Edgy Tracks...

I have spent some time in SA lately and really enjoyed the new music coming from the motherland. There's some brutally edgy stuff that will give goosebumps if you pay attention close enough...

BUT...!

One of the things that grief me about SA is the state of Afrikaans music. Lets be honest, its ballad after ballad by some Boerseun that cant decide if he wants to fix his volla or eat his baby chocolates... argggg

Now There are loads of very creative afrikaans people around. Some of the best art in SA is by Afrikaans people and they cant be denied the status of a creative nation.


But through it all, you find a gem here and there. I was introduced a while ago to the musical ramblings of one Jack Parow as a joke, but the more I listen and read up about the music and the people associated with this artist I find the music and lyrics are much closer to the way the youngn's speak and act and enjoy their lives.

Where was this when I was at varsity?

One of my fav's is Die Heuwels Fantasties. Especially their collaboration with Jack Parow on the "Die Vraagstuk" track.

Listen to it here if you do not know it yet...



More please...!

I'll share some more of my favourite saffa created tracks in the coming weeks...

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Spotify me up...

In yesterday's post (Take a load off downloads) I mentioned that my digital music purchasing has taken a nosedive since I have signed up to Spotify. I have had some queries from friends of Saffa Dude regarding what Spotify is, how it works and how to get hold of it. Basically many questions stopping just short of "can you eat it".

Here goes my short and simple explanation:

What is Spotify?
In their own marketing words: "Spotify is a new way to enjoy music. Simply download and install, before you know it you’ll be singing along to the genre, artist or song of your choice. With Spotify you are never far away from the song you want."
In Lamens Terms: Its a music streaming service where you install a music player on your PC and have access to millions of songs. You dont own the songs it is streamed from the internet so unfortunately you will need broadband. You can build playlists and buy songs directly from the player (check Take a load off downloads before you do this).


How much does it cost?
Its free, no really its free to stream music at a decent quality level. They do this by anoying you with a 30sec advertisement every 5 songs or so. Still better than radio.
You can sign up to their Premium service which extra functionality like downloading your playlists for off-line playing, no ads better quality and the ability to take your songs with you on your iPhone. You can even sign up for short periods, if you are hosting a party for instance and have built your playlist and want it to play ad-free.

How do I get it?
Because of high demand it is invite only at the moment (invites owned by premium customers), but there is a way of getting round the invite section in certain countries. You will just have to try and see. Click this link to try and sign up invite free.

OK, I've signed up and Installed . Now what?
Start searching for your favourite artists and building your own playlists and bang them on in the background whenever you need to.

To start you up I am sharing a playlist made by a friend with some wicked tunes. Once you have installed the software just click the link to Saffa Dude's Tunes and open it in spotify...

Happy Listening and Stay Classy...




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Take a load off downloads...

This a song to any MP3 buyers ears. A new comparison website TuneChecker.com compares the prices of mp3 downloads and tells you where you can get that must have track for the lowest possible price.

With the UK Parliament voting on the Digital Economy Bill very soon. The bill earmarked to stop peer-to-peer file sharing I can see this site coming very handy with people making the transfer from illegal to legal downloading.

I have to admit that my music buying has become very minimal since I started using Spotify (invite only at the moment), but there are still the occasional purchase that has to be made for my iPhone. I will definitely be using this site to get the best deal...

Head over there now TuneChecker.com


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Singing Like Dumisani

After the anthem scandal in France 2 weeks ago I have received a plethora of e-mails mocking Mr Dumisani. Here is two of my favorites...


Click picture to enlarge...

Dumisani gets the Wackhead treatment...

Click Play...

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Mama....MAMA...Mama?.....Dada...

Some Wednesday entertainment...


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I'm a complete catch...

Its been a while since I have posted here but I have been receiving this link from a couple of friends and thought I'll share again, cause its class...

http://melodymaker.posterous.com/the-reason-some-girls-stay-single-very-funny

After listening to the original listen to him getting the Wackhead treatment...

Click Play...

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10 Hottest Females of 2008

It's a bit late, but what the heck it needs to be done. Here are the Saffa Dude's picks for the 10 Hottest Females of 2008.

10. Rihanna
Apparently in her native Barbados they have a holiday every year in her honour, now there's a bit of recognition for ya! We're guessing it's not just because she's their biggest pop export ever and not a one-umbrella-wonder, but also that she has a body that puts Britters to shame!

9. Bar Rafaeli
The Israeli model has taken a leaf out of Gisele's book by dating Leonardo Di Caprio. Let's hope it brings her more fame and puts her on the cover of way more magazines! She makes our list as she is a long time favourite in the annual SA Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition (a publication which Saffadude is very much a fan of). This year was another top edition. Kudos to Bar and to SASI.

