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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 8 September 2010 |
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Category: Music >
Features
There is a Nigerian saying that "an old man is there to talk". Seventy-six-year-old Nigerian literary giant Wole Soyinka is never afraid to give his candid opinion. According to the Mail & Guardian newspaper, at a gala dinner hosted by the department of arts and culture during the Cape Town Book Fair, guest of honour Soyinka began his speech with an anecdote about what has always remained an important issue to him - access to books for the youth.
By: Anne Taylor |
Posted: 7 September 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Features
We've made it! brainwavez.org has officially been nominated in the "Best Post" category of the 2010 SA Blog Awards and is now a finalist. Thanks to everyone who nominated us. Now we need your help to win. Please read on to find out how.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 2 September 2010 |
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Category: News
Please help us with a nomination in the 2010 SA Blog Awards. We're aiming for one in the category "Best Post On A South African Blog". Details of the procedure and instructions are in the news post. Your help can make all the difference!
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 26 August 2010 |
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Category: News
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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 19 August 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 4 August 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Features
Beat the worst of London's underworld at their game. Rescue your sister. Clear your name - and not necessarily in that sequence. A tall order for anyone - but especially for someone being hunted by every military and police agency in the United Kingdom as a suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist....
By: Paul Pregnolato |
Posted: 30 July 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Reviews
Do you fancy yourself the next Shakespeare, Byron, Shelley, or Palahniuk? Now you can determine which famous author your writing resembles by merely entering a sample of your text into an analyser so dust off that manuscript you've been wanting to submit and discover if you, too, could make The New York Times Best Seller list.
By: Jase Luttrell |
Posted: 29 July 2010 |
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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.)
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 28 July 2010 |
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Most reviews of this book include the word "inspirational". While this is certainly true, there is far more to William Kamkwamba's story than inspiration, so you won't find that word in this review. Instead, you will find others that are equally glowing.
By: Jase Luttrell |
Posted: 27 July 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Reviews
As The Crow Flies is a short novel that explores the individual loves of nameless characters living in urban landscapes and other unidentified locations who are unconnected to each other, yet linked through the themes of love or suffering in a world in which love finds it hard to thrive.
By: Anne Taylor |
Posted: 26 July 2010 |
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Category: Books >
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.)
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 13 July 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 6 July 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 1 July 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 11 June 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 7 June 2010 |
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On its jacket Ravens is described as a "terrifying, gripping, unique" work of "psychological suspense". Instead, I found an appealing but B-grade narrative with lacklustre characters and a predictable plot.
By: Lenina Rassool |
Posted: 1 June 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Reviews
Girls At War And Other Stories is a collection of short stories written over a period of 20 years that not only celebrates the diversity of African culture but questions and explores the conflict between traditional African beliefs and modernism introduced by British colonialism.
By: Anne Taylor |
Posted: 28 May 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Reviews
I had no idea what I was in for when I picked up this novel. Would it be frustrating? Captivating? Engrossing? Catastrophic? I can definitively say that it was all of these qualities, many more, and certainly far fewer. If you're confused, I am too. But then that's the nature of reading stream-of-consciousness writings, especially from one of Zimbabwe's most unconventional authors.
By: Jase Luttrell |
Posted: 24 May 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Reviews
If you don't want to worry with complex plots and prefer your action taking place on Earth, go and see The Hurt Locker, a contemporary war film delivering good action with little need to engage the higher brain functions.
By: Robert Lemmer |
Posted: 13 May 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 12 May 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 4 May 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 26 April 2010 |
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Category: Music >
Reviews
For those who can't bear the excruciatingly long flight, customs issues, plane delays, lost baggage, and inappropriate frisking by airport security officials, sometimes it's best to leave the passport at home, and follow your nose to the source of Moroccan delicacies that are best described as tantalising, succulent, dreamy, and experiential.
By: Jase Luttrell |
Posted: 21 April 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 23 March 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Features
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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 18 March 2010 |
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Ella Minnow Pea was first published in 2001 and it amazes me to think that I have lived nearly a decade without this book. I promise you'll find a nerdy love for words, language, and the processes of language construction in Mark Dunn's beautiful little novel. You'll enjoy every letter (especially the missing ones).
By: Jase Luttrell |
Posted: 16 March 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Reviews
The Memory Keeper's Daughter focuses on some rather annoying characters and has some pretty poor editing. However it is a compelling narrative of lies, deception, and intense emotion you won't forget but you'll have to read the review to decide if you want Kim Edwards' novel - and its problems - permanently lodged in your memory.
By: Jase Luttrell |
Posted: 9 March 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Reviews
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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 5 March 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 4 March 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 1 March 2010 |
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"My Old Man" from Stephen Kellogg And The Sixers is a profound song of loss, nostalgia, and disappointment, with a surprising and near-contradictory playfulness that will make you want to have one last word with your old man. We are not responsible for any therapy sessions that may be required, though we will take credit for introducing you to this awesome track.
By: Jase Luttrell |
Posted: 25 February 2010 |
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Category: Music >
Music To Note
A brief update in which we point out that HaloScan has been destroyed, along with some of our history, save for the fact that we rescued it in the nick of time! A success, then!
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 17 February 2010 |
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Category: News
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 review: Apacer's Handy Steno AH160 flash-memory storage device.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 11 February 2010 |
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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.
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 5 February 2010 |
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Neighbours: The Story Of A Murder is a novel of tragedy and triumph concerning the history and destabilisation of Mozambique, which teaches us that other cultures and countries can offer a lesson in humanity, perseverance, and the perils of greed, while reaffirming the idea that we can become neighbours through compassion and storytelling.
By: Jase Luttrell |
Posted: 22 January 2010 |
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Category: Books >
Reviews
"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."
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 22 January 2010 |
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Butterfly Boucher may have a quirky name and her music may be equally quirky but the free download of "We Don't Have A Clue" is a fun and uplifting song that will make you smile and appreciate the day as time flutters by.
By: Jase Luttrell |
Posted: 18 January 2010 |
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Category: Music >
Music To Note
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.)
By: Mandy J Watson |
Posted: 6 January 2010 |
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Category: Screen > Shorts > Reviews
