South Africans Spend More Time with Mobile Phones than TV

South Africans spend more time on their mobile devices than they do watching television to listening to the radio, according to a Mobile Media Consumption survey.

Times Live:

On any given day, mobile web users spend 30 percent of their  media time on mobile devices, 29 percent on television and 20 percent listening  to the radio, mobile advertising network InMobi said in a statement.

“Availability, ease of use, and privacy are the top three driving  factors to be on mobile,” it said.

“Social media, entertainment, and games are the top three mobile  media activities among mobile web users. This popularity will continue to grow  in the next 12 months.”

More here.

 

Why I’m Thinking of Cancelling with MTN…

Bribing governments to do business with the evil Iranian regime?

MTN faced a potential lawsuit in the US relating to allegations that it bribed Iranian and South African government officials, the largest cellular operator in Africa said yesterday.

The bribes were allegedly aimed at securing the second GSM licence in Iran. MTN’s 49 percent-owned Irancell won that licence in 2005.

In a statement issued yesterday, MTN said that Turkcell, which was an unsuccessful bidder for the second cellular licence in Iran, had informed the JSE-listed firm that it was looking to bring a case against it and Irancell in a US court.

Turkcell believed that the alleged bribery represented a contravention of US law.

So far no such claim has been filed in the courts or served on MTN.

MTN’s statement said the Turkcell claim alleged that “in approximately 2004 and 2005, in an effort to cause the Iranian government to issue the second GSM licence to MTN rather than Turkcell, MTN made improper payments to an Iranian and a South African government official”.

Turkcell also alleges that MTN encouraged the South African government to take a favourable position towards Iran’s civil nuclear power development programme at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in November 2005. It further alleges that MTN enlisted South African government support for the provision of military equipment to Iran…

How unethical!

I want nothing to do with such a company. When my cellular contract expires, so will my time with them.

 

Cell Phone Rudeness

The final movement of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony is a slow rumination on mortality, with quiet sections played by strings alone.

During the New York Philharmonic’s performance Tuesday night, it was interrupted by an iPhone.

The jarring ringtone—the device’s “Marimba” sound, which simulates the mallet instrument—intruded in the middle of the movement, emanating from the first row at Avery Fisher Hall.

When the phone wasn’t immediately hushed, audience members shook their heads. It continued to chime, and music director Alan Gilbert turned his head sharply to the left, signaling his displeasure.

Minutes passed. Each time the orchestra reached a quiet section, the phone could be heard above the hushed, reverent notes.

Finally, Mr. Gilbert could take no more: He stopped the orchestra.

A Philharmonic spokeswoman said Wednesday the music director has never before halted a performance because of a cellphone or any other type of disruption.

As the offending noise continued in a loop, Mr. Gilbert turned in its direction and pointedly asked that the phone be turned off. The audience let out a collective gasp.

The ringtone—believed to be an alarm—played on.

Read the rest here.

(HT)

This happens in Church in the middle of the sermon, way too often…

 

Priest Answers Cellphone During Mass

A question via Fr Z:

My wife attended Mass today with my children for our homeschooling co op. There were two priests concelebrating the Mass. The older priest’s cell phone started ringing and he got up and went to the side (Still on the altar) and took the call.

My children keep asking if this is ok? This is very confusing for them since we never see this happen when we attend the Mass in the EF?

How should we proceed?

If you have feather pillows, place them on a horse drawn cart.   Then, carefully lifting the pot of tar onto the back of the cart, light your torches and heft your pitchforks.

But seriously… we don’t know the reason for the call.  Perhaps he was waiting to hear if he had won the lottery, or had perhaps been chosen to appear on American Idol.  Perhaps he was waiting for notice about an indictment or a stock deal or news about someone who was dying.

It might have been really important!   Then again, maybe not.

I can understand a priest forgetting his cellphone in his pocket, and, it going off, digging it out and then turning it off and/or ignoring it.   I can understand that.  Really.

But answering it during Mass?

That’s just plain wrong.

Gosh, it is shocking! Indeed, totally unacceptable…

The rest is here.