8. Ana Ivanovic
Saffadude's interest in Wimbledon 2008 waned dramatically when Miss Ivanovic was knocked out early on. Nevertheless, she is a massive talent, having already made it as an FHM covergirl. Oh yes, she isn't too bad at tennis either.

7. Cheryl Cole
She may be married to one of the biggest tits in Premiership football, but 2008 has proved that Cheryl demands a spotlight of her own. Whether it's boosting single male viewership to the X Factor or gyrating on stage with Girls Aloud, Cheryl is just being all the Geordie that she can be!

6. Olga Kurylenko
If, like Saffadude, you sat anticipating the credits of Quantam of Solace and then went, 'Wait. Who?', don't worry we expect this name to be around some more. Rumoured to be the first Bond girl to ever be asked to reprise her role (no Judi Dench doesn't count). Olga is Ukranian-born and doesn't believe in body doubles. She is also twice divorced at the age of 29. Fiesty!!

5. Lindsay Lohan
The good-girl-gone-bad fantasy kicked itself up a notch in 2008! LiLo became a lesbian! While we all wish she had picked a hotter partner to embark with on her maiden voyage of lesbian discovery, there is no doubt that Lindsay has grabbed a lot of attention back from the rest of the tabloid-loving Hollywood slut-pack. Crashing your SUV under the influence is SOO last year...

4. Kate Hudson
It's no wonder she has guys on the brink of suicide when she dumps them. Sorry Owen. Kate is smoking hot and proved it in her swimsuit in Fool's Gold early in 2008. Keep those intellectual stimulators coming our way!

3. Jessica Alba
Yeah so what if she had a kid this year. We don't feel we need to remind you that Jessica is only 27 and easily one of the hottest women on the planet and will be for quite a few more years.

2. Gisele Bundchen
Gisele has it all; she's the world's highest paid model, is on the covers of women's magazines everywhere and is now engaged to Tom Brady, the treble-Superbowl-winning Patriot's Quarterback and all around Mr America. And here's something I bet you didn't know she had – a twin sister!! Who is also a model!! Hot!! Well she doesn't quite have everything as she doesn't have the Number 1 on our list...

1. Megan Fox
That God chose to create something as hot as Megan is a blessing to us all! Well, we have further good tidings, she is set to grace the big screen at least three times in 2009! This busy girl has been named in several upcoming productions including the Transformers 2, as you should remember it was the first film of the series that brought her to us. Here's to a top year ahead people!


Other names worth putting in the hat: Angelina Jolie, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale, Kiera Knightly, The Shannon Twins, Petra Nemcova. Good luck for 2009 girls!

Contributed by: The Pink Salmon

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SAA crew in hot water over drug haul

According to the BBC Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs is questioning 15 crew members of an SAA flight at Heathrow airport. The reason: A drug haul of 50kg of cannabis and 4kg of cocaine. Whoever the one or several person(s) are, that is involved in the smuggling, definitely needs to be nominated for a Darwin award in 2009.

The drugs were discovered at a customs checkpoint on Tuesday. Now in my travel and customs experience, I would not have picked Heathrow to bring the contraband through. But maybe its just me being efficient in forward thinking. Maybe its just because I am a law abiding citizen, but I will also not try and walk through Heathrow with (what customs value at) £310,000 worth of illegal substances.

The next question that has to be asked, is why do they get to take 50+kg's of luggage when they only stay at their destination for a few days and only get a disgraceful 20+kg's allowance when I go on holiday for several weeks.

All that is left to be said is: You bloody numbnut(s).

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England sack 'The Ego'

Nothing fills me with more warmth and all-round well-being than Kevin Pietersen being put in his place. And the English Cricket Board has done that this week!

A crisis emerged in England's management when reports surfaced that the new captain did not see eye-to-eye with coach Peter Moores. Pietersen, as his ego demands, stated that either Moores had to go or he would... And the ECB's response was priceless: 'Nobody gives us ultimatums, on yer bike son.'

I don't know what it will take for old KP to learn that he's not bigger than the game, but let's hope those lessons are extremely painful! The man is a first class twat. Of course the minute you moan about him the English stress to point out that we are just jealous that he's not playing for SA. Hmm.. All I can say is that if he were currently playing for the Proteas, I'd be facing an awful conundrum on whether to continue to give my support to the team. At times, let's face it, even Graeme Smith is a but much to stomach. Whilst arrogance does seem to be a useful tool in world cricket, just look at how well the Aussies exploit it, I think there are times, plenty of times, when the players should just shut up and let their talent do the talking.

My opinion is that yes the guy has talent. But he is too full of himself and is obviously not a team player. Basically he's a knob. And while we are on the subject, he claims that he left South Africa because he had been unfairly treated by the Quota System. Yet if you look at the fact that his debut for Nottinghamshire was at age 21 and he never looked back from there, what exactly was he expecting at home at that young age? Obviously if the talent was there he would have worked his way onto the national scene, but you have to earn your stripes when you live in a country ripe with talent. No, that was too much for The Ego. He preferred to get three lions tattooed to his arm – as if that proves anything other than how much of a tool you are.

