And the children played on...

North Korean kids wave across the border.
 Joint military exercises with the combined South Korean and US forces are getting a response. Musudan missiles are being raised and North Koreas nuclear threat is looming. So B2 stealth bombers fly over, patriot missiles, naval destroyers and spy drones move closer in readiness for war.
The standoff endures as threats are traded.
And North Korean kids wave across the border, offering a viable alternative...
Deon
Pic: Reuters

Instafail

Natures got it tough. A 6:45 sunset is shot from every angle, on phones, ipads, digital cameras. Perched on the rocks and dunes, at cocktail bars and rooftop terraces, they're held high in reverence to the West and the flashes go off. Then a finger drag or pinch, a contrast tweak and a colour slider to 100%. Maybe a cool filter and edge vignette before uploading. A surreal image goes viral.
Or you can feel its mustard hued foam spray swirling up the beach on a stiff onshore breeze, waves crashing onto shallow mud banks, spewing fans of grit. Varied clouds bubble and wisp and streak at different heights, dragging a dark new storm behind them. Backlit rain drifts horizontally across a muted sun, outstretched rays struggling to pierce the ominous dusk.
360 degree views in realtime, more beautiful than a frame grab.
Take off your shoes and put the phone down...
Deon
Pic credit : deviant art

SA Troops killed in Central African Republic

What happened? 13 South Africans were killed on the weekend in the Central African Republic. 27 were wounded. Apparently they were there to train President Francois Bozize's army as part of an old agreement. Put another way, to support them. Convenient double speak. Who took the decision to pick a side in what was meant to be a power sharing deal that 'Boz' reneged upon? And why? The Libreville Accord set a time period to integrate the Seleka Rebel Coalition into the army, plus send SA troops home. Nothing happened. 'Boz' focused on staying in power by strengthening his army. So the 2000 + rebels had enough, massed forces from their 5 diverse groups, and advanced on Bangui, intent on ousting him. 'Boz' flew out to the Cameroon. And a pointless firefight ensued, killing South Africans left behind defending their base on the outskirts of the capital. A rebel white flag was raised a few hours into the battle. With their objective achieved, there was no point in continuing. Michel Djotodia has taken over with a view to elections in 3 years, the regional forces of Chad, Gabon and Congo remain, coordinating a regional peace force, and France expediently continues their involvement in a country rich in uranium, diamonds and gold. Business as usual.
Whose fight were they fighting? So sad...
Deon
Twitter: deon_bing
(pic - Reuters)

Rise of the Drones

We're getting ourselves into a right little muddle...the idea of 'smartbombs' has evolved to drones. Originally for surveillance, we now have big ones, lethally armed and controlled from container offices a continent away, or little ones smaller than your palm. With the idea of remotely neutralising the enemy before they mount an attack, they're quick and don't require troops on the ground. But now legal questions are being raised - what is the perceived danger threshold at which a kill mission is justified. Who decides? Where are these decision makers? Based on what information? Its untested territory - and it's classified. Surveillance drones have now moved into various bases in Africa, gathering information. They are easily armed.

And in your neighbourhood, we have toy shop quadrocopters, controlled via a smartphone. They have wireless Go Pro Cameras feeding live footage to your iPad. We have face recognition on Facebook photos. And with the database of your life growing with each link and 'like' you click, an algorithm could remotely decide that you're the next target.

Who's watching the classified basement tinkerer building a home made drone?

Deon
Twitter  -  deon_bing
www.bingdigital.co.za

Mavericks

C'mon already! How much further Crispy? Chris Bertish has just finished an insanely long solo paddle from Cape Point to Lamberts Bay on a SUP. Camping on remote beaches and islands along the way, grinding into big swells and cross shore winds. 350km on paddle power in a week. At sea, no matter how you prepare, the elements corrode you relentlessly. Sunstroke, blisters, burned corneas, dehydration and exhaustion were his reward. All to prove that a trip 10 times as long, across the Atlantic Ocean, can be done. If funding can be raised to attempt it, he'll be the first person ever, in a world where there aren't many firsts left. While recovering this week, he got the call that the Mavericks big wave event will run today. Chris's a selected invite after winning in 2010. So he's dragging his beaten body across the world to Half Moon Bay in California, arriving jet lagged and stuffed, and will potentially surf the largest waves that someone can paddle into. He'll meet up with Twiggy Baker, the other South African representative, tipped as a favourite to win the event. Be safe out there.
Check their attempt from 5:30 pm SA time today
http://mavericksinvitational.com/
Deon
Twitter:deon_bing
www.deonbing.co.za

Bob Simmons

The 'squirrel' had died. On a coast trip, wave one creased its nose on a too steep take off and wave two was interrupted as the bottom deck peeled off with a ripping sound, stopping progress like an anchor. Bleeding from glass grazes, I washed in, more worried about a replacement board for the continuing swell than the end of an era. Squirrel had been a family board, serving us all well - but it was time. Now, you don't want to arrive at Eastern Cape point breaks without a board. A yellow donated Faith had retro appeal, but the foam was dead in the water. Coupled with my extra kilos and dwindling fitness, Bing became the priority buoy that people paddled around for position. Greg had a knowing vibe as he handed me the 'ironing board'. "I think you'll enjoy this, you like trying new stuff...!" Stoked with any offer that floated, I ran up the point.  Guys chirping,"Oi - washing piling up?!" Greg says he's basically thrown every shaping concept out the window and recreated this board - a crude 5'8" spoon nose, squared off tail, fat keel fins at the back. But the design has a history from early 50's balsa boards. Based on hydrodynamics for planing hulls that had just come out of WW2, Bob Simmons had fine tuned the shape with foam core surfboards - lighter and faster than the redwoods being ridden, years ahead of their time. Recently, the Hydrodynamica project has revisited Bobs' designs ( he died at 35 surfing Windansea), and are recognising him as the father of the modern surfboard. Does it go? This ugly duckling flies and I'm going the fastest I've ever been on a board. Theres work to be done still to do it justice, but the stoke is back! Now just to sort out those extra kilos...
Deon
www.deonbing.co.za
www.bingdigital.co.za
TWITTER:  deon_bing

Sandy

Last year the ASP World Surf Tour stopped off at Long Beach New York - what an outcry, as there're 'never any waves...' - they had incredible waves! Now its been upped a notch further this year, as 'Sandy' makes landfall tonight. A tropical hurricane, sucked towards land by another cold front in the west, compressed by a northerly high pressure and freezing winds - its a confluence of hellish weather proportions. Surfing has been banned. Already the waves are onshore and massive, a spring tides coming, as its full moon, and the anticlockwise swirl is starting to stack up the sea, ready to surge over the shallow beaches tonight and the area has been warned to evacuate. As I see it, every effort is being made to accommodate the people in 'Zone A' - the lowest lying areas, to warn them and relocate them.
Heed the warning - this is no ordinary storm...and stay safe till the morning.
Deon
Pic:NYT