BE AFRAID OF SOUTH AFRICA

In my first blog entry, I wrote about all of the stories I had been seeing about how scary, unsafe, unprepared South Africa was/is for tourists coming to see the World Cup. Concluding my trip here in SA, I find myself overlooking an amazing beach in Durban after a month of friendly faces, amazing experiences, and breathtaking scenery.

I know i have a day left here so I don’t want to jinx myself, but I have had no bad experiences with Great Whites(although I had some good ones), no issues of theft, and even an eye-opening visit to a township outside of Knysna.

All this time, I would have been completely limited if I would have allowed myself to be controlled by what I read. Number One, if we had no car--and every article I read touched on the threat of carjacking--we would have NEVER seen the garden route and all its beautiful coastline.

It’s fine if you don’t want to believe what your reading right now, I’m ok with that, as long as you aren’t believing half of the other stuff you read that may prevent you from an experience of a lifetime. South Africa was GREAT and I will miss the people, the hikes, the elephants, the stadiums, the coastlines, the baboons, the hostels, the b&bs, the lakes, and the great roads. Thanks for doing a great job with the World Cup SA, hope to see you soon.

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Follow-up, I made it back home safe and sound with no issues in the last few days. I do miss the country, the cup, and the adventure of travel--Until next time!

Data Plans and Internet Cafes -- South Africa Edition

In South Africa, the name of the game is per mb downloaded/uploaded. Whether its cell phone data plans or bandwidth for the internet, you play more you pay more.

Talking to Scott Franzen, a mobile data consumer in Chintsa, South Africa, he was excited to tell me that they are starting to adopt the American way of flat fee pricing in the coming months for specific mobile data plans. It was interesting because they always see themselves as playing catchup to the American Tech game, but interestingly, many phones in the US may be adopting this per mb plan to keep usage down. When I told him we may be taking this approach as well, he laughed and said “I knew we were ahead of you guys this whole time!”

Even at the local internet cafe in Muizenberg, I was humbled to find out that spending an hour on the internet uploading a few albums to Flickr was going to cost me nearly $12! Unlike most internet cafes that I’ve visited around the world, these guys really wanted to get me for my bandwidth usage--no flat fee here.

I fear for my friends that may think that they are ok with a per mb plan if they so choose to use a provider with that system. It seems like the people of South Africa are much more aware of their data use and hardly ever opt to using this network for obvious reasons.

This concept made me think twice about my data consumption and made me at least feel good about my unlimited broadband and data plans back home. PLEASE DON'T GO TO A PER MB SYSTEM USA!!

Human Labor

Here in South Africa I’ve noticed that there are very frequently multiple people doing jobs that in the states would only take one. Instead of five tellers at the bank there are ten. Instead of ten police there are twenty. Instead of no housekeepers, there are two. There are just a lot more people available for cheap labor.

My guess is that the social classes here in SA are so vast that the “haves” can hire many more “have-nots” to make sure that a job gets done properly due to the social stratification. It has allowed for an overwhelming police presence at many of the soccer matches in and around the stadiums--which I will admit made me feel a bit safer wandering around a foreign city at 3AM a few Hansas deep.

It is staggering that the unemployment in this country is often estimated between 30 and 40%. This means that there are MANY people vying for any job or opportunity to earn any amount of money. That being said, I came across many people living in townships that weren't necessarily "employed" but loved their life just as it was...hanging out with friends and family and living off of the little land they had procured.

FIFA coming in with thick wallets were able to secure the stadiums, cities, and locker rooms ten times over. If you looked around the stadium, you would see that every square inch bordering the field was manned by police. There were cops everywhere and it definitely made us think twice about streaking the field.

With all of this instant employment, there were big disputes. At Moses Mabhida Stadium in durban, the police and security guards were promised a specific wage to be temporarily employed for the cup, but reports estimated that they received FAR less. In some cases, they were promised around $65 for a 12 hour shift and their post-shift pay check came out to only $25. While in South Africa, its not uncommon for people to live on roughly $2 a day, fair is fair and the guards were not happy.

I'm glad that some of the South Africans that wanted to work were able to for the short month of the cup, but I also hope that this influx in money was not just hoarded by the already wealthy corporations of South Africa. It is a shame when people are promised a wage and not given what they are worth. My hope is that the trickle-down theory in affect does work, but in a country still writhing from apartheid, my guess is the top are still on top and the people on the bottom won't really be the main benefactors.

