August-Inspiration

Last night was GeekDinner time again!  As I pulled up to our venue for the evening, Capello, I was greeted by a loud speaker with thumping bass inviting people inside from the ferocious Cape Town wind, like a foghorn calling out to lost souls.  The inside was cosy and I really liked the “gangster” theme mixed with the bright floral themes.  It’s difficult for me to put into words, so it will have to suffice for me to say that I really liked the feel of the place.

Unfortunately I was rather tired last night, so I didn’t get the full experience of the evening.  But lets run through the vitals.  A buffet is always a winner and Capello gave us a descent one: starter, mains and dessert, I found something I really liked in them all (although the dessert wasn’t a buffet).  The minestrone was simply delicious and, as an Afrikaner, I felt very much at home with the “rys, vleis en aartappels” selection from the buffet.  (Pasta with mussels and livers were also available, of which I obviously steered clear.)  I also thought the service was great: the waiters were really professional and “played” their role really well to fit into the restaurant’s theme with their fedoras.  They seemed competent, at ease and even as if they were enjoying themselves, which helps a lot to influence the vibe of the dining experience.  Sadly, the restaurant seemed indifferent to “strict” vegetarians, which is always a shame.  I cannot, however, comment on the restaurant’s menu proper, as I didn’t see it.

The talks were good and really had (and kept) my attention.  The “experimental talk” we had, though, promoted some severely subjective (and unfortunate) views, but at least there was full disclosure on this fact.  Henk Kleynhans did a good job with the slideshow karaoke, although whoever was in control of the slides did not seem to be, uhm, in control.

Last, but not least, was, of course, our generous wine sponsors Delheim who provided us with top quality wine.  Thanks guys, you’re awesome and I really enjoyed it!

So, that’s my story.  If you couldn’t make it this time, I hope to see you at the next GeekDinner!  A big thank you to everyone who had a hand in organising the evening and bringing everything together in the end.

At present, many of my fellow masters students are in a rush to finish up their theses.  First opportunity hand-in deadlines have become a bit blurred and the ones aiming to hand in for the second opportunity are spurred on to finish up as quickly as possible.  So, there is a lot of hard work going on at the moment—well, sincere aspirations to hard work, at least.

Everyone has his or her own ways of blocking out distractions (even though the Internet usually voids these methods).  Many—if not most—of us turn to music.  There are many different tastes and schools of thought out there for what exactly is the best music for concentration: from jazz to Smashing Pumpkins; from Live and Muse to Swedish pirate metal (yes, that is a real genre).  Personally I have used baroque and KFM, among others, in the past.  But from the beginning of this year, I’ve also been moving towards a particularly niche taste.  I know of other people who use movie soundtracks to block out the rest of the world.  But I’ve turned to a particular flavour of game music; a genre which my flatmate tells me is akin to EBM (apparently).  This doesn’t mean that I’m becoming a goth, however.  But if you think about it a little, one realises that the right game music can be a perfect solution.  For big and popular games, the soundtrack is not haphazardly flung together, but rather it is carefully composed to fuse art and psychology.

Disclaimer: The following discussions may contain spoilers, even though it was not intended to be so.  If you plan on playing any of these games, perhaps skip them when reading through the list.

Here are the soundtracks I’m listening to at the moment and which I particularly like:

• Half-Life 2: The successor to the legendary FPS Half-Life, Half-Life 2 (and its subsequent episodic expansions) have strong dystopian overtones.  Playing Gordon Freeman, you have to lead the Earth’s resistance fighters to throw off the shackles of their trans-dimensional alien oppressors.  As a well-balanced FPS, it features some heavy battles at times.  Typically during these battles (usually when facing off against a “boss” creature), a specific music track would be played.  The music is designed to aid the gameplay experience: force concentration on the task at hand while helping the player’s adrenalin to start pumping.  The music is remarkable effective at this, and that is why I like it.  When it starts playing, I find myself completely focussed and amped for the task at hand.  My personal favourites are the tracks which come from Episode 2 (the second instalment of the episodic expansions).  Unfortunately the tracks from the original game are a little too short to be effective, but queued in sequence in a playlist it could still be useful.
• Portal: Portal shipped as part of the “Orange Box”, which also contained the games Half-Life 2 Episode 2 and Team Fortress 2.  Also a FPS, it is atypical as it trades violence for environmental puzzle solving.  In the game, you, the player, are trying to survive a series of experiments by a mad AI.  You are effectively a lab rat playing within lab conditions.  The music is non-intrusive and helps you to concentrated on solving the current puzzle, while also ever so slightly hinting at something deeper and sinister going on behind the scenes…
• Eve Online: I have to admit that I have never played Eve Online.  Even though I wanted to, I was warned that the game takes a lot of time to play properly and time is something I don’t have in abundance at the moment.  Eve Online is a MMORPG set in space.  Think “World of Warcraft with spaceships”.  Some of the in-game music tracks are available to download free from the Eve Online website.  The ambient music is peaceful and soothing, while other can get a player really riled up.  Its job is to help keep a player focussed on the task at hand for all the hundreds and thousands of hours necessary to play this game properly.
• Command & Conquer: The Command & Conquer series of RTS games was one of my first personal favourites.  Call me sentimental, but I really like Frank Klepacki’s work in these games.  Klepacki composed the bulk of music for the Command & Conquer games for years.  All the way through from Command & Conquer to Tiberium Sun (including the expansions), the music accompanies a player as he micromanages his base, defends his base from enemy attacks and plan attacks; something I’ve done for countless hours.  Starting in the mid 90′s, this is the oldest of this genre of music I have which I am discussing.
• Deus Ex: Bringing more nostalgia to the table, Deus Ex is another FPS featuring a strong story of a dystopian world on the verge of collapse and the conspiracy theories surrounding it all.  This game inaugurated the new millennium along with The Matrix.  The music highlights the gothic undertones of the game.

