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Use your powers for good: iSummit Croatia

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on May 14, 2007
in event posts
. 4 Comments

Two days to go to grab the opportunity to become a benefactor of the iCommons Summit. And be heralded as a visionary for doing so (we love that!)

iCommons is helping to lay the foundation for cultural infrastructure that supports human brilliance to be shared freely, without the constraints of out.dated and suffocating controls that cut off innovation & creativity. This is a biggie - if you’ve been looking for a cause to support that will make a real impact on the future course of humanity: Creative Commons & iCommons are right out there at the revolutionary edge.

Whatever you’re richest in: time; money; contacts; creativity - you’ll be celebrated for your investment. Go use your powers for good >>

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Bull in the China Shop

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on May 8, 2007
in SA rocks! and creative genius
. 11 Comments

What better way to ensure that you get readership for your blog from day one - with streams of incoming links. So go welcome the man who crashed through the door.

David Bullard is consistently spared through style, the saving grace that will allow for otherwise vile or unpalatable expression. It’s the confounding quality of charisma that keeps Robert Mugabe rockin’ and Donald Trump well served with the best life has to offer despite a perennial badhair day of questionable ethics.

We just can’t get enough of the bad boys despite the trail of bushfires and enemy snipers in their wake. Rasputin-like the Bullard has defied the bullet, and comes back unrelenting.

That said it’s probably a whole lot safer to inflame a bunch of bloggers, than those with more than words in their weaponry.
Can’t remember where I read this but seemed apt :
People are more violently opposed to fur than leather, because it’s safer to pick on rich women than biker gangs.

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re.creating my reality : as elegantly as possible

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on May 3, 2007
in Heisenberg, Max Kaizen, buildingblogs, quirky science and time
. 5 Comments

There’s been such an overwhelming wealth of good stuff happening and outrageously useful stuff to share… but at the heart of the storm there’s been total silence. I wish I could attribute it to fellow edu.revolutionary, the stellar Steli Efti who initiated the OneDayBlogSilence (which unexpectedly erupted into noise and chaos). How counterintuitive and paradoxical these times are!

It certainly hasn’t been for lack of inspiration. Something like the calm before the storm perhaps, perhaps the eye of the storm. Life has been rampant for everyone I know lately. Accelerating always just a heartbeat beyond the catch-up point. Somewhere, somehow it will all start to make sense :: even if it won’t slow down.

I’m going to be reconstructing my blog for the next few days so its not going to be pretty. Forgive the chaos. New order will re.form on the other side.

BTW if you are intrigued in any way by chaos mathematics, fractals or the arcane outer reaches of physics but would love them explained in natural language I heartily recommend The Elegant Universe. For those times when you KNOW there’s an underlying order within the accelerating mayhem that life is occasionally prone to tumble into.

I was reminded of my well-thumbed volume when I saw that Brian Greene (beautiful in form & function) is doing a talk that I can’t go to tonight in New York (saddened to the core) :’-(

But I can follow the stringthings into the hopeful heart of the Theory of Everything. Perhaps with feverish inspiration I’ll order one little corner of the digital universe.. after the messy bits.. so here’s to diving in >>

“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star” - Friedrich Nietzsche (quite unlike the generally crusty old nihilist to have said so, but I dig it nonetheless)

Image: from one of the oddball cartoon sites I love: xkcd.com.
Well, after the love for Bru and Boegie obviously! If for nothing else but their disclaimer >> Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

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dinner with digital demigods

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on April 23, 2007
in Geek Gatherings, edutainment, networking and networthing
. 3 Comments

OMG I had dinner with Jimmy Wales & Prof Lessig .. and partied with them afterwards! (thank you iCommons team) I am such a geek groupie :-P

The hunter of genius was stopped in her tracks when confronted with deep genius ..and was mostly just in goofy awe.
I’ll post through the week on the funtimes and fundamental techtonic-shifts these internet icons brought our ZA way.

