Carel's Conversations - blog

Why I’m NOT getting an iPad 2!

Carel — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:57:15 +0000

Yes, today, March 11th, 2011, is launch day for Apple’s new iPad, the iPad 2.

Apple iPad 2

I pre-ordered the iPad 1 and eagerly awaited the Fedex guy to deliver my oversized iPhone. I’ve loved using my iPad since them, HOWEVER, I’m NOT getting the new one. Don’t get me wrong it is another magical device and how can I go against David Pogue of the NY Times and CNet.

Guess what, I’m actually going in the other direction. I officially handed over my iPad 1, 64GB to my wife and she loves it! I have a big screen iMac for work, however I need a device that can travel with me. So, I’ve done lots of thinking and research and I’m opting for the 11″ MacBook Air.

11" MacBook Air vs 13" MacBook Air

Surprised, here are my reasons:

I need a real keyboard. The keyboard on the iPad is great, but it takes up half the screen. You also cannot rest your figures on the keyboard. I also don’t want to lug around a wireless keyboard. MacBookAir: 1, iPad: 0.
I want (not need) a very small and light device to carry with me. MacBookAir: 1, iPad: 1.
It must be cool. MacBookAir: 1, iPad: 1.
I use logmein for my hosting business, ClickHOST.com. I need access to my servers and cloud-based software and yes, you can do it with the iPad, but I found it cumbersome. Logmein on the MacBook Air is as if you are working on your desktop computer. Although a much smaller version . MacBookAir: 1, iPad: 0.5.
I need to see 2 windows at one time. MacBookAir: 1, iPad: 0.
I don’t want the device to be a barrier when I’m meeting somebody. The iPad is awesome in this regard, and a full laptop is bad. The MBA 11″ is a good compromise. MacBookAir: 0.5, iPad: 1.
The iPad has an awesome battery, over 10 hours. That should last you a day. I’ve really enjoyed NOT having to carry a charger with me. The MacBook Air’s battery is ok at 5 hours. It should get me thru most of my day. MacBookAir: 0.5, iPad: 2.
Backup for my iMac. I can also quickly connect my USB backup drive to my MacBookAir if my iMac had a problem. MacBookAir: 1, iPad: 0.
Streaming movies, access to my favorite websites, iTunes, etc: MacBookAir: 1, iPad: 1.
Instant on/off. MacBookAir: 1, iPad: 1.
Not having to clean the screen — priceless!

In summary: I’m getting a 11″ MacBookAir and my wife’s getting the iPad.

PS: My son is buying his own iPad 2 today. He sold his iPad 1 yesterday.

Question: What do you think? Did I make the right decision?

ClickHOST – I liked the name so I bought the company.

Carel — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:07:07 +0000

[Discount code at the bottom of the post]

ClickHOST is such a catchy name. It says exactly what the company does. You click, we host. End of last year I acquired all the assets of ClickHOST.com. We provide mostly shared web hosting for smaller business, associations, charities, churches and professionals. ClickHOST started in 2000 and has built up a wonderful customer base. We already have great systems and a great team in place to support our existing and future customers.

Some examples include:

- terrysbeefnmore.ca

- hauserscovehomesonthelake.com

- polished.ca

- theeatingexchange.com

You can follow us on twitter at twitter.com/clickhost.

Use promo code CH-TWIT10 for 10% of web hosting and domain names. Post a comment to receive a 20% discount.

Why You Should Start a Company in Atlanta | FastCompany

Carel — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:20:02 +0000

Not too long ago, about fifty years, Atlanta was the size of Little Rock, Ark. About a hundred years before that, it was burned to the ground. Atlanta has proven it can grow (adding 1.1 million residents in the last decade alone). Now, it’s building toward a sort of tech hub in the southeast, against a backdrop that includes the busiest international airport in the world; a healthy cluster of corporate giants in Coca-Cola, UPS, Delta and The Home Depot, among others; and a spur of entrepreneurial activity that put Atlanta in the top ten on this year’s Kauffman Entrepreneurial Index, which tracks new business creation.

But in a place where half the population isn’t from there, identity is a work-in-progress—theNew York Times called Atlanta “corporate stronghold, a Southern belle and a hip-hop capital”—all at once. Add to that: home to Internet security expertise and a key drug in HIV treatment. Alan Taetle, general partner at venture capital firm Noro-Moseley Partners, spoke with Fast Company about what makes Atlanta’s startup scene unique.

Read more here.

Best iPhone App ever – Consulting Rate Calculator

Carel — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:10:35 +0000

OK, I’m bias. I’m so excited about this that I’m giving away 2 $10 iTunes vouchers. See below.

I spent most of my professional career calculating margins on consulting rates, including doing conversions between different currencies, calculating hourly, daily and monthly rates. Well, now I have a handy little iPhone App, called Consulting Rate Calculator that can do all this for me and more. Here is a screen shot:

Consulting Rate Calculator

There are 2 versions: A 2-buck version that you can find here, and a and a free or lite version that you can find here. Here is the description from the App Store: Consulting Rate Calculator enables you to quickly and easily calculate your hourly, daily, weekly and monthly rates and profit. The app offers an intuitive and simple interface with the ability to view, edit, save and email your rate sheets. Switch currencies with ease or updating any charge out rate or cost rate cell in the sheet to assist in determining the optimal rate structure for your next project.

Key Features:
>> Hourly, daily, weekly and monthly values all editable and visible in a single sheet.
>> Multiple currencies with selectable base and comparable currencies (Limited currencies available in lite version).
>> Exchange rates updated in realtime.
>> Save rate sheets for later viewing/editing (Full version only).
>> E-mail rate sheets in CSV format (Full version only).
>> Configurable hours per day, week and month.

