Mandy J Watson
Mandy is an award-winning freelance tech-culture journalist, copy editor, and blogger (with a background in multimedia) in Cape Town, South Africa. She has written for over 20 local and international print publications and web sites and she has worked on even more magazines as a copy editor. In 2005 she founded
brainwavez.org in order to have a place on the Web where she is both free to practise writing and reporting, without being constrained by assumptions of her areas of expertise (the tech stuff), as well as experiment with her coding skills.
Mandy has had a life-long interest in technology and all things geeky and in another lifetime she would have been a professional video gamer. Her interests are varied, as is reflected in the range of topics she tackles for brainwavez.org, because the world is an interesting place that is constantly evolving and outputting fascinating things worth documenting. Mandy won two South African Blog Awards in 2010 (Microblogger Of The Year and Best Post, for
"Marketing District 9: The Web"). In 2009 one of Mandy's tweets was published in
Twitter Wit (HarperCollins, ISBN: 9780061897276) and some of her brainwavez.org work has been featured on Neatorama and io9. Excerpts from her work have appeared in South African special editions of author Lauren Beukes'
Moxyland and
Zoo City.
At some point she may stray from fact and actually finish a short story, though no one is holding their breath....
She is well known for her sense of humour (not depicted here) and neo-Luddite tendencies, which she has managed to reconcile with her tech career masterfully (just don't ever phone her without permission). Her favourite thing to do is dream, preferably while asleep, but daydreams will also suffice. She enjoys travelling, which she never has time to do, and consequently some of her favourite things include stones from exotic places, maps, and foreign money... although that's not an invitation to give her cheap gifts. (LEGO is always appreciated, and never inappropriate.)
(Please be aware that due to the nature of Mandy's varied career this bio usually becomes out of date the minute it's revised.) City: Cape Town, South Africa
Email: mandyw at (this domain)
Web Site: Mandy J Watson | Digital Portfolio
It's a little out of date because a new site is on its way. At some point....
(Recent) Posts On brainwavez.org
Zap the audio from your phone, tablet, or computer to the Verbatim Bluetooth Audio Cube for instant amplification of your favourite tracks (and the odd system alert sound but that just adds to the excitement).
Posted: 24 November 2011 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Reviews
What does an average zombie horde look like? What would you encounter if random members of the public suddenly amassed outside your house, looking for braaaaiiinnns? We asked for your best ZombieBooth shots and here's what we received. Combined, the collection is slightly frightening. Therefore, don't forget: when confronted, aim for the head. (Then run like hell!)
Posted: 17 November 2011 |
Category: Tech >
Software >
Features
Turn your favourite (male) superhero or super villain on (or off) with a one-of-a-kind light switch. That's about all we're going to say as an introduction. (This post is not suitable for people with taste. Don't say we didn't warn you.)
Posted: 14 November 2011 |
Category: Culture >
Features
Another year, another festival celebrating whisky. How time flies! We attended the opening night in Cape Town, where the festival ran for three days. Here's a rundown of what you missed, or what to expect if you will be attending in Johannesburg, where the festival will be running until the end of the week.
Posted: 10 November 2011 |
Category: Culture >
Features
Somewhere, deep in a lab that's probably in Japan, some clever real-time-processing technology has been utilised for the advancement of zombies. The result? With one click of a camera button and this free zombification app you can be your own worst nightmare!
Posted: 3 November 2011 |
Category: Tech >
Software >
Reviews
Passersby screamed in terror (well, some of them; most looked bewildered and a handful looked delighted) as the Capetonian zombie horde continued on its path of mayhem towards the V&A Waterfront. Here, in pictures, is part 2 of this now annual HorrorFest event.
Posted: 31 October 2011 |
Category: Culture >
Features
The thirst for blood and braaaaiiiinnnnnsss led a shambling group of undead Capetonians across the city in a nightmarish zombie walk. Here, in pictures, is part 1 of this now annual HorrorFest event.
Posted: 31 October 2011 |
Category: Culture >
Features
Murder most foul has be committed in Legoland. The suspects? Three dodgy minifigs. CSI is on the case. After all, to find the culprit it's imperative that you follow the evidence.
Posted: 27 October 2011 |
Category: Screen >
Shorts >
Reviews
Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia, a Buddhist kingdom in South-East Asia with a tumultuous history. Here are 24 hours spent on a recent trip, captured in pictures. Please note that some of the images and text many not be suitable for sensitive people.
