Enter the ‘BlaasPass’. Now, you really can check yourself; before you wreck yourself. What is the BlaasPass? It’s your own portable breathalyzer. No more guessing. This handy lifesaving gadget is conveniently tiny (L= 80mm x b=40mm x d=18mm),infact it’s small enough to hang on your key chain. Courtesy of Graynode Entertainment, I’m giving away 3 of these handy little BlaasPass breathalyzers for Christmas. If you are going to drink and drive, do the right thing and blow before you go!

To Win:

1. ‘Like’ the BlaasPass Facebook page by clicking here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blaaspass/180461511964752
2. Write on the BlaasPass wall: ‘Blaaspass and Muthablogga say you need to check yourself, before you wreck yourself.’
3. Tag your 5 favourite happy-hour friends in your post.

Remember to ‘Like’ Mutha’s FB Page too: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MuthaBlogga/211948438838252

Winners will be announced on 23 December 2011.

Speaking to Ryan Magner, one of the co-owners of Graynode Entertainment, I had the pleasure of getting to know a little more behind the BlaasPass story:

Q: Can you tell me more about yourself and your business?
A: Graynode entertainment was founded in September 2009 as an umbrella company for a number of product ideas my business partner Morne Greef, and I, had. We grew up predominantly on the East Rand of Johannesburg, and met as work colleagues in 2008.  A shared passion for business and a like-minded mentality meant that we quickly became friends.  After a year of brain storming, we finally launched our first product, Kings Cards. It was a great success. Then in December 2010 we launched the Blaaspass.

Q: What inspired you to start selling the BlaasPaas?
A: The Blaaspass was actually inspired as a result of Morne and I becoming more and more aware of responsible drinking and driving.  The media attention this problem receives, coupled by the fact that drinking and driving is becoming more and more unacceptable amongst our peer group, made us start thinking about possible solutions to help alleviate the problem.

Q: You sell both a drinking game and the Blaaspass, isn’t that a bit of a contradiction?
A: Both Morne and I feel it is a myth that enjoying your drinking and responsible drinking are mutually exclusive concepts.  We feel that the 2 products we sell in fact compliment each other quite nicely.  If you are going to be playing drinking games, at least get yourself a Blaaspass to make sure that if you do get back behind the wheel, you can at least make 100% sure you are safe to drive.

Q: How accurate is the Blaaspass?
A: Blaaspass is an accurate indication of whether you are safe to drive or not, but as always, the tool is only accurate in the hands of a user who has read the instructions, and operates the tool correctly.  If you are worried that you may be over the limit, it is important to get at least 3 safe readings before getting behind the wheel.

Q: Does it show you only if you are above or below the legal limit or does it show figures so you know what the percentage is (as the legal limits change)?
A: Blaaspass shows only whether you are above or below the limit, and does not give a digital output in percentage of Blood Alcohol Level

Q: Do you have any Christmas specials at the moment?
A: If you logon to our website www.graynode.co.za, there are a number of specials available.

Q: What is the exact level that the Blaaspass checks for?
A: Blaaspass checks for a number of different thresholds by using an LED indication system:
-    Green – under 0.02% BAC (0.1mg/l BRAC)
-    Yellow – 0.02% to 0.05% BAC (0.1mg/l to 0.25mg/l BRAC)
-    Yellow and Red – over 0.05 BAC (0.25mg/l BRAC)

The current legal driving limit in RSA is 0.05% BAC.  The general rule of thumb we use would be that if Blaaspass gives you a yellow and red, you cannot drive, anything else you should be good to go, however, its advised that even with a yellow indication, its probably best not to drive.

Q: What happens if the limit changes? Will you need a new one?
A: Yes, unfortunately, if the limit changes, you will need to buy a new one, however, due to the reasonably low cost of the unit, this shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most users.

Q: How long does the Blaaspass last?
A: Blasspass is reusable and can be used as many times as is necessary, over as long a period of time that is necessary.

