And I use “art” very loosely here when I mean the creative products of your head and your hands and the tools you use to extend the reach of both. Whether writers, filmmakers, musicians, webdesigners, potters, poets, dancers, landscapers, crafters, carpenters, architects, hatters; whatever the avenue for the creative imperative to realise itself, these endeavours are most often shunted aside to our secret life, our hobby. Because creatives don’t make money. Or not enough to make a steady living. They do it for the love. Or until they get a …

Emissaries of Facebook have paid South Africa an official visit. As Facebook.com’s 29th ranked country, with 2,322 million unique monthly visitors [track the latest figures on Facebakers.com] we have cracked the nod, and now gently herded into the fold to meet the business end of Facebook. The Emerging Market EMEA diplomats sent to charm the natives; Mark Cowan and Blake Cowlee.
Habari Media organised what looked to be another big.company.meets.small.country gathering. The gist of the gig: Facebook now offers SA more options on ad placement on the site through a …

One of the delights of living in the Southern Hemisphere has to be its dense, dazzling night sky.
Meandering to open spaces where the urban light veil falls away, yields a blaze of stars, the Milky Way (the Galactic Centre and magellanic clouds, a southern sky speciality), even man.made space objects twinkling back at us. In turn they’re scrutinised in ever-crisper definition as each generation of earthlings puzzles out the celestial connect-the-dots.

“Astronomers, like burglars and jazz musicians, operate best at night.“— Miles Kington

 
In the last few days of the International Year …

No grand 10th century castle – you couldn’t get there on a steam train from secret King’s Cross platforms – but this seemingly unexceptional building at 9 Ntemi Piliso Street, downtown Johannesburg is brimming and buzzing with magic.
 
The Defense against the Dark Arts is for real. Here they’re battling the very real forces of poverty, indignity and violence that swallow too many of the young ones in our country whole. Peacefully, with laughter and a startlingly ingenious approach to education and business, this sister school to CIDA University is a …

memorable learning experiences, urban games and unusually powerful travel experiences for the slim minority that take delight in learning rather than just looking cool and together.

Charged with creating a strong support system for one of the most progressive programmes that UCT’s Graduate School of Business offers, I’ve gathered some of the brightest, biggest-hearted people I know, to offer back their battlescars and brilliance to a small band of artists going on a powerful learning journey.
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26 Mentors have stepped up to contribute to this special programme, and I’ll introduce them as the as the journey progresses, because they deserve to be recognised. Each chosen for their particular approach to bridging business and creativity.
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For the reason that …

An extraordinary learning opportunity comes around but once a year. A very special business school programme that I am so moved by, that I support it wholeheartedly and recommend it wildly.
Back for its 3rd year: BUSINESS ACUMEN for ARTISTS
It’s a dream.manifest of Director of UCT’s GSB Executive Education, Elaine Rumboll, also a published poet and blues.singer, who realised that her fluency with business, negotiation and marketing was an exception among artists. She developed the rich curriculum for Business Acumen for Artists, lobbied to have this needed programme subsidized, and launched …

Thanks to the generous invitation of logistics.meister Dean Carlson who organised the event.. coveted VIP tickets to the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit are in hand! (yup, THAT one with Gladwell and Branson on the bill – if you’re in Jo’burg you’re sure to know what I’m on about).
Forgive the selfish rejoicing -sharing is one of the most rewarded virtues of our digital age- but these ones are worth hanging on to. yippee.
HOWEVER I spotted on the site that if you’re one of those people who fickle Fortune smiles broadly upon: …

AT LAST!

The TEDxJoburgNorth programme, launching on the 15th July 2009, will  be the beginning of many more such TEDx events in the city. I’m helping to gather the forces for a city.size TED Johannesburg in November with TEDsters and fellow raving fans, under the passionate leadership of publisher Alicia Woolf [want to get the early heads.up on getting your seat or collaborating to make it legendary? mail me or leave a comment below.]
TEDx Events have the same general goals as TED Conferences. TEDx activities are dedicated to leveraging the power …

On the weekend of the 19th of June, 2009, about 40 South African Internet personalities will gather for a weekend of informal conversation about the South African Internet. We’ll talk about what would make it better, how to stimulate innovation locally and what role there is for a more formal industry-wide body to carry on these conversations and representations in the future.

To quote Desmond Tutu, “A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he …