  • 1st @SARocks! on how both slammed the telecomm’s stranglehold in South Africa
  • 2nd :’-D Justin Nurse of Laugh It Off from his intro at the iCommons conference (where Justin certainly laughs something off! LOL)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgsaSDK2r8c]

I LOVED meeting more of the online crew like the Muso’s, the brilliant Buckland, the Apache founder fellow from SF, it was FUN and educational … more edutainment to come in the week >>

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Monogamy not an option for web entrepreneurs

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on April 20, 2007
in 27dinners, Cape Town, Geek Gatherings and South Africa
. 4 Comments

http://www.extreme-hotels.com/Speed dating for entrepreneurs in the gorgeous little Mother City* last night >> zoomed into the ubersexy Extreme Hotel for about 28.3nanoseconds >>

because I couldn’t bear to be left out of at least a little of the fun at the new OpenCoffeeClubopencoffee.jpg
South Africa’s first - started in London by powerhouse Saul Klein. Introduced to our shores by Eric Entrepreneur Edelstein.

Speed dating yields the quick & dirty blink instinct assessment. Maybe not perfect for business, but a whole lot more invigorating than the usual networking rounds of intro’s & pitches. For accelerated times it’s a relief to have the room moving at the same pace as you are. I didn’t have time for much more because I had to dash to a Toastmasters session. Not that there were all that many faces I didn’t recognise, all the usual suspects were in the house

… but I believe this one’s going to grow wildly and attract many more bravehearted entreneurs & serial start-up pioneers as 27 has.

Vinny Lingham’s right, in many ways this feels just like web1.0 .. the etherware salemen are shining their shoes and confuddling those who are in the rising panic that they’ll be left behind. [Even if the fundamentals don't bear out fair value in the financials, the big numbers have a gravitational force that equally defies scientific understanding].Hmm.. but we learnt a great deal the first time. And I am determined not to burn out another set of adrenals this time. South Africa has some lag time on the global upsurge but we’re in for a fun ride.

What in the world has this got to do with monogamy? If you happen to be one of the usual suspects at these kind of events anywhere in the world right now, you’ll know exactly what I mean. This is our lifestyle. A serious case of work ADD.

Chris Brogan did a post about this that I giggled at in complete recognition and realised that almost everyone I know has the same quirk. We new media types HAVE to have our fingers in multiple project pies, simultaneously.

We’re meeting, sparking, creating, conceptualising and innovating at a blur of speed that commitment to just one project is a foreign concept. Sound familiar?

As you read this how many projects do YOU have an interest in right now?

*(motherless for some I hear after the free drinks generously laid on by Vinny the VC and Anton Gillis).

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27dinner gathers force for FreedomDay

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on April 17, 2007
in 27dinners, Cape Town, Gatherings and Geek Gatherings
. 6 Comments

27dinner capetown

The 27dinner has outgrown itself again.
The Cape Town dinner has popped its seams due to demand :)

Marketing Geek Dave found us a gorgeous spot looking out over the Atlantic Ocean & Robben Island - how appropriate for Freedom Day! Clever fellow.

The lineup for the talks has been confirmed :

Greenman Ian Gilfillan, the awardwinning ZAshow podcaster Glen Verran, the wild & wonderful cartooning sire of Bru and Boegie Mike Scott… and maybe if we’re very lucky my mate Rus Nerwich (world class muso & wildman of jazz) will swing some beats for us.

It’s going to be yet another cooking night of engaging with the brightest minds of new media, marketing and technology in the Mother City.

Oh did I almost forget? Just in case you weren’t convinced by the quality of the company : the legendary Graham Knox will be bringing on free Stormhoek wine AGAIN! (aaaargh.. hope I behave this time)

There are now 20 more seats that can be snapped up due to the new venue (click pic) so dash to the wiki to avoid feeling left out if you missed the first ones >>

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B’School course for Executives in Web2.0

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on April 13, 2007
in Cape Town, Economic Factors, GSB, Geek Gatherings, South Africa, corporate education, edutainment and executive education
. 2 Comments

Dave Duarte (the Marketing Geek) announced the brand new course that we’re producing (thrilling!) for UCT’s Graduate School of Business
- Nomadic Marketing - scheduled 17 - 19 JulyUniversity of Cape Town
uctgsb1.jpg

This 3day executive course will focus on marketing strategy that embraces leading-edge technology. By now even those deep in digital denial have had to pay attention to the economic and social impact of the internet and mobile technologies. The course is geared as an immersive introduction with real world case studies, and practical application that you don’t have to be a geek to get! Certification included.

For us the pressure is on to craft a program of world-class quality to live up to UCT’s Graduate School of Business’ impressive stature. They have consistently ranked as one of the Global Top 100 MBA programs by the Financial Times. More appropriately for us though: in the Top 10 for Executive Education internationally! The challenge is energising.