Adventure Tech: EXTREME! Bungy Jumping Edition

Technology in adventure sports has come a long way in recent years. I never realized how safe and comfortable it could be launching 216 meters straight toward the ground.

Independence Day, 2010. As I stand atop the Bloukrans bridge outside of Plettenberg Bay, my mind races to justify why I am jumping off of this extremely high platform. If anything goes wrong, I plunge to certain death.

I spoke with FACE Adrenaline owner and bungy innovator AJ Hackett, to ask a few questions about his unique bungy setup. Hackett was the first to create commercial bungy jumping and even hurled himself off of the Eiffel Tower in 1987, so I figured he was a good guy to talk to about the safety and to hopefully settle my stomach.

"We use a special, custom bungy attached to the back side of the bridge to create a pendulum effect decreasing whiplash effects."

He also said that there have been 4 deaths in the 13 years they’ve been operating(it scared me as well to hear this) then he went on to say, “2 suicides, and 2 car accidents above the jump site--so its 100% safe.”

FACE Adrenaline suit you with a full body harness and backup carabiner used in case the bungy for some reason comes free from your legs. The Bungy that Hackett has perfected over the years is constantly honed to increase comfort and minimize chance of injury--a bit different than the vines used by the indigenous of Vanuatu. Hacket uses his own custom, unbraided cords in which the latex strands are exposed. These give a softer, longer bounce and can even be produced at home--I'm not saying you should create your own, but its possible. Many other bungies are made from factory produced, braided cords with a tight outer cover for a shorter bounce.

The rush from this is unreal. My brain had no idea why the earth was coming so fast!

With a friendly and encouraging staff, I felt safe and had a great experience that I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy! EXTREME!

Jabulani: Celebration for whom?

Before the World Cup, the Jabulani was introduced by Adidas citing their blueprints for what was to be the roundest, most accurate ball to date. Every four years they say this and every four years there are complaints. This is the first time that as a fan, I could actually see what the disgruntled players are talking about.

Skyrocketing ball after ball is prevalent when watching an under-16 youth league match, but its hard for me to believe it when players such as Messi and Fernando Torres are missing routine goals by launching them meters over the bar. As for the ones that actually do go in, they look like they completely change trajectory in the air, dipping, diving, and hitting the net, but seemingly not where the player wanted it to go. (eg. Schweinsteiger’s shot leading to Muller’s goal vs. Uruguay in 3rd place match)

Some people I generally trust about scientific research, NASA, agree that this ball is very unpredictable (Watch this video from "4-4-2") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFX7laMy3q4&feature=player_embedded

With all of Adidas’ AeroGrooves and thermally bonded panels, the ball just doesn’t seem normal. In trying to create a sophisticated and intelligent ball, it really took away from the fact that players don’t normally play with a ball like this and we’ve seen it be very difficult to control...not to mention it skipping away and out of bounds during many through ball attempts.

While I like to think that these players are good enough to play with any ball, and we’ve seen that to an extent they can, why doesn’t Adidas just stick to what they know and not make it such a controversy before, during and after each cup?

Video Ads? Not a focus on the pitch

Online advertising’s trend away from banners to video seems to be the opposite direction the World Cup is taking to reach the masses.

I have been privileged enough to attend matches at three different stadiums here in South Africa and each only has one maybe two Jumbotrons...if you can even call them that--not very jumbo.

Green Point Stadium here in Cape Town is one of the newest, most state of the art soccer stadiums in the World. Primary form of advertising? The sideline banner.

While this is true, the banners aren't your standard, old school, wooden signs of the past. It's basically one long monitor that has the ability to completely change as the game's being played.

Watching these signs change was pretty impressive from a marketing standpoint.

While paying attention to the screens, it seemed to me that a company can go ahead and buy any specific minute of the game that they want to control, determine which section of the screen they want for that period, and display their ad. It even allowed for advertisers to perform complete, full field takeovers.

This subconscious advertising is very interesting and can say a lot about what times the fans are paying the most attention, which side of the field may see more action, and which games may be more profitable for different advertisers based on the viewers.