Posted: 8 July 2011 |
Category: Travel >
Cambodia
The beauty of skateboarding is celebrated in a short piece that's expertly shot in urban and rural settings to allow colour, light, and architecture to complement the freestyle techniques.
Posted: 30 September 2011 |
Category: Screen >
Shorts >
Reviews
Red alien circles (and the occasional meteor) are trying to destroy your space base. What are you going to do about it? Shoot at 'em, of course! You can't destroy them but you can use physics to your advantage in this oddly Zen action game.
Posted: 29 July 2011 |
Category: Games >
Casual >
Reviews
With sleek racing-car looks the Verbatim GT Portable Hard Drive brings a fresh visual aesthetic to the average grey and beige computing environment. We took it for a spin to if what's under the hood is up to speed.
Posted: 5 July 2011 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Reviews
In Burrito Bison you play a famous wrestler who is captured while at the supermarket and sucked into Candyland where the gummy bears expect you to wrestle for their entertainment... but you have other ideas in this amusing variation on the launcher game genre.
Posted: 23 June 2011 |
Category: Games >
Casual >
Reviews
Tiaras and tucking take centre stage in this documentary by husband-and-wife team Matthew Brown (producer) and Lauren Beukes (director) that follows three contestants who are preparing for the 2010 Miss Gay Western Cape pageant.
Posted: 15 June 2011 |
Category: Screen >
Film >
Reviews
In the interests of serious scientific enquiry, a dinosaur is placed on a treadmill and forced to face unfathomable horrors. Only you can wear silly party hats and jump over spikey balls as the ultimate treadmillasaurus rex!
Posted: 27 May 2011 |
Category: Games >
Casual >
Reviews
This compact hub from Apacer is designed to be portable and to take up as little space as possible in your bag and on your desk, while still making four ports available to you so that you can plug in and access multiple USB devices at once.
Posted: 25 May 2011 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Reviews
Today we debut a new feature on the site in which we ask someone five zombie questions. Author Sarah Lotz, who has zombies crawling out of all sorts of places in her back catalogue, kindly allowed us to use her as our inaugural guinea pig. Here are the results of the experiment.
Posted: 17 May 2011 |
Category: Books >
Features
Much like Mimobots and other designer USB storage devices, the Minksters are a combination of form and function and would look equally at home in your collection of miniature vinyl toys.
Posted: 5 May 2011 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Reviews
Thor, another comic-book star, makes his debut on the silver screen as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in director Kenneth Branagh's special-effects-laden blockbuster, which stars Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins.
Posted: 29 April 2011 |
Category: Screen >
Film >
Reviews
There have been many musical TV show episodes over the past few years but few fictional music acts have released their own music videos. We've tracked down a few of our favourites, starting with three that debuted in the 2010 TV season. Plus, two words: Robin Sparkles!
Posted: 11 April 2011 |
Category: Music >
Features
The LEGO Club Show is a show for kids that's produced a number of amazing music videos that can be appreciated by all ages. Here's season one's collection of LEGOfied rock, pop, metal, and rap, along with a whole lot of great animation.
Posted: 2 March 2011 |
Category: Music >
Features
It's the last day of the Design Indaba 2011 conference, which is being held in Cape Town, South Africa. This is a live blog transcript of the day's events, with speaker information and talk highlights, and featuring Mexican textiles based on indigenous designs and knowledge; redesigning bikes; changing perceptions of what African art and design is; pupunha plywood and sustainable eco design; interface design; typoplastic surgery; biotypography; computational informational design; Google Creative Lab; Hugh Masekela; and much, much more.
Posted: 25 February 2011 |
Category: Culture >
Features
We're on to the second day of the Design Indaba 2011 conference, which is being held in Cape Town, South Africa. This is a live blog transcript of the conference events, featuring social design; Coca-Cola modular design systems; Alessi; stationery for imperfect people; eco design and redesigning products; teaching kids to believe in themselves; quirky experiential design with a basis in science; interpreting Xhosa beadwork into knitwear; and much, much more.
Posted: 24 February 2011 |
Category: Culture >
Features
The Design Indaba 2011 conference starts today in Cape Town, South Africa. This is a live blog transcript of the day's events, featuring QuaDror; Improv Everywhere; social design; Harley-Davidson; sustainable environmentally-friendly building construction in Burkina Faso; title-sequence design; branding and product design; a special session of Michael Wolff with the simulcast attendees; and much, much more.
