Paul Jacobson

Category: Travel and places

  • Melrose Arch thinks about moms and dads

    I popped into Melrose Arch yesterday to pick up my post. I had my camera with me and took a chance mainly because I wanted to point out something we mostly overlook until we need it – reserved parking bays for certain people. We see this one (or something like it) practically everywhere: We even…

  • Standard Bank's branch locator in pictures

    Ok, I have a ton of work to do but I had to get this one out. Standard Bank blogged about its branch locator page on its site on Facebook (I can’t link to the site, sorry, the bank’s terms and conditions prohibit that): The bank’s response to my suggestion that it load its branches…

  • How @melrosearch can become awesome and even allow photography

    I had a couple thoughts at about 4am this morning after I put our son back down to sleep. Most of those thoughts were ways that Melrose Arch might find useful and which may just help build a little community of fans about the shopping district (in retrospect, it is a little more than just…

  • Up to R45 per hour for parking at O R Tambo airport

    Welcome to O R Tambo International Airport. This is the view from what must be the most expensive parking in Johannesburg, if you are not paying careful attention to what you are doing. I drove into this parking area this morning with the belief that this parking area is cheaper parking than the main parkades,…

  • Shopping malls and stupid rules about photography

    I am periodically reprimanded by some security guard for taking photos of or in the vicinity of a shopping mall. I have essentially been told that taking photos in or of shopping malls is banned with no real rationale. I took a photo of a renovated space inside Balfour Park yesterday and I was told…

  • Google Maps South Africa launch

    I was invited to a Google Maps launch event at the Helderfontein Estate. Of course I immediately agreed to attend although I was wondering what I would see at the launch that I haven’t been seeing recently on Google Maps. It turns out that Google Maps is pretty important to Google with roughly 50% of…

  • Light one candle of truth, dispel the darkness

    I just watched a video of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech last week at the United Nations’ General Assembly. It is a powerful speech worth watching/reading regardless of whether you agree with him or not. His speech was inspired by a meeting he had about 25 years ago as the Israeli ambassador to the…

  • Europcar: "Screw you! We don't take your kind!"

    I am just a little pissed at Europcar today. I booked my flight to Cape Town and car hire on kulula.com. The car hire is done through Europcar which seems to be Kulula’s car hire partner. The bookings went smoothly and I even got discounts on both my air fare and care hire because I…