So that is my story for today.  If you know of any other similar music or games, I would appreciate it if you could let me know: I’m always looking to expand my cultural horizons!

Last night we had another GeekDinner, this time at the Pasta Factory.  It was a fun evening, despite all signs: a lot of people (including some friends I had hoped to see there) cancelled for various reasons, a bunch more cancelled because they were sick and I myself was feeling a bit under the weather.  I’m therefore probably not the best person to give an objective review of the event.  But, one thing that I have to say, is that I was a bit disappointed in the food.  The food was good, don’t get me wrong, but not worth the price.  I realise that it is not uncommon for Italian food (especially pastas) to be hellishly expensive, but one has to draw a line somewhere.  I was actually looking forward to a nice pasta, but on seeing the selections available to us, I opted for one of the pizzas.  While I think those who has pizzas “scored” in terms of volume, it isn’t difficult to find pizzas of at least the same quality for nearly half the price.  So, that was a bit unfortunate.  But, at the very least, last night was the first time in a looong time that a pizza bested me.  (Its because I’m sick, you see.)  So now I have lunch… mmm!

The staff was, however, very friendly.

Thanks again to Delheim Wines for sponsoring us!  I wish I could have had some wine last night, but didn’t want to risk taking any alcohol into my system.

For around 40 years, the Spur has been a favourite among many, many South African families.  It is a steak house done in authentic American style… so much so, that many believe it to be an American franchise.  But it is as South African as biltong, koeksisters and bobotie.

The franchise only started 38 years ago with the opening of the second ever Spur store in Bellville in the Western Cape.  Named the “Silver Spur”, it was located in a posh area.  At the same time, a young married couple settled in Bellville, as the husband had recently gotten work as a teacher at the D.F. Malan High School.  The Silver Spur was situated across from the school’s sports grounds.  The couple was starting out in the real world and some tough times lay ahead still, but at this point in their lives, there were many things to celebrate, so they came to knew the Silver Spur as part of their dining out experiences.

Time passed.  The couple moved on and times changed.  Around the building in which Silver Spur was located, old buildings were replaced by new office blocks.  Parks became endangered, but endured.  While not facing the school directly, the two did stand opposite each other.  The staring contest was never won, but eventually some students sporadically found a retreat in the steak house behind a milkshake and plate of chips after a hard exam.  The Silver Spur too reached out to the school to help sponsor sports events, papers and year books.

But the biggest change that happened was within the community and the surrounding social structures.  Eventually affluence began to wane.  A spilt came and for while, time froze.  To this day—in church services or the Silver Spur—you can spot an old couple who are remnents from the old days.  Perhaps it is the musty fur coat or the out-dated suit and hat—whatever it was, you can see that these people were fell off in days gone by.  While I am cautious about calling it a revival, a new generation is moving into Bellville: those just starting out and who have yet to make their fortunes.  Those who cannot yet buy “on the hill”, but can pick up a property for perhaps still under R1million in the neighbourhood to fix up and turn into their first “dream home”.  But there are still a lot of older people in the suburb of Boston.  This lead to special circumstances at the Silver Spur, like pensioner’s discounts.  After many years, the new top brass of the Spur found out and forbade this practise.  It was replaced with a “pensioner’s menu”, but it was still good.