Posted: 23 February 2011 |
Category: Culture >
Features
At the 2011 Southern Ink Xposure tattoo convention in Cape Town, South Africa, Rich Mulholland sat with local tattoo artist Derek of Metal Machine Tattoo & Body Piercing to get the first half of an elaborate tattoo done, which is based on a design by US graphic designer Hydro74. We documented the process in this photo essay and video presentation. (There's blood, colourful language, and art - what more could you hope for?)
Please Note: Some of the images and the video may not be suitable for sensitive people.
Posted: 21 February 2011 |
Category: Culture >
Features
Tucked away slightly in the Wikimedia Commons is a 3D anaglyph of the sun that was taken by NASA in 2007 and spruced up on 9 February 2011 by a Wikipedia user to give it more depth and impact. Get out your red-cyan glasses!
Posted: 10 February 2011 |
Category: Tech >
Features
In Love you play a polyamorous square who derives happiness from being near others (the closer the better and the more the merrier). Yet one cannot have love without tragedy and actually touching one of the other blocks will end your game - and your shot at happiness - quite abruptly.
Posted: 14 February 2011 |
Category: Games >
Casual >
Reviews
You're a ninja on a mission to scale an infinite wall. Why? Who knows - it's a ninja mystery. Do not let that philosophical conundrum stop you, however. Instead, use your favourite finger to jump past obstacles and progress ever upwards.
Posted: 3 February 2011 |
Category: Games >
iOS > Reviews
A secret highway in Kentucky is the setting for the magical realist adventure Kentucky Route Zero, an independent game that is being developed by a small team in the US. The game's artist recently released a few screenshots of character and object renderings, some of which we are featuring in this showcase.
Posted: 4 February 2011 |
Category: Games >
Features
Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky, tells the story of a ballet dancer whose single-minded, emotionally stunted focus and psychological fragility threatens to derail her career when she is picked as the principal dancer in her company's production of Swan Lake, which means portraying both the innocent white swan and the seductive black swan.
Posted: 2 February 2011 |
Category: Screen >
Film >
Reviews
The online shopping sites NetGifts and NetFlorist offer South African consumers a wide range of gift items that are perfect for special occasions or emergency gifting situations. Read about our experiences trying out the site and placing an order.
Posted: 1 February 2011 |
Category: Tech >
Features
Protect your notebook with a stylish, eye-catching neoprene-based cover designed by Paul Frank Industries for the MacBook Pro - but is it robust enough?
Posted: 24 January 2011 |
Category: Tech >
Accessories >
Reviews
Much like
last year, we're kicking off this year's posts with a fun short film. This one is appropriately named
Smile and there's no talking - everything is expressed purely with visuals, which makes the sentiment instantly universal and very endearing.
Posted: 14 January 2011 |
Category: Screen >
Shorts >
Reviews
Here's a roundup of some of our favourite things from the past few years, all of which would make excellent gifts. A few have been reviewed or featured on brainwavez.org but many haven't so, among the familiar, expect some surprises that we think you'll love.
By: The brainwavez.org Team | Posted: 10 December 2010 | Category: Shopping
What happens when you take the text from 10 classic pieces of literature and use it to generate word clouds? The short answer is: some hits, some misses, and a few surprises. The longer answer is: rather attractive results (in most cases).
Posted: 3 December 2010 |
Category: Books >
Features
The Nokia Music Store, which is now called Ovi Music, and the Nokia Comes With Music service, which is now called Ovi Music Unlimited, have gone through some huge changes since their launch in 2009. Here's a look at what's on offer and what to expect if you are interested in either of the services.
Posted: 23 November 2010 |
Category: Tech >
Features
What if you could influence the events that unfold in Night Of The Living Dead by making choices to direct the characters in the story? That is the premise of the interactive movie Editing The Dead.
Posted: 18 November 2010 |
Category: Screen >
Interactive >
Reviews
Last week, a few hours before the Whisky Live Festival kicked off in Cape Town, Brandhouse hosted a whisk(e)y tasting for members of the media and whisky aficionados, which was a great way to set the mood for this year's festival. The tasting was led by two experts in the field, South Africa's Rynard van Der Westhuizen and Scotland's Bruce Campbell.
