Wednesday 30 April 2008

Nationwide airlines closes for business at 13h00 29April2008

Another one bites the dust!: Nationwide closes for business at 13h00 29April2008 - right before a long weekend!
From their web site: "Our cash-flow has become critical and as a result have decided to voluntarily cease all flight operations until further notice."
Nationwide announced yesterday that it would close for business (see here for more details). Nationwide staff were even calling radio stations (CapeTalk) to check if their reports were true, and if they still had a job! - so they were not told of the closure! Customers were still paying for tickets on the web site on 29April too!
This is hot on the heels of other companies that I have heard of: TicketConnection and LightEdge technologies.
So, times are tough - very tough.... (especially when you lose an engine!).... but what still bugs me, is that another company can glibly file for liquidation and ignore their debt - management can go and start up another company in the same line of business! IT companies are "famous" for this.

What happens to the employees? - they lose their jobs on the spot - no retrenchment packages even!
What happens to the owners? - they probably still drive around in their fancy vehicles, live in their mansions, and start up another similar company next door!

Pre-Emptive Load Shedding Schedule for period 05 May to 31 May 2008 [Cape Town]

Remember to charge those torch batteries for Monday's new load shedding schedule, and remember load shedding creates a potential security concern.... so join your local neighborhood watch and get out there and patrol your area to ensure that the baddies don't win the war!

Here's the City of Cape Town's explanation of Pre-Emptive Load Shedding:
Click here for the explanation.

Here's the Pre-emptive load shedding schedule [30Kb]: Pre-emptive_loadshedding_schedule.pdf
or in .xls format [71Kb]:
Pre-emptive_loadshedding_schedule.xls

Yuk!!!!! I've just looked at my "schedule" and we'll be shed twice, at the worst possible times: 2x weekdays: 18h00 to 20h30... oh no! This is going to be hell - thanks a lot Hellskom!

For further information, please contact the City's Call Centre on 0800 220 440



Tuesday 29 April 2008

Why do I blog? I thought it was because I wanted to share information for the good of all, but I've just discovered that it "saves ME money"

Why do I blog? I thought it was because I wanted to share information for the good of all, but I've just discovered that it "saves ME money" - not "makes me money", not "saves others money" - it saves ME money.
The "makes me money" part is simple - Google Adsense places their "content-appropriate" ads on my blog and they pay me a small percentage of their advertising income based on the number of clicks that my readers find interesting.
So, how does it "save me money" you might ask?
Well, in my previous blogs about saving electricity I have tried to explain why it's necessary to install a time switch on your solar geyser and explained that without a time switch installed, electricity (not energy from the sun) will heat up the cold water faster than the sun can...... well, while keeping statistics on units/day usage, I discovered that my consumption wasn't giving the savings that I had expected!
In fact, since installing my solar panels last year, my electricity usage had not really gone down at all! In fact, at times, usage went up!
Here are some of the reasons that I have come up with:
1) when the new geyser was installed, the installer (in all his wisdom and 30 years of experience) installed the geyser with the thermostat set to 60 degrees Celsius (my old geyser was set to 50) - I reduced the thermostat setting to 35 degrees Celsius and reduced usage (from about 42 units/day to 34 units/day = 19% saving).
2) time switch was not working - there was a problem with the wiring and even though the time switch was "switching", the geyser was never disconnected from power. Watch this space for stats on how much I actually save with the time switch which is now working correctly.
So, bottom line, due to my keeping detailed statistics to report on this blog, I noticed that the energy usage was not going down and this caused me to investigate further and find the problems with the thermostat setting and the time switch wiring! So, thanks to you, and this blog, I have saved myself (and hopefully you) lots of money!
PS: it took me a while to figure out that our old geyser had "burst" - there was no "big bang", nor was there any water pouring from the ceilings, but there was (hot) water fast-dripping from the overflow pipe. Well, that dripping caused our electricity usage to go up drastically (114%)! So replacing the geyser reduced my daily units from 92 to 41 units/day)



Update on 16June2010:
Watch out or, at least, be aware: #WTF Geyser's element has just blown <3 years after installation... 5 year geyser warranty, but only 3 months on the element! #FFS #RipOff

Wednesday 23 April 2008

Eskom price increases are looming…. Does it pay to fill up your pre-payment meter or not?