Having moved back to Bellville just over a decade ago, my parents and I frequented the Spur on mostly special occations, like Mother/Father’s Day or perhaps quiet and private birthday celebration.  We’ve grown attached to the place in a way and recognise the managers and long-time waiters.  Over the past few years price increases have been crippling, but we still manage to show up once in a blue moon.  So it can to be, a few weeks ago, that we returned to the Silver Spur.  As we walked in, I immediately realised that something was drastically different.  The interior decor was, for the most part, the same, but menu’s, logo’s and lighting were different.  Was the Spur undergoing a make-over?  Nothing that I know of, and I was in the Stellenbosch Spur just a week or two before.  Then the menu’s were placed in front of us and with a chill I realised that this was no longer the Silver Spur.  This was the Silver Horn steak ranch.

I called over one of the managers who was obviously doing rounds of explanation.  While I (and even they) am still unclear on the whole story, it boils down to the top brass ordering the Silver Spur—the sistership to the flagship of the franchise—to be closed down.  With little time to argue and even less time to find out any decent reasons, the managers came together and decided to buy out the place.  And so the Silver Horn was born: out of haste and confusion and (and this I believe the be most crucial) a sense of duty towards the regulars and the community at large.

The menu of the Silver Horn is much the same as that of the Spur.  I liked the food and the promise is that the prices will be kept below that of the Spur’s.  The people are the same as before the schism.  The waiters are friendly and know what they do.  Most importantly: the heart is still there.

I cannot give a traditional review.  If you have ever been to a standard (proper) Spur, then you know the food, the layout, the decor and everything else that is usually commented on in a review.  But what I want to stress is the heart and guts of these guys.  The had the guts to stand up against what was suppose to have been a protective body who wanted to shut them down.  They remain loyal to the faces they see come in regularly.  This, I believe, is commendable and they have my respect and loyalty.

So go there and support these guys!  They have been in business on their own only a couple of months.  As a bonus: it has an excellent view!  You look over the tree tops, across a little field, into the school’s sports grounds, the school itself, towering about it, Table Mountain!  Support the Silver Horn!

I just got back from the May 2009 Cape Town GeekDinner and, man, was it great!  There was good vibe, the venue was excellent and the people awesome!

Our location was at Neighbourhood in Long Street in Cape Town.  I went there with some friends after the Cape Cobras-Rajasthan Royals match and thought it a good candidate for a GeekDinner.  I suggested it and we eventually settled on it.  And we weren’t disappointed!  The staff was very friendly and the food was excellent!  The starters were different platters served as a buffet: I’m sure that alone filled up some of the people in attendance.  For mains we were given a relatively generous set menu to select from.  I decided on having the Foghorn Leghorn Burger, and it was delicious!  For dessert I had ice cream, but by this time I was so stuffed that it was an uphill battle I didn’t quite win.  Having worked with the managers before to arrange the venue, I can testify to the lengths they went to  accommodate us and were always friendly, open and helpful.  I’m not trumping anyone up because I have to: these guys really are tops!

We also welcomed a new face to GeekDinner: Delheim wine estate generously sponsored us with good quality wine!  Thanks guys!

For me, this was a special GeekDinner.  Not only did I have a hand in helping to organise it a bit, but I also gave my very first GeekDinner presentation!  I gave a brief talk on Asperger Syndrome.  It served a dual purpose: to raise awareness amongst the GeekDiners (although I suppose a lot of them already knew much on the topic) and it also helped my studies by forcing me to study this subject and getting me to try and wrap my mind around it.  The only downside was that I wasn’t able to cover the topic as thoroughly as it should be.  But I believe I got the jist through, and that is what is important.  It prompted some discussion and some interesting comments and questions afterwards, which I’m glad about.

Thanks to everyone who pitched in and pitched up and made this a great evening!  And a special thank you to everyone who supported me!

WARNING! This article is about STAR TREK! If you are not a geek and Star Trek fanboy(/girl?), reading this article may cause epileptic seizures, rage, emotional instability and schizophrenic breakdowns! Continue at own risk!

As a child with a very active imagination, science fiction television shows, movies and computer games were valuable assests and efficient at filling my imagination and playtime. Of these, Star Trek were of significant importance. Growing up in the early 90′s, I always looked forward to watching the next Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) episode. As many a geek, I have taken a love of this franchise into adulthood. While Star Trek: TNG and Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (DS9) were still on local television, I was too young to appreciate the deeper plots and running themes of the series. By the time Star Trek: Voyager (VOY) started showing, I had gained this ability. While all these shows were distinct and different from each other, they still shared many similarities, such as intro theme, wardrobe and temporal setting. For 15 years, Star Trek had not had a major face-lift. But a face-lift and concerted effort at revitalising the franchise was attempted in the early naughties in the form Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT). Throughout all of these serieses, movies were still being produced. It was a movie that started the franchise. Despite new serieses such as DS9 and VOY, the movies of that period all mainly featured the crew of the TNG series. But I didn’t mind this at all.

