  View Comments

Escape The Red Giant is an arcade launcher game from a Finnish development company. Although it was released in 2009 it still feels fresh nearly four years later, which is due to a combination of addictive gameplay, a wonderful soundtrack, and timeless, endearing graphics that are surprisingly engaging for something that uses very little animation. Read on...

A tale of high school, and growing up, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower features strong performances by an ensemble cast that results in endearing portrayals and a sensitive exploration of difficult subjects that will resonate with many viewers.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 4 January 2013  |  View Comments

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is a bildungsroman that focuses on protagonist Charlie Kelmeckis (Logan Lerman), a young man about to enter his freshman year of high school who is plagued by incidents in his past, and the assortment of people with whom he builds relationships along the way. Chief among them is senior Patrick (Ezra Miller, in a superb performance) and his step sister Sam (Emma Watson), a damaged free spirit so unlike Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series that memory of that past character immediately becomes a distant recollection - an indication, I hope, that Emma Watson has successfully transitioned into being an actor, rather than someone who has portrayed a character. Read on...

It's the (absolute) end of the year and we want to wish you well for the new year, as well as update you on the outcome of the 2012 South African Blog Awards.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 31 December 2012  |  View Comments

Usually around mid December we post our end-of-year note, then take a break for about three weeks to start fresh in the new year. This year, however, we were just about to do that when the 2012 South African Blog Awards we suddenly announced, right at the last minute when many people were already on holiday. Read on...

Knightmare Tower is a variation on the launcher-game genre by Canadian development company Juicy Beast, which made Burrito Bison and Burrito Bison Revenge. You can definitely see the evolution of both gaming and interface concepts from the Burrito Bison games but Knightmare Tower is dissimilar enough that it feels fresh and fun and is incredibly addictive.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 28 December 2012  |  View Comments

You play as a knight who has been tasked by the king to rescue his 10 daughters who have been kidnapped and locked up in a tower by an evil nemesis. As the knight launches himself up the tower to rescue the princesses he has to fight monsters and gain and retain enough speed to avoid falling down. Read on...

The public-voting phase of the 2012 South African Blog Awards is now open. We need one minute of your time to help brainwavez.org make it to the finalist stage.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 19 December 2012  |  View Comments

In a seemingly rushed and somewhat bizarre turn of events this year's South African Blog Awards process was suddenly announced a few days ago. (To be honest, we all thought it had finally died after years of controversy.) The (self) nomination round is over and now it's time for the public vote - and your help! Read on...

We've had LEGO, Peanuts, Woodstock, Star Wars, and Pac-Man themed notebooks, among other pop-culture treasures. Now Moleskine has added The Hobbit to its collection of special limited-edition notebooks.

By: Mandy J Watson  |  Posted: 11 December 2012  |  View Comments

Moleskine recently announced a series of Limited Edition Notebooks in anticipation of tomorrow's release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first film in the new trilogy based on the book The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, one of contemporary literature's most loved stories. Read on...