This article tries to answer all these questions and more…. (and ElectricityTariffCalculator.xls tool)

When are the tariffs going up? How much will the increases be? How full can your pre-payment meter go? How much can I purchase on my credit card? Which tariff plan am I on? If I fill my meter up too much will I lose my free 50 kWh per month?


First of all I’d like to acknowledge the sources of my information:

To answer my list of questions I Googled a lot but couldn’t really find any answers so I decided to write an email to Eskom and to www.energy.co.za. I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Eskom early the next day requesting more information (the region that I was in), but even more impressed when I received a telephone call from Donovan from the www.energy.co.za support team who meticulously explained how the tariffs work and gave me the answers below.

Other sources:

http://www.capetown.gov.za/wcmstemplates/Electricity.aspx?clusid=458&IDPathString=5992-6182&catparent=6182#electariff

http://www.capegateway.gov.za/eng/pubs/news/2006/jun/139535


Note: all specifics (tariffs and dates) relate to the City of Cape Town. Eskom customers and other regions will have different rates and dates, but the principles are probably similar.


1) When are the electricity tariffs going up?
City of Cape Town’s financial year runs from 01July – so increased tariffs will probably
be on 01July, so you’ll need to purchase your extra units before then. Why not put a reminder in your calendar now….”Thurs26June: purchase n‑months worth of electricity”. (Eskom's financial year runs from 01April)


2) How much are the electricity tariffs going up?

I have read that they will be going up by 14.2% but I have not seen an increase yet. Eskom has requested approval for a 53% increase, but this has not yet bee approved. At this stage (as on 22April2008) neither the 14.2% nor the 53% increase has been finalised.


3) How much pre‑paid electricity can I purchase before the increase?

To save money you can top up your pre-payment electricity to a maximum of 9,999 units. www.energy.co.za allows purchases of up to R2,500 per transaction but more than one transaction can be made…. as long as your credit card can take it! If you try and top up too much, then your meter will disallow entry of the ‘token’ – you will need to wait until you’ve used up some units.

Note: that if you pay a ‘daily service fee’ [on tariffs: ‘Domestic 1’ or ‘Domestic 3’], then you cannot pre-purchase ‘daily service fee’ “credits” (in other words, you can only stock up on units, not ‘daily service fee’). This means that if you purchase 4 months worth of units, you will pay the current per unit price of electricity, and in 4 months time when you purchase again, you will then be charged 4 months of ‘daily service fees’ (at the new increased rate)…. So, there’s no getting around the ‘daily service fee’ increase.


4) When must I key in my purchased units?

The purchase transaction is for units (not Rands) – the pre-payment meter has no knowledge of the actual price of the electricity, so it doesn’t matter when you enter the token into the meter – as long as the purchase is made before the price increase comes into effect (that’s probably 01July for City of Cape Town).



5) If I purchase a lot of units now, will I lose my free units per month (or be moved to a high-usage tariff)?

If you are on tariff ‘Domestic 2‘ (i.e. low consumption: less than 600 kWh per month) and if your average consumption over past the 12 months is less than 400 kWh per month, then you qualify for 50 kWh free per month (that’s 50 free units per month).


You are charged by ‘how much you consume’, not by ‘how much you purchase’…. So, purchasing lots of units before the price increase will not affect your free units per month (as long as you stay using less than 400kWh per month!)

Note: it’s human nature to use more when there is more…. ie: if the meter’s full, the human will use more electricity – so beware!


6) How can I calculate the savings?