Captain Picard and his crew were, and still are, my favourite of all the characters in the Star Trek universe. Recently I saw an old season of TNG again. Admittedly, more than anything, watching that show recalled memories and bouts of reminiscing about when I was young. While not the best show ever (that is being shipped from Amazon as we speak! Stay tuned!) I still liked it. Sometimes that is all that is necessary, although it doesn’t leave one much room for becoming opinionated about something.

I didn’t like Deep Space 9 that much. But, as I said, I wasn’t able to appreciate all the finer details of the show back then and would be more than willing to watch it again. I really enjoyed VOY at the beginning, but as the seasons dragged on, I became bored with the amount of melodrama in that show. These are all my own opinion: I have heard of people who love DS9 and think that it might be the best Star Trek series ever. Other people really like VOY. I can respect all that.

But the franchise was in danger: it wasn’t pulling in new fans and it needed to overhaul itself. So the powers-that-be decided to create a prequel to the whole franchise in the form of ENT. This show took a futuristic science fiction show, set it back in time (but still in the future) and made it “primitive” technology wise. It featured a fledgling Star Federation and naïve (already united and “pacified”) human race who started reaching out into the dark beyond for the first time. The crew make-up followed the same recipe as the Star Trek shows that came before ENT (hey, if it works and all that, right?). Still, it was clearly something new and a complete break from the previous 15 years. And I liked it! For a bit. The series started strong and for one and a half seasons it was brimming with potential. Then some brilliant writer suggested the Temporal Cold War. The Temporal Cold War would be fought by various factions in a post-TNG/DS9/VOY period across time: primarily in the ENT timeline. The idea was for the factions to try and eliminate each other before they became a superpower. And the poor simpletons of the ENT crew were caught in the middle. One paper, it can be made to sound like a good idea. Just like communism. In reality, it was an awful, awful idea that eventually ruined the series. The culmination of this change of direction for the show was “Nazi aliens” and the ENT crew being turned into bitter, pessimistic characters that doesn’t suit the franchise. ENT died a quiet, undignified death after four seasons despite a shimmer of hope to but the show back on track as it was suppose to be.

At this point I should mention that many factors contributed to the utter failure of ENT. One was the unfortunate turn in the storyline I just discussed. But this drastic step was perhaps brought on by a decrease in the number of viewers. However, it is necessary to point out that people weren’t watching ENT, because the TV network on which it was shown in the USA at one point slotted it into the worst possible time-slot. Even “geeks” occasionally have a need to go out on a Friday night. So, ENT was partially destroyed by network politics, just like so many other good shows before and after it.

The failure of ENT sent shock waves of fear and worry throughout the Star Trek community. Before ENT, the final Star Trek movie was a universal failure. The movie also finally released Picard and his crew from their responsibilities to the franchise: things were brought to a close and the actors can now retire in peace (yeah right). Going even further forward wasn’t really an option. And going back… with the fiasco that was ENT, the caretakers of the franchise didn’t want to risk a movie about it. So, was this the end of the franchise? Had Star Trek finally come to an end?  The fears and frustration of every fan of Star Trek fan was verbalised in the third Futurama movie when the head of George Takei (Sulu from TOS) reprimanded the head Scott Bakula (Archer from ENT), saying: “Way to kill the franchise, Bakula!”.

The astute observer would have noticed that I haven’t yet mentioned the original Star Trek series (TOS). To many hardliners, Captain Kirk and his crew are the beginning and end of the Star Trek universe.  But I haven’t mentioned Kirk et al because I never knew them.  The series and movies long preceded me and I’ve only seen glimpses and parodies.  The most concrete experience I have of TOS is a comic book I inherited from my brother, which features many weird stories, like one where a mad scientist captures the brain waves of long-dead famous people from earth, stores them on punch cards and programmes them into androids.  I think that watching TOS now would, quite frankly, be hilarious.  But still, they were the forerunners of what I know and love today, so they deserve their respect.  When the franchise was dying, the fans cried out.  And Captain James T. Kirk responded.