This type of advertising also trumps the old style by being able to change creative relatively quickly. If a company wants to rebrand their name, they should be able to do it hours before or even on the fly since its merely a video image opposed to a pre-printed sign. It can also allow for many more advertisers than the traditional method as it can change all the time.

I like to see this type of innovation that is easy on the eyes and actually makes way for an uninterrupted flow of game by simply branding the action. As long as there are no TV timeouts and interruptions in play, I like seeing these field length monitors.

How Can I Watch Soccer Without that ANNOYING Horn?

The skillfully produced and highly technological hollow piece of plastic called the Vuvuzela is now the buzz heard ‘round the world. Here in South Africa, there is little debate as to whether it should be here--but my friends back home have even said "you aren't one of those people with that annoying horn are you?"(I am)

While the Vuvu creates energy and entertainment for the fans in attendance, I guess it can be a little annoying for fans to hear this beehive every time they want to watch a match on TV.

Because of this, I have to tell you of a possible solution: the anti-vuvuzela mp3. This counters the sound with an inverted phase to the standard vuvuzela sound creating interference.

For just 3 Euros, it can be yours! http://antivuvuzelafilter.com/ Enjoy!

UH-OH! Refs made another TWO blunders in the World Cup. Time for Replays?

Before this Cup, and before 2006, there was a lot of talk about the implementation of goal-line technology to negate any mistakes caused by the human eye. Since goals in soccer can be few and far between, one missed goal could change the entire complexion of the Cup.

The two main technological breakthroughs talked about in the soccer community are the Adidas Micro-chip and the Hawk-Eye 3D photo system. Adidas' innovation comes from inserting a microchip into the ball that can instantly relay the message of a goal being scored to the center referee. It is an interesting concept that claims to be extremely accurate. The Hawk-Eye technology is comprised of multiple camera angles that generate a 3D image in which a main computer analyzes and relays the message of goal or no goal to the ref.

The other obvious video element would be to include the standard instant replay.

FIFA, the officiating body of the World Cup, ruled out any replay or goal detection for this Cup in order to preserve the human element in decision making. FIFA explains that they want to make sure that the traditional elements are in place and that the game on TV is the same as the game in the park. With such goal-line technology, there is the fear that unnecessary stoppage and technical difficulties may kill the flow of the sport, which is a critical element.

The human eye has already been tested twice in the first knockout phase of the FIFA 2010 World Cup. England could have tied the match between Germany 2-2 but instead were neglected an obvious(after watching the replay) goal by Frank Lampard. Instead of tying the match, Germany held the lead and knocked in two more as the demoralized English squad could not fight back into the game

Argentina was able to benefit from a missed off-side call to put themselves up 2-1 against the Mexicans in their first round game. This was an easy call for the replay, but the speed of the game made it difficult for the human eye to see it in real time. Argentina scored one more to seal the deal, 3-1.

Argentina is known to have benefitted from such mistakes by the referee in the past. The infamous ‘Hand of God’ put them up against England in the 1986 world cup when Argentina coach, then player, Diego Maradona controversially scored using his hand to punch the ball past the English Goalkeeper. This put them ahead 2-1 and they won that Quarterfinal match and eventually the entire World Cup--still a sore subject for most British soccer fans.

After huge mistakes by the referrees assistant in two knockout matches in this World Cup, FIFA will yet again have to make replay a key agenda item as many fans are infuriated by the lack of accuracy. FIFA released a statement that the replay should not have been shown at Soccer City stadium following the Argentina goal in case it incited any sort of riot.

My friends and I debated that if the ref was just allowed to look up at the screen he would have seen the blunder with his own eye and could have quickly made the correct call--so what do we do? Side with replay and new technology, or continue to call the game with the human eye and maintain tradition?

Slowing down the continuous flow of soccer would be detrimental to the sport, but something may have to be done about the lack of accuracy in the most watched sport in the world. If the Hawk-Eye Technology is as accurate and fast as claimed, i don't see a real reason not to use it. While I am a traditionalist in most sports, seeing a team get cheated out of advancing to the next round is unfair to the fans, the players and the sport. I hope FIFA reconsiders their decision for 2014.