Since the exact increases are not yet approved, it’s difficult to calculate the savings, but I have assumed two increases: 14.2% and 53% and allocated these increases to the ‘per unit’ cost and the ‘daily service fee’ – see the ElectricityTariffCalculator.xls for figures.


So, what's the bottom line? Does it pay to fill up your pre-payment meter or not?

Yes, if electricity goes up by (say) 15% then you will save 15% - so, figure out whether it's worth "investing" your spare cash into buying "cheap" electricity before the increases.

{It's the same reasoning process as when the price of petrol/diesel goes up - although your petrol/diesel tank has a lower capacity (50 litres, or whatever) - in the case of electricity purchase, the limit is your credit card limit :) }


Any more questions? Any errors spotted? Do you have any more information?

Write a comment and HandyTechTipper will attempt to answer asap.

Sunday 20 April 2008

Send 1 free SMS every 2 hours to any network in South Africa; and 5 SMSs every 4 hours to Zim - and it works!

Further to my posting "Did you know that you can send 20x free SMSs to Vodacom cell phones?", here is a site that allows you to send 1 free SMS every 2 hours to any network in South Africa: http://www.onlinesms.co.za/

For sending free SMSs to Zim:
Register for free here: http://www.smszim.com/register.asp
Activate your account (an email will be sent to you)
Then you can send 5 SMSs every 4 hours.

Here are more South African free SMS sending sites:
Mahala SMS: (no registration required) send 2 FREE SMS's everyday!
BlueWorld: Register first, then send free SMSs (I haven't tried this one yet).

Saturday 19 April 2008

Neighborhood watch goes hi-tech: WAP cell phone query for suspicious and stolen vehicles

Join your neighborhood watch and you too can assist by looking out for suspicious and stolen vehicles. The BKM watch (http://www.bkmwatch.org.za/) [Bergvliet, Kreupelbosch and Meadowridge] has just launched their latest high tech innovation: query their system using your cell phone while you're driving around, shopping, waiting for your wife/family, putting in petrol, etc. Access is via WAP over GPRS and is extremely cheap (cost <1c)

I've tried it and it works... After setting up my phone as described in a previous blog: (http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/03/in-this-day-and-age-im-amazed-by-low.html), you launch your phone's Internet browser, then log in using your pre-approved username, then enter any registration number... .the system then searches and return results.
The details returned include: details of crime (or when stolen) and who to contact to alert of the sighting.

See here for their user manual on how to use the system [40Kb]: http://www.bkmwatch.org.za/document.ashx?name=Suspicious_vehicles_via_your_cell_phone.doc

If you live in the area, then register here: http://www.bkmwatch.org.za/member_register.aspx (or email: crime@bkmwatch.org.za) else contact your neighborhood watch and help stop crime - it's time we all stood up against these *&@#-ing criminals!
Don't just say "it's fine, there are other people in the area doing their "watch" thing"! Get off your arse and do something!
If you can't patrol, then contribute financially and help cover the costs.

Come to think of it, the BKM watch web site is also a great example of using technology to fight crime.

They also use Google Earth as a tool to monitor incidents of crime and plot crime vs location to assist in crime fighting.
Criminals beware! The residents have awoken! Crime does not pay any more.


Oh, by the way, have you registered your valuables on Tagga yet - the R10,000 is still up for grabs! Don't be sorry later, do it now!

Thursday 17 April 2008

Zimbabwe inflation hits 165,000%, so how much will something cost in a week, month, year?

CapeTalk and BBC reported this am that Zimbabwe's inflation has hit 165,000%, and I was wondering what this would mean if I was suddenly put into a financial environment suffering with that kind of burden! Taking a loaf of bread as an example, say it cost R7.00 then what would it cost next year, next month, next week, next quarter, tomorrow? {Assuming a linear inflation rate increase!}
I have created an inflation calculator to see the figures on paper! And yes, it's very, very, very scary!