On opening day, I went to see the new Star Trek movie.  It was strange to see so many older people there: it reminded one that Star Trek has come a long way and spanned more than a generation already.  I won’t delve too much into the movie, safe to say that it was excellent!  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  And, as a litmus test, we took along friends who weren’t Star Trek fans at all, and they enjoyed it just as much.  The movie therefore is able to cater for both hardcore fans and newcomers.  It is therefore able to draw new people towards the franchise.  The movie also necessarily draws on the dodgy time travel element in order to create an alternate universe.  This was well worth it, however, as a new fork in the Star Trek universe is possible.  The events of in the movie are sufficiently cataclysmic to ensure that the future will be different¹.  With fresh and talented actors on set and keen and inspired people behind the pen and lens, Star Trek could very well live again!

So, after a long-winded and uncalled for essay, my conclusion is this: go watch the new Star Trek film!  Then, go out, and live long and prosper²!

1. Although not necessarily.  If you are concerned about the fate of Captain Picard and his crew due to this fork in the timeline, remember that ENT introduced the concept of “merging timelines”.  While people naturally think of single actions in the past causing profound changes in the future, the Star Trek universe holds that acts to “change history” are somehow “karmically” counteracted to try and correct the future timeline.  Only sufficiently drastic changes in the past can change the future.  I know, I don’t quite get it either… [↩]
2. Sorry, I just had to add that! [↩]

Last night I attended the thirteenth GeekDinner which was held in Sea Point at Tao Yuan.

Now, before we begin, I should make a couple of points clear.  Firstly, I am not a big fan of oriental food.  Secondly, the previous GeekDinner (the Stellenbosch one) completely eclipsed anything we had experienced before.  Therefore, measuring most GeekDinner experiences against that one could be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

To fairly rate Tao Yuan and any future GeekDinner events, I have come up with the following solution.  Anyone who watches Top Gear will know of the “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” segment.  In this segment, they interview a celebrity and then have them race around their track.  Their time then gets recorded on a board for future guests to compete against.  But if the guests are in fact part of motor racing, it would be completely unfair to measure their times to the film stars.  F1 and rally racers therefore have their own board.  So, I shift Lovane to one side until the rays of tranquility and enlightenment fall on me in a dining establishment again.  I am now ready to objectively evaluate Tao Yuan.

But, the reality is that this whole exercise wasn’t strictly necessary.  This is because Tao Yuan did not disappoint.  The staff was friendly and there clearly was good and efficient communication between the organisers and the management.  From my point of view, the restaurant’s trial-by-fire began with the appetizer, which was sushi.  I am a feverent opponent of sushi.  I have tried sushi more than once before and it never accommodated with me.  But, under the guidance of some fellow GeekDiners I was led to my first half a dozen bites of sushi which didn’t completely revolt me.  It was quite nice, actually.  The main course was served as a different dishes anyone could help themselves to.  This included pork ribs, salted chicken, noodles, steamed beef, rice, sweet and sour fish and something limp and green (I didn’t have the first and the last).  Everything was delicious, but an honourable mention needs to go the the rice and sweet and sour fish.  I have never had sweet and sour fish, but it is a winner idea that goes above and beyond expectations.  Dessert was watermelon slices and dough with a sweet syrupy centre.  Everything was incredibly yummy.  Tao Yuan is (from what I gather) already prominent in the Chinese community in Cape Town.  Now, however, I’m sure there is going to be a protracted surge in other patrons frequenting this neat establishment.

The only thing which was a bit of a bum was that the vegetarians had to be relegated to their own table.  While this provided for some joking about on the organisers’ list, it was a shame that not everyone could sit with whom they wanted.  No-one is to blame for this, however: it was a consequence of circumstance.  But perhaps it would be something to look out for in the future.  (Besides, after the previous GeekDinner, I learned that vegetarians sometimes also gets yummy food! )

I also want to thank everyone who presented last night.  You guys outdid yourselves.  There was a common underlying theme in most of the talks (money)—whether this is coincidence or not, I’m not sure.  But everything went well and the talks were quite enjoyable and informative.  Special thanks to Bryn Divey who delivered an amazing slideshow karaoke.

Last, but not least, thank you again very much to Perdeberg Winery.  You guys are family and it just wouldn’t be the same without you!

I’m sorry for again not having any pictures to share.  I took my camera with this time, but all my batteries were kaput.  More than you, the readers, loosing out, I lost out on some amazing Sea Point sunset pictures.  It was second breathtaking sunset in a row and really lifted by spirits.  Man, I love Cape Town!

As a long-standing fan of the Total War game series, I looked forward with great anticipation to the latest instalment Empire: Total War.  This game was going to be it.  For the first time a single campaign would span multiple theaters (Europe, North America and India).  It would also see the introduction of naval warfare, as well as a host of other new features.  And, to crown it all, the game looked great on the preview videos.  Visual detail has always been a hallmark of the Total War series, but with Empire they outdid themselves.  With each video and screenshot, the developers added a disclaimer assuring the viewer that this was in-game and real time.