Are you as amped as I am about the BlaasPass Cape Town? The Best Christmas present to give to a friend, it could save their life.

If your life ever been effected negatively by drinking and driving please share your story with Mutha by leaving a comment below.

It’s with much excitement that I’d like to introduce you to The Umbono Accelerator Programme. Umbono is Africa’s first, seed-funded incubator programme. It is set to  assist local web and mobile based startups turn their ideas into reality. Umbono brings together innovators and investors while providing local startups with a platform to test and develop their products. Once chosen the successful teams are provided with a range of benefits that literally jump starts their business. These benefits include:

• Seed capital ($25 000 to $50 000) from the projects local angel fund investors. 
• Business skills training which is provided through the Bandwidth Barn‘s VeloCITI program. 
• Access to mentorship from an extensive network of business and technology experts. 
• Web access which is funded by Cell C and of course,
• A creative work space based at the Hub, in the Old Castle Brewery in Woodstock.

It’s funny, I have always imagined Cape Town as being the world’s next Silicone Valley. Being the product of programming parents as well as an extended family of 1st and 2nd generation programmers, I have watched the MuthaCity closely on her journey to achieve this California-inspired-dream. As it turns out, Google agrees with me.  They state this pretty clearly on the Umbono website, saying that Cape Town has all the key-elements for,

“the development of a sustainable, entrepreneurial environment in the technology sector.”

It was an honour to be present for the official opening. Crossing the creative threshold into the Umbono office space, you’d be forgiven for not noticing the subtle Google Androids that have been so carefully and cleverly hidden on the stairs.

Stealth Android

wants to jump

start your ideas

After finding the Droids,  I spent a good deal of time finding and admiring the remaining details of the interior and industrial design in this space. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. Luke McKend , South Africa’s Google country manager shares my opinion. This is an incredible working environment. He even took the time to mention his admiration of Adrian Smith’s team from LI Design, the Comesis design team and Ocellus design’s work in his opening speech.

Working together they pushed the boundaries of creativity.  The locally hand crafted tape-measure rug in the reception area was commissioned especially for the office. The ceramic tea-cup down-lighting in the kitchen adds a touch of quirkiness, as do the up-cycled Consol glass light fittings. Then there is the dramatic African safari scene in perspex and the white boarded walls. Walls you can draw on. I would love some of those in my office. The flower pots built into the window sills and of course the encouraging ‘on-air’ lighting at the entrance. It all pulls together to create such an admirably creative work space. Personally, if I  worked here, I would never leave.

for

Creative minds

As afternoon turned to evening, the place filled up quickly. By the time we got to 6pm it was packed and everyone headed downstairs to the Hub, for the official opening ceremony. Luke McKend took the floor thanking all of the Umbono project’s contributors. He reiterated their goals particularly with regards to the expansion of Africa’s mobile and web based industries. Personally, I found his most notable comment to be, ‘The thing I love about Cape Town is that every conversation ends in an opportunity.‘ Well spotted. Living in a mixed economy with the world’s most creative people will do that. We live for opportunity.

Following Luke, Google’s Vice President of Engineering, Nelson Mattos needed little introduction. His speech made it clear that he understands Africa’s technology challenges. Google, he says, wants to assist in the removal of all access and costing barriers to technology in Africa. An admirable and ambitious goal. Imagine an Africa where limited access to phone lines and internet were not an issue. Where we did not pay exorbitant fees simply for landline access. Business would flourish. I wonder if our government is going to figure this out at some point. Taking this into account, while Umbono is still in an infant, pilot-project phase, the vision extends far further than the current scope.

The official opening of the Umbono Google project in Cape Town was a complete hit.

From left: Paul Vecchiatto ( I-net Bridge/ political journalist), Mandy Shrimpton (Co Founder of Heart Capital), Jane Doe (If you know her, let me know, not even Mandy could figure it out), Julia Ranzani (Independent consultant for content, media and marketing strategies)

Finally the announcement we had all been waiting for, was made. The first winning Umbono teams are www.taxtim.com, www.sampleboard.com , www.localsort.com and www.starburstgames.co.za.