Now Tomorrow Next week Next month Next quarter Next year
7 39 221 970 3,857 11,557

Click here: for my Inflation Calculator and see how other prices will increase...

See here for another view on inflation calculations:
Zimbabaloola in Zimbabwe

I don't think the new ZW$10 million will help nor last long! {see BBC for a photo of a handful of ZW$s}

Wednesday 16 April 2008

TicketConnection files for liquidation.... and its web site is now empty/non-functional to prove it too!

I thought I was dreaming when I heard that another company has decided that it can't pay its bills so it's filing for liquidation! www.iol.co.za reports that "TicketConnection, the ticketing agent for the failed Celine Dion and cancelled Josh Groban concerts in South Africa, has voluntarily applied for liquidation..... concert promoter Duncan Heafield of Kusasa-Commodities Entertainment had refused to reimburse the public for the events.... "All customers who purchased web, call centre and group-booking tickets for the Josh Groban event should contact the promoter to be refunded directly.... TicketConnection was not in a position to refund Groban fans because they had not received the cash paid for tickets."
{See my blog on the technology (not) used at the Celine concert}


What bugs me, is that another company can glibly file for liquidation and ignore their debt - management can go and start up another company in the same line of business! IT (hardware) companies are "famous" for this (perhaps to get away from their warranty "load"?!).
What happens to the employees - they lose their jobs on the spot - no retrenchment packages even!
What happens to the owners - they still drive around in their fancy vehicles, live in their mansions, and start up another similar company next door!

I hear too that the concert promoter (Duncan Heafield)
has been arrested in Durban and will be taken to Sandton to face charges (good news!).
See here for more: 94.7 Highveld Stereo
"
Concert promoter back in Gauteng today 16/04/2008 07:55:42
Concert promoter Duncan Heafield is expected back in Gauteng today after spending the past two nights at Durban central police station.
Heafield was arrested on Monday afternoon on fraud charges relating to the Celine Dion concert which took place in February.
It's understood police are investigating more claims against Heafield that have surfaced since his arrest.
He is due to be brought to the Sandton police station where the fraud charges were laid.
The charges stem from agreements that were entered into between Heafield and businessman Solly Krok for the Celine Dion concert.
He may also face charges over his involvement in the Josh Groban postponed tour

"

The TicketConnection web site now states: "
Due to the actions of the Celine Dion and Josh Groban concert promoter, TicketConnection has been forced to close. Please watch the media for further details. For Celine Dion and Josh Groban refunds, please contact the promoter directly Kusasa entertainment: 011 234 6776 or vanessa@kusasasa.co.za"

Why pay cash for pre-paid electricity when you can use your credit card?

If you have a pre-paid electricity meter and a credit card, and you don't know about www.energy.co.za then you're probably losing out.
I dreaded the days when I needed to go to an ATM to draw cash, then go to the corner cafe/garage and purchase electricity (and remember to take the meter number along as well!).
After registering on the
www.energy.co.za site I can now purchase electricity (for no extra charge) using my credit card. I can use my PC or my cell phone's browser or use SMS to purchase.
Using my credit card is much more convenient (no more queuing for cash, and for purchasing the electricity), and so it's safer too! [those ATMs are becoming dangerous]
Additionally, if I run out of electricity in
the middle of the night then I can purchase more by sending an SMS from home.
Oh, and the cherry on the top is that the bill comes at the end of the month along with "reward points" and even cash back discount (see my post on Discovery Credit Card)

Saturday 12 April 2008

I'm now going to try Firefox3 (Beta5) - without affecting my Firefox2 installation (using Portable Edition)

I've waited, read a bit, waited a bit more, and now I think it's time to try out the new version.... I'm cautious by nature, and when I found out that it's possible to install Firefox3Beta without affecting my "stable" version 2 (yes, I'm referring to the version that sometimes guzzles up CPU and RAM!}, I decided to follow that route.