So I pre-ordered the game from a local game shop.  I waited and waited, and then it came.  When you get a new, long-awaited game, there are several stages of ecstasy.  The first is actually getting the game in hand (something which is being lost with digit downloads from providers like Steam).  The second is tearing off the cellophane and getting a whiff of that unmistakable “new game smell“.  This olfactive delight climaxes when you carefully open up and thumb through the game manual for the first time.  During the refractory period you’ll enter the third stage: actually installing the game.  Watching all the progress bars slowly fill up and whatever eye-candy the developers provided along with the installer only serves as foreplay to the fourth stage: running the game for the first time.  And, if the game is well done, there is a fifth stage: the realisation of how awesome this game actually is.

I got stuck at stage fourth, which pretty much ruined the other stages for me.

See, E:TW is a “Steam game”.  This means that, once purchased, you enter the serial number of your game into Steam and register it with your account.  You can then take your game with you wherever you can take your Steam account.  After downloading it on a machine, you can play it anywhere, anytime, without the fear of physical breakage or theft of your game discs, or your house and all your games burning down.  Steam also provides an on-line community and games store, as well as keeping your games up-to-date automatically.  In short (if you have broadband Internet; a problem still for many South Africans), Steam is great and I love it.  Except when it screws you around when trying to install a game from DVDs.  See, with data rates as they are in South Africa, downloading all 14GB of E:TW would have doubled the price I paid for the game itself.  So, rather mosy down to the shop and get to experiences stages one and two.  Sounds good?  Yes!  Except when you cannot, for the life of you install the darn thing!

I’d start the installation of the game.  A Steam window would pop-up informing me that the “local game cache” is being created.  Fair enough.  Then the progress bar would fill and… nothing.  Nothing happens after that.  The progress bar remains full and the animated ellipse keeps running its little heart out.  Nada, nothing, ziltch.  Frustrating?  You bet!

After attempting to reinstall the game a few times (in all fairness, random, unforseen, unreproducable errors to occur sometimes), but the result is always the same.  So I climbed on the Internet and found that I was not the only one having these problems.  In fact, I found a whole lot many more people having a plethora of problems with this game, even after successful installation.  This wasn’t looking to good.  But at least the developers were quick to jump on these complaints and quickly released work-arounds and patches (as is the norm with big games these days, unfortunately).  But the difference between my problem and all these others were that no-one was answering the questions my comrades and I were asking: how do you install the game from the DVDs?

After trying several possible remedies (I even just left it there for 14 hours, hoping that the installation would pick-up, as some people reported happening), a friend suggested I bring my game to him, login into my Steam account on his laptop and installing the game there.  I took it along to the office at varsity and the game installed without a hitch on the first try.  I copied the install file from his laptop unto my computer, but still had the game problem as I had no way of letting Steam know that the files are there already.  Wading through the forums and our little empirical study of the situation, I came to the hypothesis that the decisive factor was the speed of the Internet.  At home I have but a sub-megabit Internet connection, while at the University of Stellenbosch we have the fastest Internet connection in the country.  So I labouriously packed up my PC and spent a frustrating day at the office getting my PC registered on the varsity network.  Once I got everything set up, the game installed without a hitch.  So the solution?  Too slow Internet!  (Admittedly at a late stage I saw Steam suggesting changing your download server, but I never tried this.)  This endeavoured swallowed up the bulk of more than a week.

On Steam’s part, I am furious for allowing Internet speed getting in the way of installing a game you paid good money for.  I can imagine a scenario where, with the release of a new game, the servers are flooded and people with slow connections somehow keeps getting kicked to the back of the queue for load-balancing purposes.  I still love you guys, but as of today, your latest Steam hardware survey shows that about a quarter of your users still have sub-megabit connections.  Please figure out what this problem is and fix it!  I’m also furious at both Steam and Sega for not responding to the desperate cries of us who could not even install the game.

As for the game itself, I can’t say that much yet.  I looks amazing, even running on only medium graphics.  A lot has changed, however, and I am finding it difficult to figure out all the new managerial aspects of the game.  My fears of Total War becoming too much like Civilizations also still needs to be vindicated.  But I am optimistic that things will turn out for the better.  I have only played the game for less than three hours thus far (I am swamped with other stuff at the moment), but have thus far not encountered any other technical difficulties with the game.