A Worthy Sacrifice: Cameras in the line of fire

After attending a six games of the world cup, its hard not to notice the cameras set up all over this place. In even the first match we went to, at least one camera was completely shattered by 100 mile/hour strike of the ball. It makes me wonder if its best to leave these $50,000 soldiers unguarded in case of future attacks.

I'm not sure if the Premier Leagues have that kind of arsenal at their disposal but it does make me think about how much getting the perfect shot is woth to the media companies.

While watching the Camaroon vs. Netherlands first round match in Cape Town, we saw a man sitting directly in front of us with extremely good camera equipment escorted out of the stadium. We figured that if Fifa didnt give their permission for professional media to be there, you cannot be there--even if you're just a fan who wants to get the best quality photos from the stands.

Another thing hard to miss is the Eye in the Sky. They are now using the great technology that has been seen in American Football these last few years to broadcast soccer. These dangling cameras have cables stretching from one end of the 90,000 person stadiums to the exact opposite side. This combined with 3D tech at least makes me think they really are trying to get every angle and every shot for the people watching across the globe.

This is only the beginning of the money that people will be paying for the most realistic world cup experience/shots possible. Yeah, yeah, I've heard about this whole 3D thing, but the folks in Japan are claiming that if they get the World Cup bid for 2022, they will be able to provide simulated holograms to stadiums around the world!

So, you can essentially see a replicated version of USA vs. Brazil being played in Tokyo, at Giant's Stadium overlooking McCovey Cove.

So, now that I think about it--a $50,000 may be chump change when we talk about getting every angle just 3 World Cups from now.

Cape Town

This place is awesome. Gotta say, so far so good for the World Cup in Africa. They really have made it a vibrant atmosphere and everywhere we've been is completely accommodating. We've been staying in Muizenberg just outside of Cape Town and will be visiting the Southernmost tip of Africa as well as the penguins just south of here tomorrow.

As for the games, every pub is completely crazed. The England US game was ridiculously fun. Some Arabic TV station interviewed us Americans and we just had a grand ol time. "We got a point" became the chant of the night after scoring a lucky equalizer against the Brits.

Somehow we ended up at a Mexican Bar ordering burritos, singing Cielito Lindo, and chugging Tequila shots with the room full of Mexicans, when none of us needed any more. Come halfway across the world to hang out with Mexicans!

GREAT times so far--South Africa is doing an Amazing job

Tickets sold out...and so many empty seats

As feared by my experience talking with Americans destined for South Africa, many tickets are not being used due to the difficulty of selling tickets bought in advance. This does not bode well for FIFA organizers and is not good for the fans who spent at least 80 bucks a pop.

Even with South Africa spending 30 billion Rand ($3.9 billion US) on transportation, telecommunication, and stadiums to prepare for the influx of tourists, the experts say that the lack of infrastructure has something to do with the low attendance. When asked, a FIFA spokesman gave an obviously generic answer stating, “ It looked like a lot of people didn’t show up to the stadium. We are investigating this.”

Not just “a lot of people”--it was up to a third of the seats left vacant for at least one of the first 5 matches. The highly anticipated Algeria/Slovenia match only pulled in around 28,000 people to a 42,000 capacity stadium. Prior to the game, FIFA reported only 700 tickets unsold.

Many reporters say that transportation is probably the main factor while ticket distribution could also be an issue.

I know that when I was searching for tickets on FIFA’s website--the only place to legitimately buy tickets--it was not easy. I would click to purchase and run into error after error reading “no tickets available” even when previous pages showed availability.

Another main factor was the fact that the pre-sale tickets, bought by many over a year ago, were to completely random games. It’d be like getting a ticket for a game in LA, then realize you also won the lottery for a game in Chicago for the next day and then have to make the trek to Houston 2 days later, pretty much impossible for most.

On this rainy day in Cape Town, I think I’ll venture over to the stadium for tonight’s “sold out” Italy vs. Paraguay match and I will see if FIFA starts releasing more of these unused tickets at the door. I’m guessing that I should be able to find a pair, especially in this torrential downpour.

While the tournament so far has gone off without a hitch, and I’m sure empty seats are not the biggest concern for tournament organizers, it is something that won’t go unnoticed. So tonight I’m going to do my part--grab my stars and stripes vuvuzela, throw on my poncho, and fill one of those empty seats dammit, for FIFA’s sake! Look for me in the stands.

