Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Freeeeeeeeedom!

Today, South Africa celebrates the 17th anniversary of the first democratic elections, which saw Nelson Mandela become the first black President in history. Recognising that the apartheid regime could no longer be sustained, the then White South African government under F. W. de Klerk opened talks with the rest of the country in the late 80s and early 90s.

The transition wasn't smooth. Violence ensued, and a period of uncertainty lay ahead. But we, as a people, prevailed and began to build the beacon of the African continent. No matter the issues with the current Zuma government, South Africa is still the light on the dark continent.

At least there IS a government...

God bless Africa. God bless this wonderful land!


- Coming straight from my iPad

Image source: Krypton Zone (c) 2011 Entertainment

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

And... We're Back!

After several turbulent years, I have finally reclaimed the domains kryptonzone.com and kryptonzone.org. I first registered the .com domain more than six years ago, but due to some disagreements with the hosting entity, I was forced to relinquish the domain. I decided not to let my domain die, and become part of a scam, so I proceeded to register the .org domain.

The company I paid to register is called Micfo. I also signed up for them to host my site. Sadly, after several years of good service, they decided to let it slip while hiking their prices. Once again, I had to let my domain go. I had originally planned to re-register the domain through another service, but Micfo put up a fight, not willing to release the account.

Finally, after some patient months, I have been able to register the domains. I've even picked up the .info one for a bargain.

Until I've figured out what to do with them, they will be forwarded to this blog. And with that... We're back!

Monday, April 18, 2011

24 hours and counting...

On Saturday, while I was on my way to do some much needed grocery shopping, I noticed that the Stop/Go Toyota Optimal Drive counter ticked over 24:00:00. My little 5-door 1.33-litre petrol Yaris was delivered in November 2009, so after about a year and a half, it means I've been at a stop situation for more than a day in that time.

In some ways this is quite sad... It means I've wasted a day in my life in traffic conditions or sitting at the lights. Keep in mind that I've been strictly following the EcoDriving training I've received by avoiding heavy congestion travel times. I'm also only using my car for home-work travel (sometimes picking up the grocery on the way).

On the other hand, the Optimal Drive has saved some really useless CO2 emissions flowing into our atmosphere. Silver lining... and all that, I guess...

Shanghai 2011

For the first time in my life, I'm actually really happy McLaren won the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix which took place at the Shanghai International Circuit this morning. The Red Bull dominance has been broken after three races, and it may finally lead to some more interesting racing as the European leg of the F1 circus starts in three weeks time.




I've never been a big Red Bull fan, nor am I a fan of Vettel. Webber, on the other hand, I can respect. Early on in his F1 career, he drove for Minardi, the last minnows of the 90's/2000's era, but he was able to stick Stoddard's car on pole in Australia. That was something.

There's no denying Red Bull Racing is a game changer. That part has been quite clear for some time now. I'm just not so convinced with the way they go about it. Team boss Horner just doesn't do it for me when I see him on TV. He has an annoying sense of arrogance which drives me mad every time BBC interviews him, I.e. every single race.

Vettel started off well and humble, but he's also caught this arrogance bug. And between the two of them, they shunted Webber way into the back of the garage. Not very impressive, especially as Horner keeps harping about fair play and no favouritism. Rubbish!

Necessities, the race was hugely entertaining. The Pirelli tyres are still holding on to their exciting entry into the sport as the most exciting thing since the Bridgestone vs. Michelin days. The drivers kept on track most of the time except when Perez decided to crash and bang into everything during the second half of the race.

Let's see how it goes as we enter into the regular European part of the season. More on a personal note, I really don't feel like waking up this early anymore for a while!

Well done to McLaren, and also to Mercedes for a strong result too.

- Coming straight from my iPad


Image source: gpupdate.net


Friday, April 8, 2011

First Drive in the Lexus CT 200h

Yesterday night, I had a chance to drive the new Lexus CT 200h which came on the European market in the past month or two (depending where you are in Europe). The Cerulean Blue 5-door hatchback CT came with a 1.8-litre engine powered by Lexus Hybrid Drive technology.

I've been waiting to give it a go for a while now since it was announced and when I saw a pre-production, black-taped up car at the office. Earlier this week, I had a chance to sit in a static display at the office to have a look at the interior, as well as a detailed look at the exterior.

But, just two days after that, a chance came that I couldn't resist! A test drive!


The car was extremely comfortable, and the ride really didn't disappoint - even with my heightened expectations. The knob in the centre console to switch from Eco Mode, Normal Mode and Sport Mode changes not just how it drives and handles, but it changes the interior atmosphere as well. At night, the LED centre light changes from blue to red when going from Eco/Normal to Sport.


That's not all... The dashboard changes from blue backlit to red backlit and the "Eco Metre" switches to a rev counter (also backlit in red).



Overall, another fantastic experience with a Lexus! They really don't disappoint.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Sue Nammi

I saw this strip today and suddenly felt a strong warmth in my heart. The latest Madam & Eve (South African daily comic) takes a light-hearted view on innocence and how children looks at the world. Especially now, this is something that helped me deal with all the strife around the world.

Thank you Stephen and Rico!


Credit: Madam & Eve, South Africa