Last night I attended the thirteenth GeekDinner.  Or the first.  Or 10½.  It depends on how you look at it.  Because it was a very special GeekDinner; for more than one reason, as it turned out.

For a long time, we who live in Stellenbosch have been campaigning for a GeekDinner to be held in the Stellenbosch area.  I had promised that, when I find the time, I would join the organisers’ mailing list and actively lobby for a Stellenbosch GeekDinner.  After the January GeekDinner, I joined and, low and behold, GeekDinner came to Stellenbosch!  The best part is that I didn’t even lift a finger!¹  We had a willing-and-able person who organised the whole affair nearly singly handedly and, boy, did she do a good job!  It was still decided, however, to hold the dinner in an “off month” to test the water and the willingness of Capetonians to drive “all the way to Stellenbosch”.  We didn’t have a full house, despite the fact that the venue could only accommodate 55 people, but there are other factors involved as well.  Personally, I believe that GeekDinner will return to Stellenbosch in the not too distant future!

And there is good reason for this optimism, which brings me to the second factor which made last night so special.  GeekDiners now have a new standard whereby to measure quality and service.  Our hosts, Lovane Boutique Wine Estate (a small start-up just outside of Stellenbosch), outdid themselves and, to be quite frank, most of the venues in the recent history of GeekDinners.  The venue itself was small, but the tables were well placed and spaced, and everyone could see the screen (a problem we have been having of late).  It is always interesting to see the menu we get for a GeekDinner and this one had my mouth watering from day one of the planning: beetroot stack with goats cheese starter (which I quite enjoyed, despite the fact that I am not a big fan of beetroot), sirloin steak served with a mushroom sauce and butternut ravioli (for the vegetarian option) for the main course with a side dish of rosemary and garlic potatoes, vegetables and salad served with apples, avocados, walnuts and spring onions, and, finally, homemade ice-cream served with a chocolate sauce and coffee.  At first sight I was a bit sceptic of the steak, as it was quite clearly rare to medium (I prefer my meat well done), but it was delicious, soft and succulent either way!  But the best part was the fact that it was a buffet.  This meant three things: I would be able to try the butternut ravioli (which was really tops in itself, although I doubt whether something can be called ravioli if it doesn’t contain meat…), we could pile our plates as high as we wished (no chic bird-dropping-sized portions) and there were seconds!  And, as a final, unexpected treat, after we finished we were all invited down to the cellars for personal tours.

So, what can I say?  Good venue, awesome and friendly hosts and staff, and food to die for.  Really, I don’t owe anyone any favours—when I say this, it is the real deal: go to this place for the food, go there to chat to the people, just go there.

But despite the rave of the “new kid on the block”, we haven’t forgotten our faithful wine sponsor, Perdeberg Winery for sponsoring us in this “off month” with their delicious wine!  You guys really are tops!

Oh, one final tip.  If you decide to go to Lovane, schedule your visit to coincide with sunset.  I didn’t explore the grounds as I was late in getting there, but on my way I saw the stunning sight as a blood red sun setting behind a tree (think of Lion King) directly in front of me along the middle of the road.  Yes, yes, I know it is bad for your eyes, but it was just so beautiful….

PS Sorry, I didn’t take any photos.  I went home thinking it was 17:00, realised it was 19:00 and turned around and went straight to Lovane.

1. I call this the “demi effect”, as in my years of being a student assistant, I have miraclously solved many programming problems by just arriving at a confused pre-grad. [↩]

This year I have decided to start exploring the Cape from a culinary point-of-view.  Cape Town is a wondrous place with many splendid sights, sounds and people.  But there is something special in its food and its flavours.  I hope to use journey of exploration as a springboard to other discoveries the complacent Capetonian often misses about his or her beloved home.

Just to be clear, when I say “Cape”, I mean Cape Town and its surrounds, as far as my current home in Stellenbosch.  Stellenbosch is a small and quiet little town with multiple personality disorder and which is neither small nor even quiet.  It is a symbol of patriotic pride for many Afrikaners who wander underneath the alien oak trees; it is a raucous student town and a peaceful tourist town; it sports history and cutting-edge technology (uh, I mean research); it sells the cheapest alcohol you can legally buy as well as some of the most expensive meals in the country.  It is at the same time deceptively large and deceptively small, especially to the casual observer.  For years I only knew the “student” side of the town and beyond.  It is only in recent years that I have slowly begun to venture into the other side of town.