First up and my personal favourite: TaxTim. The companies goal, says Evan Robinson and Marc Sevitz; is to provide an online service which automatically simplifies tax returns for salary earners.  It’s apparently going to be as easy as completing a questionnaire and the rest will be automated. This makes the need for the assistance  of an accountant obsolete for salary based income earners. Eventually they also want to expand the service’s capabilities to include tax return simplification for small business owners. I don’t know of anyone else is offering this service to small business owners yet, but I will definitely use it once launched.

Sampleboard is another fantastic idea. Basically it is a design focused website that digitalises sampling , thereby allowing designers to share their visual ideas with their clients without the hassle of physical boards. This assists users to manage clients’ expectations from the beginning. The project was initially started by an interior designer, Rosslyn Tebbutt to find an easy solution to providing clients with sample boards, moodboards and inspiration boards. The online tool itself, is like a basic version of photoshop but easy enough for inexperienced users to manage. It also comes packed with thousands of samples to choose from or you can upload your own libraries. Never being one to take another’s word for it, I tried it out and was surprised by how easy it is to use. What do you think? Are you a designer? Would you use Sampleboard?

Wael Fakharany (Google Regional Manager North Africa)

Henko Lategan: Starburst Games

Localsort , founded by Marcel Van de Ghinste, Justin Womersley, David McLennan and Jonathan Womersley is their solution to the problems they found in their first online business www.travelground.com. It was through Travelground that they learnt not only how important great guest service is, but that there is currently no easy way for businesses to connect and share information with accommodation suppliers. Localsort.com tackles this problem by acting as an online concierge service. It aims to provide hotels and other accommodation suppliers with recommendations on the best locations and activities for their guests.

Last but not least, was Starburst Games. A mobile game development startup.  Henko Lategan is the sole team member on this one. A brilliant young guy, his accomplishments include completing his honours in Computer Science at 23 years of age, winning the IMB competitions algorithmic prize for music, and coming second in the Android developer challenge. At first I was confused. This is Africa, why would you waste money developing a game when we have things that are way more pressing, like reducing the poverty line, education, job creation, medical care etc. After chatting to Henko however, I now understand that his company aims to increase the use and understanding of cellular technology through the use of these games which are social and take place in a virtual reality. He also claims it has “the most addictive mobile game on the market”. I’m looking forward to seeing the final product.

What do you think of the winning teams? Could you do better? If you have an idea for an online product, why not submit it to Umbono by clicking here. Who knows you could be the next to have your ideas jump-started.

Apparently I should have made more than I did as they were sold out in the first 10 minutes of the market. Kids were running up to me after school asking me to make some more for them. When it comes to taste buds, children don’t lie. Next year, we are having a strictly chocolate chip cookie bar. Funny thing is , it doesn’t matter how old or young you are, if you have a sweet tooth you will love these! After much trial and error, several recipes, a little experimentation with both temperature and timing, I do believe I have the absolute perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. They are crunchy and melt in your mouth chewy, all at the same time. Everyone that has had one, has asked for more and proclaimed their awesomeness too the sweet tooth heavens. So here it goes:

To make approximately 12 of the most Incredible Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies you have ever had in your life, you will need:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup of unsalted melted butter
• 2 cups of cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of chocolate chips

• A mixer
• measuring spoons and cups
• wooden spoon
• baking sheet
• 2 bowls

• Preparation Time: 10 minutes
• Baking Time: 17 minutes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven at 165 degrees Celsius
2. Grease (or as I do simply spray-and-cook) your baking sheet
3. In one bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.
4. In your mixing bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.
5. Beat in the egg, egg yolk and the vanilla until creamy and light.
6. Mix in the sifted ingredients ( I use the dough mixers on my electric beater for that) until just blended.
7. Add in the chocolate chips using a wooden spoon.
8. Use your 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out the mixture. onto your greased baking tray. I recommend placing them at least  20cm apart on your tray.
9. Bake the cookies for 17 minutes precisely at 165 degrees Celsius. Do not turn the heat higher than this. trust me.
10. Remove your cookies and let them cool down for at least 10 to 15 minutes before attempting to remove them and place them on a cooling rack.