Thanks for this info go to Gina: http://lifehacker.com/376551/the-complete-field-guide-to-testing-firefox-3

More specifically: From http://lifehacker.com/355973/make-your-extensions-work-with-the-firefox-3-beta to manually edit Firefox 3's configuration to run extensions no matter what.

Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition 3 Beta 4 can be downloaded from here:
http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable/test

Your Firefox 2 settings can be copied by following these instructions:
http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable/test

When you are ready to take the plunge, then download Firefox3 beta from here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html

Google Maps: Need the location of any Pick 'n Pay store in South Africa?

I might be slow, yeah, I probably am, but I've seen Google Maps but didn't really investigate... I thought, "well, it's much like Google Earth".. well, I was amazed when I realised that a simple Google search could help me with directions to say any Pick 'n Pay store in South Africa!
Type this into your browser:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=pick+and+pay+south+africa&sll=-34.097,18.8476&sspn=0.007605,0.014591&ie=UTF8&ll=-34.085649,18.910904&spn=0.121698,0.233459&t=h&z=12
Or, if you prefer, go to
http://maps.google.com/ and type into the search bar: {excluding the inverted commas): "pick and pay south africa"

A list of about 100 branched of Pick 'n Pay appear and you can zoom in and get 3 different views of the locations: Map, Satellite and Terrain.
Click on a place marker, then the +, and more info is shown eg: photos

Well done Google! {and well done Pick 'n Pay for entering all your stores}

Why not enter your company's location and details?

Tuesday 8 April 2008

Toll free not really toll free: I'm amazed by the number of people who don't know when a toll free number is not toll free?

Some people advertise their numbers as toll free….. But when is a toll free number actually not toll free?
Let's start with a definition: 'toll free' means that the caller pays nothing for the call. In South Africa, there are various types of toll free numbers depending on where you call from.

If you call from a Telkom land-line, then 0800 numbers are toll free. Calling these numbers from any cell phone is not free!

If you call from a Vodacom cell phone, then there's a list of toll free numbers e.g. 111, 121

If you call from an MTN or CellC cell phone, then there's a different list of toll free numbers e.g. 808 (for MTN) or 140 for CellC

So, it's simple really - dialling 0800 from a Telkom phone is toll free

Dialling 08anything other than 080 is not toll free.

086 numbers are not toll free.

086x is not toll free, and as the x increases, so does the call cost per minute i.e 0860 costs less than 0861 which costs less than 0862 which costs less than 0867

0865 calls are fax to email calls - here the caller pays over R2 per minute (it's free to the person receiving the fax though)

0860 is called a ShareCall number and the cost is shared by the caller (national cost) and the called (the remainder)

0861 is called a MaxiCall number and is paid by the caller at national rates (even if you're calling from the next door building!).

See here for more:
Hellkom: Hellkom 0860 research
And from Telkom: Telkom pricing

Monday 7 April 2008

Program your UPS to send an SMS when Eskom power is shed (No additional hardware needed: email-to-SMS service)

When Eskom power is lost your UPS can sense this and can perform various operations. The obvious action in your UPS's notification script is to email the IT support team and then to perform a graceful shut-down when the battery power reaches a preset level.
Taking the email action one step further, why not send an SMS to the IT support staff as well? No additional hardware is needed (ie. no cell phone connected to your UPS or PC).... using an 'email-to-SMS' service this can easily be done.
We have successfully used the WinSMS service and we were satisfied with the low cost per SMS and the reliability of SMS delivery: WinSMS

To make use of the E-mail2SMS gateway: configure your UPS notification script to send emails to the cell phones using the format:
To field: 082xxxx@e-mail2sms.co.za, or 083xxxx@e-mail2sms.co.za, or 084xxxxx@e-mail2sms.co.za etc......
Subject field: #username,password#
Message body: Your SMS message (limited to 160 chars).....