Picture four friends walking down Victoria street on a Friday afternoon in the summer on which the sun does not casts down as much heat as it does laziness.  They are hungry and looking for a place to eat—some place where they have not been before.  They turn left in Ryneveld street and continue on a bit and cross one of the many lines of demarcation in Stellenbosch.  This one, like the others, is not marked or indicated in any way.  It is more of a feeling that comes over you as you walk along.  Somewhere between the church and the synagogue you cross over from the “student” part of town into the “tourist” part of town.  Here prices triple or quadruple and there is no mention of Tassies.  You hear strange accents and see people walking around with cameras around their necks.  There are loads of little cafés and restaurants sprinkled between the businesses which some of the locals frequent.  We continue past Plein street, discussing what we are in the mood for and ford Church street (the epicentre of the tourist part of town).  Suddenly we find ourselves at the end of Ryneveld street and finally decide on a small, unremarkable place: 5 Ryneveld.

5 Ryneveld

This is not the type of place I would normally dine at, primarily because of they charge for their food (although, in retrospect, it wasn’t unaffordably expensive, except for the R1399 burger which includes a bottle of Dom Perignon).  But we were young, foolish, hungry, and there was the unspoken significance that this was a farewell for one of our friends.

A large section of the 5 Ryneveld menu is devoted to burgers.  They have a wide variety with interesting toppings.  The “Ronin” chicken burger caught my eye.  I cannot remember all the details I would like to of that day, but what is important I do remember and that is how delicious that burger was.  It had the slightest of zing—perhaps it would be too little for other people, but it was just right for me.  The flavours fused in my mouth and I was a thorougly happy chappy!

My friends enjoyed their burgers as well, but had minor complaints.  I had none, which leads me to the primary conclusion that not all of 5 Ryneveld’s food it for everyone.  They try interesting things on their menu and sometimes it works, but sometimes the menu description creates an expectation which isn’t quite lived up to.  Personally I would recommend 5 Ryneveld, even if only for you to decided for yourself if and what you like.

One thing that is an annoyance is the website of 5 Ryneveld.  Before starting this post, I thought I would go brush up on the menu a bit.  However, their website features a pulsating logo, and while it is a nice logo, it only features the logo.  So, don’t bother going there, unless you are high and need something to completely zone out on.

Location of 5 Ryneveld.

The next restaurant on my list needs no introduction.  Over the decades, Stellenbosch has had many legendary establishments which became (in)famous among the student populace.  Some have weathered the onslaughts of Change, while others have perished and are now only memories to some of the alumni.  The Brazen Head is relatively new, but it is already firmly established in Stellenbosch and I don’t believe that it will go away any time soon.

Brazen Head

The Brazen Head has served me well over the past few years.  Nearly all the students in Stellenbosch know The Brazen Head and, of that group, I would say most of them know it well.  It spans two storeys and a courtyard.  The ground floor is the “bar” area and has several smaller rooms in which you and your friends can kuier in relative peace.  The top storey is reserved for bookings and is more of a restaurant area.  But I think it is the courtyards which is everyone’s favourite.  Even in summer, because the tables surround a soothing fountain and the addition of mist sprayers ensures that this area is always cool and comfortable, even on the warmest of days.  What I consider a loss, however, is that fact that they have covered up the balcony area.  When this was still uncovered, it provided a slight view over the town and, sometimes, some quite from the crowd below.

But what about the food?  The Brazen Head offers a wide variety of meals.  I have eaten there before and enjoyed it, but on the occasion I want to highlight now I had a plain old beef burger (yes, I went with the budget option).  The burger was nice and succulent.  It reminded me of a Spur burger which, lets face it, is not bad at all.  The meat was softer than that of a Spur burger, but it also had an after taste which wasn’t necessarily bad, but wasn’t what you get from a Spur burger.

The Brazen Head is too expensive for the average student to eat there more than once in a blue moon.  I reckon they make most of their money from students who stop by for a beer or two.  And they seem to flourish on this business model, so who am I to meddle with the status quo?  There is just one teeny, tiny suggestion I want to make, if the proprietors are reading this: just make a plain old plate-of-chips option available.  Something affordable on which student can munch while drinking their beer.  Not having this option is hurting you, I’m sure.  But, if you are going to do this, you are going to have to get a new recipe for chips, because what I got with my burger was below standard and will be even for a drunk student.

Still, maybe I am just being fussy.  The Brazen Head is a good establishment overall and well worth a revisit.  Whether you decided to go to The Brazen Head for the food, the drinks or just the sprayers, I’ll see you there!

Location of The Brazen Head

PS I am not a professional food critic and have not had any “training” apart from “open up, here comes the train…”.  I write these reviews solely on the license of free speech the Internet so unfortunately provides.  Any views expressed here are mine alone.  It is up to you to use commen sense and sound judgement in deciding whether to eat at a certain place or not.