That’s it, Enjoy. When they first come out of the oven they will be chewy and soft. Within an hour or five they will become crunchy on the outside, the inside however stays soft. They stay fresh for 2 to 3 days  if they survive that long, or longer if stored in an air tight container ( to be honest I have no idea how long they could last, mine have never made it past day 2 without being eaten).

If you make them and love them, post a pic to Muthablogga’s Facebook wall by clicking here and please do leave a comment. Happy Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie making! Tip: It’s a fab way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

It’s a boiling hot day in Cape Town and I’m running late, as usual. The parking guard chases after me and finding change is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I have arranged to meet Lindeka at Long Street Cafe in Town. I arrive and she’s sitting in a corner looking fabulous, waiting patiently for my arrival. I offer her a drink and she asks for coffee. I offer the suggestion of an iced coffee instead. She has never had one before and takes me up on the offer without hesitation. Her enthusiasm offers a glimpse at her curiosity and interest in the world.

With our drinks determined, I delve straight into getting to know the real Lindeka Qampi. Who she is, where she has been and where she is going and how she got to where she is. She’s a true muse, an inspiration to her community, to all women, everywhere. She is living proof that neither circumstances nor age can stop a lady determined to better herself.

Heralding originally from the Bolotwa, a tiny town in the Eastern Cape, Lindeka has been living in Cape Town since 1984. She is now 42 years old and supporting her 4 children aged from 21 to 2 years old through her career as a documentary photographer. At the age of 9, her entrepreneurial spirit started to show itself. She started off selling  sweets at school and eventually moved onto selling clothing to assist in supporting her family. She completed matric and a year after her mom had moved down to the Muthacity in 1983, she followed. Living in Khayelitsha, a squatter camp on the outskirts of Cape Town, her family got by selling clothes and skaap kop ( Sheep head, which is brought from the farmers and sold for food in the camps) and Lindeka was never really content. She felt there was something missing and she had no idea what it was.She was soon to find out. In 2004, with business being difficult, Lindeka took to gambling in a state of despair. A few months later in early 2005 her mother, worried about her gambling habits, asked her to sign up for a leather making course at their local community centre. Lindeka followed through on her mom’s advice (aren’t mutha’s always right?) and went for the course. It must have been fate as it was on this course that she overheard a conversation between some of the other participants which set in motion a sequence of events that can only be explained as divine intervention,  a calling, or destiny, however you want to put it, you get the picture, I’m sure.

The man she had over-heard talking was Mandla Mnyakama. He had enthusiastically been relaying his story of a new project in the area run by an NGO, Iliso Labantu, meaning the eye of the people. I wrote a story on their latest photo exhibit which you can read about by clicking here. The organisation provides photography training, cameras and opportunities to people living in the squatter camps. Although she wasn’t privy to the conversation, she had listened with interest and later found herself  wondering to the next campsite, just to track down Mandla and ask him for more information. By pure luck she found him and the next week enthusiastically attended her first meeting. By the third week though, she was bored. She didn’t have a camera and what was the point of a programme where you  simply looked at other people’s photography? Again, fate took control of the situation and it was at this third meeting that Serena Patel, one of the ladies running the programme,  had noticed she had been coming every week, approached her and asked, ‘Where is your camera?’. Lindeka explained she did not have one yet. Hearing this, Serena handed over a little Canon powershot (they rely on donated camera’s) and told her to go out and take photo’s. Having no idea what to take photos of, nor how to take a photo or handle a camera, the next week Lindeka returned with a memory card full of fuzzy photo’s of things like flowers. A bit more training from her peers, Serena and Alistair Burger ( Director of Iliso Labantu) along with directions to go exploring, to capture her world and the people in it, Lindeka tried again.