I'm sure England and its fans will be quick to forgive him for once again showing off what a knob he is, after all he's their only genuine hope with the bat! But, it's nice to see that even they can cut him down to size.

Have your say in our Vote section in the far right column.

Contributed by: The Pink Salmon

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Return of the Blog

It's safe to say that Saffa Dude is officially up and running again (although let's call it a light jog for now). After a bit of a hiatus, the blog has been brought back, with a new layout nog al (we hope you like it).

Going forward, with the help of a couple contributors, we hope to explore even more avenues of laid-back, humorous drivel and egomaniacal opinion - all with the aim of tickling your funnier bones, even if only for a few minutes each week.

After all, Saffa Dude is committed to pumping out the same chilled-out vibe that we cultivate in our own lives and spreading it to others. We do enjoy a good chuckle as much as the next man (we probably enjoy a good alcoholic beverage more than him too). So it is that we feel the need to share these thoughts with you.

It's here for your entertainment. Take what you will!
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The Dead Horse Theory

Dakota Native American tribal wisdom, passed on from generation to generation, says:

"When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount and get a different horse."

However, in educative, corporate and governmental Southern Africa, more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:

1. Buying a stronger whip.

2. Changing riders.

3. Appointing a committee to study the horse.

4. Arranging to visit other countries to see how other cultures ride dead horses.

5. Lowering the standards so that the dead horse can be included.

6. Reclassifying the dead horse as 'living impaired'.

7. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.

8. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed.

9. Providing additional funding and / or training to increase dead horse's performance.

10. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse's performance.

11. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overheads and therefore contributes substantially more to the bottom line of the economy than do some other horses.

12. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses.

And of course ...

13. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position!

If you understand the above, then you are obviously a South African.
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Switzerland joins Schengen Visa Scheme

SD's friends in the travel industry have alerted me to the fact that the list of countries that South Africans can travel visa free has shrunken by one. And its a European favourite.

From 12th December 2008, Switzerland will become part of the Schengen visa scheme, and those usually requiring a Schengen visa will no longer be able to enter with their residency status alone (as is currently the case). Those entering Switzerland prior to 12th December may still enter on the existing residency rule.

For those travelling in the holiday season between 12th Dec 08 – 5th Jan 09, the Embassy are currently issuing visas valid for Switzerland only. These applicants must be travelling by air to Switzerland only, and not already holding a valid Schengen visa. The Embassy recommends if you have a client wishing to travel between these dates who will require a visa, they should apply as soon as possible.

We have been informed by the Embassy that submission for Swiss visas will be by personal application only, by appointment. If you are in London this can be arranged by calling 09065 771222. There is no current indication how far ahead appointments are being made. Once submitted, if all requirements have been met and the applicant is not referred, processing will take 2 working days.

Another one bites the dust....

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If you can drive like that, drive an ambulance

Sticking with our motorsport theme today, I thought I'll share this beauty. I dont need to say much about this, just watch the video and keep your jaw from dropping (its fly season).


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The Power of Dreams turns to Hours of Screams...

Honda announced today that Jenson and his mates at the Honda F1 team are out of a job as the the Credit Crunch hits the first F1 team. They are all due to receive a letter before Christmas confirming they are to be made redundant.


O my shattered nerves!!! If Honda has problems staying in F1 are we going to see Formula 1 racing with just 2 teams next year??? Not sure it will be any different from this year. Maybe we should just give the trophy to Lewis now and call F1 off next season.

Honda's Racing team employs about 800 people directly with their HQ in in Brackley, Northamptonshire. They are now looking for a buyer and hopefully the team can be sold and we'll see their name change and still be in the running for 14th spot.

According to the BBC News

Honda will assume the existing debts, and, it is understood, will sell the team for a nominal figure - perhaps as little as £1, said BBC sport correspondent Adam Parsons.

Honda have won only one race in the past three seasons and last year achieved only one podium position thanks to Rubens Barrichello.

Jenson Button is the other driver in the team.

The team's total budget for the past year, including work done in Britain and Japan, is believed to be just short of $500m.

Adam Parsons said this was "a stunning shock" for motor racing.

He said Honda was considered one of the best funded and most dedicated teams, despite its poor results.

Who wouldnt be interested to buy all that investment at Credit crunch Prices? I am starting a pool and have added my life savings (£2.43).

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SA Blogs: Links Added

I have added some links to some popular South African blogs that I read. See the "What we read..." section on the right or click continue reading to find out more.

Here they are in no particular order...