WiFi? not in Dubai!

So Slow! They have waterfalls in the airport, the world’s tallest structure, the largest gold plated building, man made islands with multimillion dollar condos, hotels with rates of $30,000/night, but the wireless? Forget about it! They were right, money can’t buy everything--but you would think that it could at least buy a decent internet connection.

It seems disheartening that if you’re in the UAE for business and need to shoot out a quick email before catching your flight home, its really not going to happen.

Emirates Air sets you up with a hotel room specifically for flights with long layovers with “internet accessible rooms.” i tried accessing their wireless from my room, no dice.

I thought, okay, no problem, I’ll just log on at the airport. Upon walking through security I see that Dubai International Airport has a FREE internet connection! I was thrilled...come to find out, it was so slow I couldn’t even log into my gmail account in the hour prior to takeoff. This was a complete let down since I had a couple of things to wrap up before getting onto my next 9 hour flight--and I wanted to tell Mama her little boy was OK.

On a similar note: Why does Virgin America, a”budget” provider in the States, have a great WiFi system, but the classy Emirates Air doesn’t even offer it to its patrons setting off on a 15 hour journey? A bit baffling for my internet addicted self. I could have been watching the opening match of the FIFA World Cup on ESPN360 live from my MacBook, instead I was watching highlights of the 1986 world cup to take care of my soccer itch.

While internet connectivity can be satisfied almost anywhere in the states, this journey to a far off land has left me grateful for the country we live in, at least as far as internet accessibility goes. USA! USA!

Sorry, the US vs. England game is on in a few hours, can’t hold back my patriotism.

Josh Levine, reporting live from Cape Town, South Africa

The World Cup, ESPN, and the New Frontier of 3DTVs

Technology will play a huge role in defining the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Whether it's Algeria's new computer software they claim will give them the ability to take down England, the $75,000,000 South Africa is spending on unmanned aircrafts, water cannons, and mobile command centers for security, or the new Adidas TechFit jersey's claiming to give the players 5.3% more power, nothing brings more hype to the Cup than the world's most beautiful game brought to you in 3D...if you live in the right spot.

Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg will set the stage for the first world-wide, live broadcast of any sporting event in 3D. Sony will be shooting 25 games with 3D cameras and are expecting to draw huge crowds to their 7 sponsored 'Fan Fest' locations where attendees can view the new technology.

For most people on the planet, you'd better hope to live near Berlin, London, Paris, Mexico City, Rio, Rome, or Sydney. Otherwise, it may prove difficult to see these games in true 3D. Fortunately for US residents, ESPN has announced they will also show these 25 games on their new 3D dedicated channel. ESPN is looking to the World Cup to test the American audience's reaction to 3D sports. To watch, all you have to do is head out and buy yourself a new $3000 3DTV for the Cup. That 60 inch plasma you bought last year will look great in the bedroom.

ESPN is going out on a broadcasting limb to create this new channel. Betting the 3D technology takes off, 85 filmed, live events have been promised by the broadcasting giant. Events such as the X Games have the potential to lure users into the experience. While, I don't know if I’d be the first one to throw on a pair of 3D glasses while at a bar with my friends, I’d definitely want to sit back a watch Shaun White launch off of a 20 foot half-pipe over me on the way to completing a 1080.

Some say the transition to 3DTV will be the reincarnation of the LaserDisc, while many others believe the World Cup will be the launchpad for the new frontier of television sports.

I think that this has the potential to be great for some sports, but not overly impressive for others. I'm expecting many improvements in the 3D TV and glasses technology, 3D broadcast quality, and overall videography in the coming months/years, which will greatly change the experience.

This first test may just be the teaser for what Sony and ESPN have in store for us. And, I’m excited to see if this is going to take the masses by storm and endure, or simply be passed over like plenty of other over-hyped fads. Time will tell…but if this makes sports even a little bit better to watch, I for one say bring it on!

Argentina, What you gonna do?

Argentina is a very interesting team to analyze prior to this World Cup. This is a team coached by arguably the best and most controversial player of all time. When they announced Maradona as their manager a few years back, it seemed like they were putting all their amazing eggs in the basket of a man who was last recognized as the overweight Argentine that did so much coke that they banned him from all competition. But now, this is the man to lead the team with the best player in the world into the 2010 World Cup. After barely even making it into the World Cup Finals, many are questioning Maradona's managing capabilities and if he has what it takes to take this team to the next level.