Spending the next few days taking photo’s of her children and family home, it was that Saturday evening that Lindeka’s love for photography was born. Wondering around in Site B where she grew up, it was at around 6pm in the evening that she asked a Sangoma if she could take some photo’s.  The Sangoma’s obliged her request and to this day, this sequence of photo’s remains among her favorite. Having grown up in a Christian home she had found the magic in photography.  It opened doorway‘s to other world’s and cultures. Since this realisation, Lindeka’s passion has continued opening doors for her where ever she goes. On seeing the photo’s the next week Alistair declared to the class ‘Now this is the sort of photography we are looking for’. It was an encouragement and kindness that Lindeka has never forgotten.

Five years down the line and today Lindeka earn’s her living and supports her family through her photography. She is taking a photo journalism course. She has been to Germany for a group exhibition with Iliso Labantu. She has a solo exhibition in Austria and New York in January next year and you can find her work at The Photographers Gallery ZA as well as on post cards at our National Galleries and the Foto Project Space gallery in Woodstock.

This journey hasn’t been without difficulty though. She is still living in Khayelitsha.  She is still married but her husband and herself are separated. He couldn’t handle her being out by herself to take photo’s all the time. Not even this loss could take her away from her now first love. It’s still a struggle to get by with her only support for herself and her 4 kids being her photography, but she is managing. The fact that she is a woman, has also made it a bit more difficult for her than her male counterparts, especially when she first started taking photo’s.  Now, she says the playing field has evened out as the community have gotten to know her and become comfortable with her.

At this point we take a break and sip our now melting iced coffee, which Lindeka loves.  For a moment my mind drifts. I mull over everything I have just heard. I’m honoured to be spending time with my Muse of the Month. Her journey and strength  bring me to tears. She doesn’t recognise how amazing and talented she is. It reminds me of my father in law’s favourite saying, a beautiful women is only beautiful until she knows is, and Lindeka is  like that. Not only beautiful externally but internally. Striking in her experience and resilience. Her seeming ignorance of these facts makes her even more so. Having heard her story, I’m now interested in her work, equipment and what motivates her.

She tells me she loves working with a 250 -300 mm lens and is using the Nikon D70 currently but dreams of owning a Canon D60 ( I tell her it’s a dream we share and we laugh together).  She goes on to tell me how she is inspired by real stories, real people, their backgrounds and creating  powerful social images. Sometimes she intends a picture to happen and sets it up, designs the composition, other times, and these are her favourites, she just happens to be at the right place, at the right time.  Her photo’s often reflect her mood. If she is feeling a certain way, she is always surprised by how accurately her work reflects this. She depends on natural light instead of Photoshop or After effects in a way that only a photographer with limited access to these things can. Her laptop also stopped working recently so her access to software has become even more limited. I love the sometimes eerie, almost surreal element in her work. Lindeka is an artist, a true self-taught professional, something not many photographers can claim.

Coming to the end of our conversation I ask her if she has any words of wisdom for other aspiring photographers. Work hard, she says, it’s not easy. Take care of your camera, and yourself. Be prepared to take chances. Challenge yourself. Play with the angles. Take your camera everywhere. Get up and learn new skills. Depend on yourself. Use your talents and your blessings. Wise words from a lady that has been through more struggle than most people will go through in a lifetime.