The sender will receive a confirmation e-mail confirming that the message was accepted by the gateway.

Pricing here:
WinSMS Pricing
Cost is per SMS: from 38c+VAT (down to 25c+VAT for really high volumes)....

No subscription fees, no contract, no hidden costs, just the cost of the SMS.... online free registration includes 10 Free SMS credits
Pay by credit card, EFT, or debit order.
Register now: WinSMS

SMSs can also be sent [after registering] using the WebClient, or the Desktop Client software or the FTP gateway (for bulk SMSs).
SMSs can also be scheduled to send at some time in the future.
It's also much cheaper to send SMSs using these methods than sending from my cell phone.

Sunday 6 April 2008

If you have a solar geyser, then make sure you install a timeswitch!

To further clarify my blog: Does a time switch on your geyser actually save electricity?, if you have a solar geyser then make sure you install a time switch!
Without a time switch installed, electricity (*not* energy from the sun) will heat up the cold water faster than the sun can.
With a time switch installed, *only* solar energy will be used to heat up the cold water - electricity will kick in if the time switch is set to use electricity for critical time periods (early in the morning and late at night).
See here for more details: Eskom info on using a time switch with solar panels?

*) Installing a time switch in a solar installation will:
1) ensure that electricity is not used on a sunny day (i.e. on a sunny day you would rather have a slower heating up of the water by the sun, rather than use electricity and solar to heat up the water faster) and
2) ensure that electricity is used so as to guarantee that there is hot water early in the early morning and, in late afternoon/night on cold/cloudy days.

Remember to also turn the temperature on the geyser's thermostat down! (mine is set to 35 degrees C, and it's fine i.e. this is the temperature of the water on cold/cloudy days, but on sunny days the temperature is much hotter due to the solar panel doing its job)






Update on 16June2010:
Watch out or, at least, be aware: #WTF Geyser's element has just blown <3 years after installation... 5 year geyser warranty, but only 3 months on the element! #FFS #RipOff

Skype chat: taking control of the group chat session

Did you know that typing /set listeners username in a Skype group chat session will set users to read only mode - useful when someone is "too loud".
Did you know that typing /help in a Skype chat session gives you a list of useful (IRC style) commands/info.. .try it and see that you can moderate your chat from the chat text entry dialog.

If you are the creator of the chat, then try the following:
/add username – will add users to your chat
/kick username – will eject and ban users
/showmembers – will show a list of members and their privileges in your chat
/set masters username – will promote users to hosts of your chat
/set users username – will set users to regular participants with no special privileges
/set listeners username – will set users to read only mode
/get [creator|masters||users|listeners|level] – will show a list of users in a particular role

Here are some more commands:
/me [text]
/topic [text]
/history
/find [text]
/fa or /
/alertson [text]
/alertsoff
/call [skypename] ..
/leave
/goadmin
/get creator
/get role
/whois [skypename]
/setrole [skypename] MASTER|HELPER|USER|LISTENER
/kick [skypename]
/kickban [skypename]
/get guidelines
/set guidelines [text]
/get options
/set options [[+|-]flag] ..
/setpassword [password] [password hint]
/clearpassword
/get password_hint
/set password_hint [text]
/set password [text]
/get banlist
/get allowlist
/set banlist [[+|-]mask] ..
/set allowlist [[+|-]mask] ..

Saturday 5 April 2008

SkypeOut: save money on long distance calls to real telephones... and get 20% discount when you purchase SkypeOut credit

Do you have an Internet connection, speakers and mic? Do you want to save money on international phone calls?
If the answers to all these questions are "YES", then you can benefit from “Free Internet Telephony that just works”.
All you need to do is install the Skype program (Download Skype), register a nickname (don’t give any personal information like home telephone number) then search for people already registered then click to speak or text – it’s that simple.
Go to Skype if you need more information.