Brain-based learning practices will be built in to more effortlessly enjoy the intensity of the course (without the overwhelm that would otherwise accompany this volume of knowledge). If you ever thought academia was dry and theoretical, you are in for an invigorating surprise.

Naturally we’ll be putting up a blog to get feedback and suggestions from you, to shape and clarify the syllabus. It will also offer introductions to some of the leading thinkers who will be contributing their knowledge.
[In the meantime we can confirm that mover and shaker in the SA web2.0 space Mike Stopforth is charging in to set the keynote. There'll be an economist, a futurist, podcasters, bloggers, respected marketers, pioneers and proponents of the new enterprise space who will lend their heft].

PS. you know Dave & I can’t resist community-building fun - so to ensure some solid edutainment - there’ll be an celebratory afterparty where you’ll be able to network with fellow course delegates; and also have the opportunity to connect with some of the bright & visionary technologists we respect
.. it’s not called social media for nothing.

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word.winning.women.week

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on April 5, 2007
in creative genius
. 5 Comments

writely-so.jpgCelebrating the genius*gals this week.. I am so stoked, two of the gorgeous and talented women of my crew have scooped big awards this week for their wordsmithing genius. Tertia first with SA Blog of the year, and best writing on a blog.

And NOW the Ritz! winning in style at the ICT Journalist ofCarly wins! the Year awards last night:

(here in the company of the fine Groogle aka Gregor Rohrig� & Vince Maher >>)

Ms. Carly Ritz is a blazing talent & worth putting on your watchlist >> she has a certain success trajectory ahead of her not just by virtue of unmistakable talent;
but possibly more so because she is exceptional, hilarious, visionary and heroic at the core. (spot the fan)

She will change the world ..don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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In Celebration of an Inspiration

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on April 2, 2007
in Cape Town, Heisenberg, South Africa and creative genius
. 3 Comments

So Close : SA’s Best Blogger : by Far

We all know by now the yummymummy Tertia has taken the award for Best South African Blog :) There is none more deserving than this brave, bright & beautiful blogger. Her blog is formidably successful; but the real prize is the hard-won success that spills over in all directions and powers up other’s courage to deal with life’s gritty and seriously crap bits with huge dollops of grace.

There’s a little more than the standard warm fuzzies in this story >> It’s been a wild ride for Tertia lately and instead of crashing, she chose to use the power of participation on her blog to change the fortunes of a family. She’s raised hopes and a house for Harrison in 12hours flat. Check it out, and see if you don’t get all inspired to craft a creative campaign to use YOUR powers for good!

Fortune favours the brave: her book So Close has also been shortlisted in the books-spawned-from-blogs Blooker Awards with the likes of Seth Godin’s “Small is the New Big” and powerblog Postsecret as running mates - and judges with the stature of Arianna Huffington. It’s no small honour.

Tertia’s blog and book have changed many lives in many different & unexpected ways.. it’s a Hero’s Journey in the classic sense and farking funny to boot. No infertility of talent in evidence. Good job T, we’re so proud of you.

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(un)Common Genius on Tour

Published
by
Maximillian Kaizen
on March 30, 2007
in Cape Town, Opensource, art and creative genius
. 2 Comments

button_01.png The SA Free Culture Tour is incoming.. bringing with it the world-changing brilliance of Jimmy Wales and Lawrence Lessig (little confession: I leapt around the office like a demented fool when I heard: hunters of genius evidently have different stars in their celebrity constellation.. this doesn’t make EVERYONE’S heart pound faster but for us online mainliners, it’s huge!) There are talks at the various universities and at the Internet Society of SA ..and then there’s a PARTY!!

Heather Ford & the iCommons crew with the crowdsourced creativity & logistics of the community’s event meisters, artists, musicians and more are slinging together a classic South African Bringn’Braai on the 20th of April 2007 at the Armchair Theatre in Obz right here in the little mothercity.

PS. If you’re a musician PLEASE consider contributing some beats to the Free Music Project - it’ll get into the ears of little ones around the world all wrapped up with the One Laptop per Child project

PPS. the braai aspect of this event is the burning of some of the Commons’ music feast with the Freedom Toasters supplied. The spirit of sharing back from the (Grateful) Dead still rocking it hard

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