If you would like to contact Lindeka, purchase any of her photography, hire her, donate cash or equipment to her or just get in touch, email her on lindekaqampi@gmail.com or call her on 0835626801. To find our more about  Iliso Labantu visit their website here: www.ilisolabantu.org

                                                      

Mutha’s Review on ‘FOTO Project Space’ photo Exhibition

It was strictly chance that got me to the opening of the FOTO Project Space ( FPS) exhibition. The invite arrived randomly on my Facebook wall.  Not knowing a single person on the attending list didn’t phase me. What’s life about if you don’t jump outside your comfort zone at least once a day? I explained to my fiancé he would have to sort out dinner. Kissed him and my daughter goodbye. Grabbed a good girlfriend and dragged her along for what was to be an incredible, eye-opening, fascinating evening mingling with a whole new posse of appealing peeps.

Finding the place was easy. Unit: B105, 66 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town. We parked around back and the first thing spotted? One of the most awesome graffiti pieces I have seen in a while. It was a sign of things to come. We entered the building and after receiving semi directions from a very friendly patron exiting the building,  the sprayed signs literally pointed out where to go. The energy as we entered the space was vibrant, the crowd varied, from uber tech geekdom to sleek decidedly CapeTonian hipsterati. We were handed a glass of wine and I started my hunt for information and conversation.

FPS is a non-profit artist-run space that plays the role of classroom, workshop, studio and exhibition space to photographers from the most unlikely place, Cape Town’s townships. Striving to be a sustainable resource centre that is focused on investing in the futures of aspiring artists and photographers, FPS is aiming to create a communal open minded environment that connects local and international creative industries.

My question at this point was of course, how did this project get started in the first place? I soon found the guy who could give me the answer. Alistair Berg, co-founder and director of Iliso Labantu. Iliso Labantu means ‘the eye of the people’ and it was through this NGO that this exhibition came together in the first place. Founded in 2005 by Alistair Berg and Sue Johnson the organisation aims to provide training and opportunities for people living in our squatter camps surrounding Cape Town to use photography as a way of documenting their lives, and the lives of the communities around them. Shooting with donated camera’s it’s amazing how far these photographers have come.  Their striking images bringing the stark reality of township living to the rest of South Africa and the world.

Through Iliso Labantu the members have had opportunities they would never have had otherwise. The group then meets once a week to critique  each others work and obtain the advice of  professional photographers simultaneously. The more I spoke to Alistair, the more I understood the journey these amazing people have been on. Iliso also assists their photographer participants sell  their work in the galleries and shops around Cape Town as well as licenses for their work. The sales of these images help to support the photographers families and the Iliso Labantu project itself.

The thing I liked most about the photographers themselves was the age and experience gap, bringing professionals and novices into the same space. Some, like Lindeka Qampi and Mandla Mnyakama had been with the project since its inception, and are now considered professional photographers on an international scale. Others like Sipho Mponga ( currently aged 18 years old) who only recently joined, are going places quickly as they are mentored by their  older counter parts.

It’s an inspiring NGO, run by inspiring people. Besides this fab exhibition (and several more exhibition spaces in Cape Town and around the world) they also take their work back to the communities.Their flash photo weekends are an absolute hit. Several times a year, they will concentrate on a specific area in a township or neighbourhood for around 48 hours. They pick a work site and return the entire time to that spot to download and edit their photo. Then on the Sunday they will find a public place in the area to display the photo’s. The community love it. Most have never had photos taken of themselves before. They also make the fact that these street exhibits will be happening to newspapers and people all over Cape Town, so the crowd is eclectic and mixed, not something one often sees in the Muthacity. Like I said. Inspiring the rainbow in our nation. The very idea speaks to my soul and life goals as I pointed out in my post on ‘What makes you love your city?’

If you would like to find out more about this project, get involved, assist in tutoring or raising funds  you can visit their website: www.ilisolabantu.org, drop them an email or give them a call. This is a cause that shows results. You can also go and visit the FOTO Project Space in Woodstock or browse the exhibitions tumblr blog: fotoprojectspace.tumblr.com. Know of more ‘real’ NGO programmes responsible for uplifting our Mutha City community? Let Mutha know by filling in a comment below, who knows perhaps your cause is my next review.