Usage Examples:
1. A consulting manager can save his/her team’s rates for quick lookup. Quickly lookup a consultant’s rate structure when getting a call at the airport for a specific position.

2. The manager of a multinational consulting firm can enter the charge out rate in GBP and the cost rate in USD to review the profit of a US-based consultant working in the UK.

The guys at Cobi Interactive in Cape Town, South Africa did an awesome job with these apps. They develop mobile apps for almost any mobile device, including: iPhone, iPad, Android, Nokia, Blackberry, Samsung Galaxy Tab, etc. Post a comment and I’ll put you in touch with them.

Give-away

I have 2 iTunes $10 vouchers to give away. Here’s how it will work. Download the app, write a review on the AppStore and re-post that review in the comments below (including your email address as the contributor) and I will pick 2 random posts** and email you the $10 iTunes voucher.

iTunes $10 giftcard

**Small print: I need at least 20 reviews to make the math work. I’m sure you’ll understand.

Official US Green Card lottery opens Oct 5, 2010

Carel — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 05:00:25 +0000

Green Card

I know many South Africans in the US that won their green cards (or permanent residence cards) by entering the US Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Program or the Green Card Lottery.

The official place to find information regarding the lottery is at the US. Dept of State website. Do yourself a favor and don’t use ANY other website! There are literary hundreds of sites that offer to do this for you for a fee, sometimes a substantial fee.

The lottery opens Oct 5, 2010, 12pm EDT and ends November 3, 2010, 12pm EST.

It’s dangerous to walk on the pavement in America!

Carel — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:39:07 +0000

In a recent post I gave you some business words that have a different meaning in America. Below is a table with some common everyday words with different meanings. You can find many more in this blog: US2UK.

South African term	American equivalent	Explanation
Petrol	Gas	You fill up at a gas station.
Robot	Traffic light	Turn left at the second traffic light.
Road	Pavement	In the US it is dangerous to walk on the pavement (in the road).
Pavement	Side walk	US equivalent is side walk
Crash	Car wreck	The wreck on the 75 caused a traffic jam.
Manual	Stick shift	Stick shift car.
License plate	Tag	You have to renew your car's tag every year.
Boot	Trunk	I need to get something out of my car's trunk.
Chips	Fries	Hamburger and fries. Chips are called crisps.
Cooldrink	Soda	My also be called pop in some US states.

Do you know of any other words or funny stories?

Why you shouldn’t brag about your turnover!

Carel — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:54:16 +0000

Many South African businesspeople make the following common mistakes regarding US business English. I always enjoy seeing the reaction of Americans when a South African brags about their company’s turnover!

South African term	American equivalent	Explanation
Turnover	Revenue or Sales	Turnover in the US refers to employee attrition (not a good thing :-)).
Surname	Last name	Family name
Name	First name	In the US most people have a middle name. So first name to distinguish from middle name.
Loan	Note	A note is a loan agreement.
CA or Accountant	CPA	Certified Public Accountant.
Managing Director (MD)	CEO or President	Better to refer to yourself as CEO if you are an MD in SA.
Director	Board Member	A director is usually a mid-level manager in the US.
Share Scheme	Share Plan	In the US a scheme usually refers to something unsavory (even illegal).
Retrench	RIF (reduction in force) or Lay off	Lay offs are very common in the US as most states are work-at-wil states.
Diary (Schedule)	Calendar	In the US a diary is a ladies' journal. You would typically say: "can we put something on the calendar".
Post	Mail	In the US: "I'll put the check in the mail".

Can you add to this list?

Pingo – new way to make cheap calls via your iPhone to anywhere in the world

Carel — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:07:07 +0000

I’ve been using a great new service to make very inexpensive international calls from my iPhone. You can make calls from any phone. I’ve written about this before. Check this out. Pingo.com is the cheapest way to make international. A native iPhone app uses your iPhone contact database — very cool! Pingo EZ Dial also work on Andriod and Blackberry.

You can find all the rates here, e.g. 2cents p/m to call to UK landlines from the US.

Do you know of another cheaper way to make international calls from your iPhone?

Why Atlanta is a great place for the US HQ of a South African IT company

Carel — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:19:47 +0000

Yes, I know, most IT companies want to be in the Valley, that is, Silicon Valley. I would however suggest you seriously consider Atlanta as an alternative. If you are definitely the next Google, then yes, you have to be in the Valley. Ask Vinny and Yola . Most IT companies, however, don’t have to be in the Valley.

Here are a few reasons to set up your US HQ in Atlanta:

Atlanta has one of the best airports in the world with direct flights (on Delta) to Jo’burg.
Very low cost of living compared to most large US city, especially San Francisco.
Great time zone overlap with South Africa.
Great IT community: Techlinks, TAG, GATech, and atdc.
HQ for many Fortune 500 companies including: Coca-Cola, Home Depot, UPS, and Aflac.

This presentation by the Metro Atlanta Chamber gives many more reasons to consider Atlanta as your US HQ.

Lance Weatherby had this to say about Atlanta replacing Silicon Valley.

I’ve lived in Atlanta (actually in Kennesaw, a town North of Atlanta) for almost 12 years since moving to Atlanta in 1998.

iPad is the new Apple killer device…

Carel — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:18:02 +0000

It’s official it’s the Apple iPad. See Engadget’s live blogging. Here’s a picture one of this first official pictures:

Apple iPad

I want one!!!

Apple iPad