Posted: 10 November 2010 |
Category: Culture >
Features
In South Africa, November means whisky festival time. Once again the three-day event is being held in Cape Town before it moves to Johannesburg and we attended the opening night event, sampled a variety of whiskies from around the world, and learnt more about the culture of whisky making.
Posted: 5 November 2010 |
Category: Culture >
Features
The zombie apocalypse will be televised as the dead rise and begin to feast on the living in Night Of The Living Dead, a classic zombie horror movie that shocked audiences when it was first released and, decades later, continues to resonate with contemporary audiences and have a heavy influence on pop culture.
Posted: 29 October 2010 |
Category: Screen >
Film >
Reviews
The Rocking The Daisies music festival, which takes place over a weekend each October on a wine farm near Cape Town, South Africa, and is now in its fifth year, was three days of sensory overload and great local music. Here's our showcase of some of the artists that performed on the main stage on the Saturday night.
Posted: 19 October 2010 |
Category: Music >
Features
Celebrate 20 years of piratey one liners and insult swordfighting*, secret immortality**, and repeatedly falling off a cliff ("rubber tree!"), with two great remixes of the theme tune to The Secret Of Monkey Island.
Posted: 15 October 2010 |
Category: Music >
Music To Note
Here's a bit more frivolity before we dive back into serious subjects. It is: The Most Awesomest Thing Ever! It's a little project in progress (possibly forever) and, if you're open to it, it presents certain philosophical conundrums to keep you on your toes (mentally speaking).
The ninja-infested high seas are no place for a pirate. Well, I mean, they are, it's just not pleasant. Then, on land, zombies. Plus, the robot scourge! Or, maybe, what's a poor ninja to do? You just can't catch a break. Pirates and zombies. We'll need robots! Also, what about those zombies? Shame. Mmmmmmmm. Braaaaaaaains. The robots? Silent killers. Like the ninjas. It's cyclical.
Posted: 17 September 2010 |
Category: Screen >
Shorts >
Reviews
To coincide with, and in celebration of, the 2010 World Cup, Sony Music Africa released two albums of official event songs and collaborations between African artists and international headlining acts. The albums were great souvenirs, whether you visited the country and wanted to take some musical memories home with you or even if you never left your couch (or sofa) and just enjoyed the spectacle from across an ocean. However, the two albums didn't tell the whole story - here's a more comprehensive roundup of music from, and by, Africans, with a special focus on South African artists.
Posted: 8 September 2010 |
Category: Music >
Features
It's felt as though Nokia has been stuck in a rut, while other phone manufacturers have been zipping past with fancy features and smart services. The N8 is the phone that Nokia is hoping will change all of that. I've had a sneak peek at what's coming - and here are my first impressions.
Posted: 19 August 2010 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Features
Celebrate the launch of Lauren Beukes' latest novel with a bid on an artwork in a collaborative project designed to generate funds for a very important South African initiative.
Posted: 4 August 2010 |
Category: Books >
Features
What do you get when you mash up Jane Austen's Regency-era characters and sensibilities with Fight Club? Well the first rule of fight club is that one never mentions fight club. (But the answer is blood on your lace and scrapes on your knees, of course.)
Posted: 28 July 2010 |
Category: Screen >
Shorts >
Reviews
Use your favourite finger to mow down waves and waves of inter-stellar bad guys and bosses out for your blood, then head for the space bar for a brewski. (Ok, not really, but this game could do with more variety and/or a mini drinking game to provide complexity to the challenge.)
Posted: 13 July 2010 |
Category: Games >
Android >
Reviews
Roadtrip, in the words of the artist, is "an exhibition about memory, adventure, landscape, and the car that always broke down on the side of the road". It is running in Cape Town for the whole of July before it moves to other cities in South Africa.
Posted: 6 July 2010 |
Category: Culture >
Features
Part of the fun of a live sports event is watching it with friends and participating in the form of fan reactions - but what if you're home alone or stuck at the office? World Cupinion, a university research project being run during the World Cup, presents a whole new interactive experience.
Posted: 1 July 2010 |
Category: Tech >
Software >
Reviews
The sound of a thousand angry bees, the bleats of a dying lamb - the vuvuzela, South Africa's traditional weapon (circa the 20th century) of mass aural destruction, is the embodiment of many things, Zen not being one of them. If you don't have one, or if you're currently out of breath from blowing your own horn a little too hard and a little too long, the Vuvuzela Button will be a vital addition to your virtual toolbox.