Skype-to-Skype: calls are free (you pay for the Internet bandwidth, but nothing for the actual call). To anywhere in the world and at anytime, day, night, morning or weekends.
See here for more info: Skype more info.

Here's more info on the SkypeOut feature:
Using SkypeOut means that I can call a “normal” phone over the Internet by using my PC (and mic and speakers). The phone rings in the normal way and is answered as "usual". I pay the SkypeOut rate which is 2 Euro cents per minute! (about 25 SA cents).
The voice quality is great (just make sure that you're not downloading email or surfing at the same time).... and I'm using a standard 56k modem (no iSDN, nor ADSL) but if you have a faster connection then great (then try using the video too).
Tip: add echo123 to your contacts and test speech quality on the Skype robot before making the “real” call.

The registration process is simple and fast: you can purchase 10 or 25 Euros on a credit card. Your credits then get activated within 15 minutes, then you dial the number on the Skype screen and then the phone rings on the other end of the world - wonderful!!!

To get your 20% discount: register on fatwallet.co.za using this link: Register on FatWallet then purchase your SkypeOut credit using this link: Purchase SkypeOut credit
If you are not interested in getting the 20% discount then go to Skype directly here: Purchase SkypeOut credit

It’s just 1.7 euro cents per minute to the 30 most popular destinations, but there’s a big list of rates: (SkypeOut rates (in ZAR)) to destinations everywhere in the world.
Compare those SkypeOut rates with the Telkom rates: Telkom's International rates

Here's an added bonus: calls to 'toll free' numbers all over the world are free too!
Note: a connection fee of 4 Euro cents (about 50 SA cents) is charged per SkypeOut call.
SkypeOut is the great, wallet-friendly way to call phones and mobiles directly from Skype.

From Skype:
"
The most important fact about our rates is that you really don’t have to pay them. Help your friends, family and business contacts to use Skype and stop paying for talking to them. However, if you insist on calling regular phone numbers, feel free to do so. You can find out all about the rates for doing soon this and the following pages.
It does not matter where you’re calling from, only where you’re calling to. Sitting in London and calling your friend next door costs the same as sitting in Beijing and calling your friend in London.
"

Notes:
Sometimes Telkom is cheaper (to small countries, and for local SA calls, some mobile calls).
SkypeOut calls to mobile phones are more expensive (but usually cheaper than Telkom rates)


You can even send SMSs using your SkypeOut credits:
How much does it cost?

Just like sending texts from your mobile, you pay per SMS message you send from Skype, but they are usually much cheaper. The cost of each text depends on where in the world you’re sending it to (but not where you’re sending it from, however). It’s 7.8 Euro cents (that's about R1) to most places, but there’s a big list of rates to destinations worldwide: Skype's SMS rates

See here for more info: More info on Skype's SMS

Communicate with your Skype contacts using your cell phone: use Fring or NimBuzz.

Tuesday 1 April 2008

How to use technology to say your thing to Robert Mugabe

I naively searched for a site that gave live election results from Zimbabwe's 2008 elections and of course came up empty handed.
I bumped into results from the last elections, then looked at some major news networks' web sites - but after a long while decided that this search was not going to bear fruits.
At the time of writing the results are slow in coming, but the MDC have won Bulawayo and Harare and the other results are neck and neck (MDC, Zanu PF).

Then I decided to use my blog to allow people to send their wishes to Robert Mugabe.

So, please feel free to add comments to:
*) lay your feelings out for Mr. Mugabe
*) update the election results
*) good wishes
*) bad wishes


Hopefully, the Zanu PF's "cock" is about to crow for the last time, and that the clever old man doesn't manage to cook another result!

I read somewhere that the mood in Zim was one of "change" pending - let's hope that is correct! Hopefully, one day we can all support the Zim people and spend some of our foreign currency on a holiday at Lake Kariba or Vic Falls or .....!

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Copyright © 2008 HandyTechTipper. All articles are released under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 South Africa license, unless where otherwise stated.