Editorial Rant

Within one day we received two copies of an e-mail doing the rounds: This one claims that Sony Ericsson will give you an "Ericsson T18 Laptop" if you send the e-mail on to eight others, or an "Ericsson R329 Laptop" if you forward to 20 or more.  The mail helpfully says "I DID check Snopes - it IS legit".   This is of course a hoax, as detailed on Snopes, Urban Legends and Hoax-Slayer.  It takes five seconds to find them on Google.

I wonder why people forward offers like this, unchecked.  Doesn't the idea that you could get a R20,000 computer in exchange for sending an e-mail seem a tad far-fetched?  If the sender copies the addresses to the fictitious annna.swelung@ericsson.com as requested, what would she do with them?  Spam the recipients?  Rather disrespectful to the recipient, I'd say.

Maybe the forwarder trusts the sender enough not to check up?  If so, it's a way to learn how trustworthy someone is.

Perhaps the forwarder figures that the possible benefit to him outweighs the disadvantages to all the people he is sending it to: Wasting their time, using their bandwidth, clogging their mailboxes, and embarrassing them if they are gullible enough to forward it too.

I e-mailed the same lists pointing out the hoax. The reactions I got were interesting.  They ranged from one saying she had been about to do likewise, to several that were outraged and affronted.  Some people seem to feel that sending out lying hoaxes is OK, but trying to stop them isn't!  I never got an apology from either of the hoax-passers.

The cherry on the top? The Ericsson T18 and R329 are cell phones, not computers. And the hoax is so old that both models have been discontinued.

Overheard:

Customer: May I try on that dress in the window, please?
Shop Assistant: No, madam. You must use the fitting room like everyone else.

New Kids on the Block Back to top

• Panache Bridal (in Rivonia Central) – Brides' and bridesmaids' dresses to buy or hire. Opened late January 2010 on the lower level.
• Rivonia Convention Centre, Ground Floor, Rivonia Central – exhibition hall, conferencing and banqueting centre. Auction every Thursday at 18:00: business and household furniture, appliances, business equipment.
• Tekkie Town Woodmead (Shop 9 in Woodmead Super Value Centre) – Sports and running shoes of all kinds (including well-known brands) at competitive prices.
• Yeesh! A gigantic indoor educational and skills-building supervised play-park for children, with a relaxing area for parents.  Now open in Bryanston at 5 Main Road.  Original branch in Woodmead Commercial Park between Woodmead Value Mart and Woodmead Retail Park.

Restaurant Review (***) by Judith Back to top

JINNIU, Mutual Mews Shopping Centre, Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia

Previously "Best of Asia", this restaurant is now focuses on Chinese, Sushi and Teppanyaki.  We started with chicken spring rolls, one portion, which were huge!  They were also very tasty and contained cashew nuts, which made a pleasant taste surprise.  The Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc was served good and cold with ice on the side.  Rick was delighted to find they also have coconut milk!

The main courses we chose were the Salmon Teppanyaki and Shanghai Duck.  Rick declared the Salmon beautiful but the extremely salty oyster sauce spoiled it.  The Shanghai Duck was somewhat bland, although the duck portion was generous and there were plenty of vegetables and a large dish of rice.  Rick ate the latter with relish!  A good place to go for a quiet, well-priced meal.

Their prices are very good and the service and food are reasonable.  Contact Details for Jin Niu Restaurant.

Internet News

Did you hear? The three most popular web sites on the internet, YouTube, Twitter and FaceBook, are going to capitalise on their success by amalgamating into one.

The new combined site will be called "YouTwitFace".

The Gone Dogs  Back to top

• Audiovision - Closed July 2009 in Woodmead Super Value Centre
• Mugg & Bean in Rivonia Village.  And they seemed so popular.
• La Jolla Supreme Grills in the passage in Early Dawn Mall, replacing SPQR – they may in fact never have opened; certainly we've never found them open.
• Black Steer on the Boulevard in Rivonia Central – One of the original steakhouse chains, another sad loss.

Political News Just In

The Tripartite Alliance has broken up:  The ANC Youth League will contest the next election as a separate party.

Lose Your Hair for Charity

Morningside Shopping Centre at Rivonia and Outspan Roads, our newest (completed) shopping centre, is not resting on its laurels as the largest and most up-market centre in Morningside.  They have a promotion at least once a month, and keep their web site suitably updated (though our page for the centre has more details about the shops).

Their latest event is the CANSA (Cancer Association) Shavathon on Saturday 6 March, 10:00–15:00 at "The Men's Room" entrance on the upper level ("The Mens Room" is a hairdresser, not what it sounds like).  You can shave your hair off or get it sprayed a weird colour, and donate R50 per adult or R25 per child to fight cancer.  Enquiries: 087 940-3833.

At the Checkout...

As she was looking for her wallet, I noticed that the lady in front of me in the queue had a remote control in her bag.
"How come you carry your TV remote around?" I asked.
She replied, "My husband refused to come shopping with me, so this was the most evil thing I could do to him."