Nokia's N97 mini cellular phone, which runs Symbian S60 5th Edition, was released late last year. Is it an improvement over not-so-well-received Nokia N97? Have a look at our testing notes and decide for yourself.
Posted: 7 June 2010 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Reviews
It's an impressive undertaking: coordinate 24 writers to write 24 stories, each inspired by a different hour of the day and a different city of the world, and use these tales to "reflect on the nature of home", with no restriction on genre, fact, or fiction. The result? Whatever you choose to make of it.
Posted: 12 May 2010 |
Category: Books >
Reviews
The entry-level Apacer Handy Steno AH321 USB 2.0 Flash Drive features a no-loss cap design and storage capacities from 1 GB to 16 GB, as well as some impressive performance capabilities.
Posted: 4 May 2010 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Reviews
Mix sounds and rhythms deeply rooted in African culture with Western influences and the result is the laid-back aural journey of Mpemba Effect's Ambient Afrique. Let the groove generated by this South African producing duo lull you into an altered state of consciousness.
Posted: 26 April 2010 |
Category: Music >
Reviews
Combine a lonely, hungry cat on a mission of the heart with sushi-consumption challenges, strange obstacles, a little bit of physics, and some outlandish music and you'll have an epic 45-minute(ish) tale with which to amaze no one in particular, unless you do really well, in which case you can be all, like, "Hey, I did well!"... which may, still, not exactly amaze anyone in particular.
Posted: 18 March 2010 |
Category: Games >
Casual >
Reviews
In a brainwavez.org (semi) exclusive, we examine the cover design for the South African edition of Lauren Beukes' forthcoming novel Zoo City, which is published by Jacana. We talk to the artist, Joey Hi-Fi, and bring you a behind-the-scenes gallery taken from the concept document that shows the evolution of the design.
Posted: 23 March 2010 |
Category: Books >
Features
Maemo 5 is a Debian Linux-based operating system that is installed on the Nokia N900 cellular phone. As it's a customised version of an operating system that is designed to run on all sorts of devices, including desktop machines and laptops, it has lots of productivity features and tools. This is a showcase of some of what the OS has to offer the phone.
Posted: 5 March 2010 |
Category: Tech >
Software >
Features
Nokia's N900 is a classy touchscreen phone that emphasises productivity as well as play. It runs the Maemo 5 Linux-based operating system and using it feels almost as though you have a mini desktop computer in your pocket. Almost. Our testing notes reveal the pros and cons.
Posted: 4 March 2010 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Reviews
The design of USB flash-memory storage devices has come a long way from the grey, thumb-sized units with a company logo that were (and still are) handed out at corporate events. They've now evolved into playful fashion accessories, such as this one, that will appeal to anyone with even the vaguest aesthetic leanings.
Posted: 1 March 2010 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Reviews
Just over four years ago brainwavez.org was launched, complete with its first (tech) article, with the intention of it being primarily a tech-review site, with a little bit of culture thrown in. Instead it became a tech-culture site and we never got around to reviewing hardware and software. Today, that all changes. Behold! A tech Apacer's Handy Steno AH160 flash-memory storage device.
Posted: 11 February 2010 |
Category: Tech >
Hardware >
Reviews
Spiders seem to invoke terror in all but the least faint-hearted so if you're one of those wishy-washy types you may wish to play with a hamster instead (although there's a spider there too). Meanwhile, should you possess the necessary fortitude and an interest in variables, you will probably enjoy Play With Spider.
Posted: 5 February 2010 |
Category: Centre For The Easily Amused
"The Metabots": "In a dragon-filled Atlantis, a young schlub with mild OCD stumbles across an otherworldly portal which spurs him into conflict with a government conspiracy, with the help of a sarcastic female techno-geek and her wacky pet, culminating in a fistfight atop a tower."
Posted: 22 January 2010 |
Category: Centre For The Easily Amused
This animated music short is too good to save for Halloween (although, in our minds, every day is Halloween at brainwavez.org) so I thought I'd post about it to start 2010 with some fun - may it be a reminder that the horrors of 2009 are now in the past and may it be a sign that 2010 will be filled with zombies and kittens! (Preferably at a safe distance if the two are one and the same.)
Posted: 6 January 2010 | Category: Screen > Shorts > Reviews