ChumpStyle
Urban Ninja
Wat Kyk Jy?
Keo
2Oceansvibe
Splattermail
Baglett
SA Rocks
6000 miles from civilisation...

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Saffa's Song of the Week [wk49 - 08]

The Enemy - Away From Here

This is an oldie but its a goody and sums up perfectly how I felt about work this week.
They have a sound that has to grow on you. I find it a bit like the same process of getting to know and love Kings of Leon. I have seen them live twice at UK festivals and have to say that I was surprised at how many of their songs I know without actively following the band. Here is The Enemy's website is saying about what they are up to these days:

Scheduled for release in April 2009, The Enemy are currently recording the eagerly anticipated follow-up to their all-conquering debut album 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns' at studios in Coventry and London with producer Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight, Foals, The Zutons). The Enemy recently confirmed their biggest headline tour to date for March and April next year which concludes at London's Brixton Academy. All of the twenty-two shows at major venues are either sold out or will soon be.

'We'll Live and Die in These Towns' hit the top of the album charts and was soon certified Platinum, ensuring The Enemy's status as one of the UK's biggest bands in the process. They also earned a plethora of major awards including NME and Q's Best New Band and XFM's Best Debut Album. Having played at the Reading and Leeds festivals and the BBC's Electric Proms, they also headlined NME's Rock & Roll Riot tour before heading to Japan for the first time. They also made history with two phenomenal homecoming shows at Coventry's Ricoh Arena.

Buy: We'll Live and Die In These Towns (MP3)

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Amazon Launches MP3 Downloads in the UK

Amazon.co.uk yesterday launched an iTunes rivalling MP3 store. They offer over 3 million songs as they teamed up with Sony BMG, Universal Music, EMI Music and Warner Music.

With the launch it is offering some of the currently top selling albums (like the SD's album of the year Only By The Night by the Kings of Leon) at half price, which equates to £3 per album or 69p per song.

The big advantage here is that it is DRM (Digital Rights Management) free. This means like unlike music you have bought from iTunes you can play it on any device and any number of devices (PC, laptop, iPod, any other MP3 player etc.)

Play.com already offers DRM free downloads at with better quality. Play.com encodes they files at 320 kbit/s, iTunes at 128 kbit/s and Amazon at 256 kbit/s. The quaility does not double as as the bit rate doubles, and you would probably not hear the difference on your standard iPod headset, but for the audiophiles out there that play their MP3'3 over a sound system, there will be a difference.

It didn't take long however for the Pirates to spoil Amazon's party. Some upstart coders have already created a Firefox plug-in that links the e-tailer's service to The Pirate Bay and give you the ability to download the tracks for free or the price of a internet connection. The creators of the software says this about their affiliation with Pirate Bay

“We are not affiliated with The Pirate Bay, and do not host or even link to any illegal content,”

Isn't it just great that the people who sell the guns cannot be prosecuted for what you do with the gun.

Click this link to check out Amazon's MP3 Store.

iTunes is dead long live Amazon...!


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WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED?

Some light entertainment laced with interesting links for Wednesday afternoon...

Men Are Just Happier People

Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can never be pregnant.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another petrol station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks and engines.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
Your underwear is R15.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original colour.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes [DKW's - Thats Dans, Werk, Kerk] - one colour for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.
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You are just jealous because the voices only talk to me

This not only a favourite old bumper sticker (not that SD condones bumper stickers in any way, shape or form), but it is absolutely ridiculous that that some people actually think that they can get away with stuff as long as God told them to dot it.

A man from Texas shows us how...


This guy in San Antonio, Texas rammed a woman's car off the road at 100mph (160kph) because God told him "she needed to be taken off the road."

Click this link to read the complete article on what happens when the voices start to speak to you.

Beware the voices...

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Online picture viewing made less cumbersome with Cooliris

Here at SD we view a lot of photos online. Whether its Facebook, Google Images, Flickr, or some random art from the various websites like deviantArt. My one gripe has always been the waiting time for pictures to load while you scroll from one page of thumbnails to the next.

Cooliris brings us the solution. It mimics the idea of Microsofts Photosynth project of displaying the pictures you want to see as a scrollable and zoomable wall.

Cooliris has been around for a while (now version 1.9) and I have using it for about 4 months. It works as a neat little plug-in to your web browser (Firefox or IE) that will add a icon to any a picture on any Cooliris enabled website (which are most of the ones you use). Clicking the icon takes you to full screen view of a wall of the pictures affiliated with the one clicked on (i.e. Facebook album, Google Image search, etc.). From here you can easily scroll through the pictures open them in the web browser and generally just muck about.

They have a code you can embed on your website with links to you Flickr photos or any RSS picture feed. Below is an example of a random Flickr feed.



To find out more and install this free plug-in go to Cooliris' Website.

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