I feel like these guys are true contenders. They have, in my opinion, the best frontline in the game. Obviously led by the brilliance of Messi, they also have the extreme heart and passion on Man City's Tevez, the sheer goal scoring abilities of Milito and Higuain, and the magical touch of Aguero. It's almost too many options for Maradona to deal with--how is one to use such a complete arsenal of firepower?

My ONLY request is that you do not do what your predecessor did: bench Messi, even for a second. I think it's obvious to everyone in the world that that was an incorrect decision against the German's in the quarterfinal of 2006 that will forever plague José Pekerman. I do have a bias here and feel that Tevez along with Messi could be a completely shocking combination. These two guys, when on the same page, have exactly what it takes to produce some of the most magical football we've ever seen.

Until this point, Messi has not come close to showing his true talent on the world stage. Yes he's won everything possible on the club level, but critics claim that the international scene is hard to break in to and many are pessimistic about his international ability. I think that this 22 year old phenom has a chance now to prove that he should be considered one of the greats and will show brilliance in the cup. That being said, a sincere part of me thinks that 2014 Brazil will be an epic showdown between the Argentines and the Brasileiros.

I'm excited to see what Maradona can do with his insanely skilled attackers, but am truly excited to see these guys in the next world cup when they have a new coach, a new tradition of winning, and can secure a World Cup Championship for these soulful players. In my opinion Messi will win a World Cup and Tevez can be the one to have the heart and desire to lead them to victory. While their midfield may not be extremely powerful, back line a little porous, and goalkeeper not necessarily world class, I like their chances in this world of parity and really like their chances in the future.

The Excitement of South Africa

I'm an adventurous person. I go with my heart and leap to adventure whenever I can. When I heard that the World Cup was going to be played in South Africa, a nation with beautiful landscapes, endless coastline, a vibrant people, and the highest crime rate in the world, I figured, Why not?

I haven't thought about the negatives of this trip too much with all of the positives that the Cup brings. As I have seen in my travels around the world, most generalizations and worries people have are usually blown out of proportion. It reminds me of my first week in Spain. With my good buddy Troy, we stayed in a quaint hostel next to a little park with an intricate Columbus statue and some interesting spanish architecture. In our first night, Troy and I decided to check out the Madrid locals and see what they were all about. We wandered around, got some food, went to the park where many teenagers and early twenty-somethings were hanging out. Troy and I played guitar, drank cervezas, shared purros, and just tried to assimilate with the locals. Yeah, there were some cultural differences--our styles were different, but as I played my favorite Bob Marley song, we all sang along and had a great time. Months later, Troy and I found our heads in the clouds after attending the Atletico Madrid game capped off by a splendid free kick by El Nino. While getting ourselves lost, as we usually did, we asked for directions back to the park where we spent so much of our free time. I'll never forget what the man said "El Parque de heroina?? No quieres a ir a esta parque!" Turns out, we were hanging out in a "very dangerous" park that we should have never gone too (a.k.a. Heroin Park). Granted, I guess there could have been problems, but we found ourselves hanging with the locals without an issue and had a considerably good time. If we would have followed the advice of this man before going there, we would have had a completely different opinion of the park and probably never would have ended up in one of the most memorable spots of our whole trip.

I digress, what made me think of this is that I have been coming across news article after news article as of late, listing reasons why not to travel to South Africa. Whether it is the white supremacist leader that just got killed and the expectation of race riots or the feeding frenzies that the great whites will have with all that foreign meat around to chomp on, its actually starting to make me think about some of my free-wheeling travel plans and recognize that there are some dangers out there. This all being said, I'm really not that worried, just find it interesting that i can read article after article of "things to scare you" about South Africa, like they are popping up just to frighten people away from the greatest sporting event on the planet.

Regardless of all this, I am just completely stoked to be able to witness this event firsthand--the South African bars teeming with rabid fans, the newly built stadiums with flares emblazoning the national teams' colors, and the chance of a wildebeest sneaking up to our apartments side door--I know the adventure is not far off