Friend of the Book

There are some things in this life that should remain timeless. In a social media fueled world, we live in a digital environment where a computer is the closest some of us come to human interaction. You can have a conversation with an art student in Japan, promote your business on a fan page and twitter to your heart's content but all of it lacks the charm of the tangible. Some could argue that wearing out the keys on your keyboard is as tangible as it should get, I disagree.

Don't for a second believe that I don't twitter, update my facebook status or skype a colleague instead of walking to their office, I'm guilty of partaking in the allure of having the world at my fingertips but I wonder if I'm missing out on the simple, more realistic times. Penguin, the publishing giant is concerned and in turn has made me concerned.

The iPad, a cross between a smart phone and a laptop, is helping foster a market for tablet computers that is expected to grow to some 50 million units by 2014, and with it, also expand the market for e-books. The term e-book makes my brow wrinkle. Books are one of life's true joys, curling up on the couch and reveling in a story that touches the imagination. There's a timeless romance connected to a book. Walking into a library or a quaint bookstore is a thrill in itself, rummaging through all the titles, taking in the silence and the smell that can only be described as that "old book smell".

In fact, a survey of 600 college students conducted by pollster Zogby International found that 43 percent of people identified smell, either a new or old smell, as the quality they most liked about books as physical objects.

I'm sure e-books are the way forward for us all, but I cant help but feel like we are missing out on something greater, better and a lot more appealing. Books are a timeless joy, let's not lose sight of that!

Who's the sexiest of them all?

Oh my. A snap survey was done last week to find out who South Africa’s sexiest politician was and the results were released on Monday.

And those results were surprising to say the least. To be fair, the survey didn’t just measure looks, it also took a look at the politicians personality appeal beyond their electioneering capabilities.

Coming out on top – a position he might in fact favour in all aspects of his life – was Jacob Zuma, our fiery ANC President. One has to wonder if it’s because he can dance, after all, women love a man who can dance! The second place winner wasn’t far behind Zuma and was COPE leader, Terror Lekota who, in fact, just edged out former president Thabo Mbeki, who proves that women are attracted to brains at times!

But where are the other newsmaking politicians?

Well, DA leader, Helen Zille was voted fourth and Finance Minister Trevor Manuel came in fifth – mainly thanks to his cheeky smile.

Unfortunately there also had to be some losers in the survey in the form of South Africa’s least sexiest politician. The top loser there was ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema who is more famous for his unfavourable commentary to the media, something that probably counted against him. It didn’t really matter to people how well he dresses or grooms himself, he could still have trouble finding a date!

Malema wasn’t exactly alone in being voted unsexy. He was joined on the list by DA MP Ryan Coetzee and ANC MP Tony Yengeni.

It may seem ridiculous and silly, but the survey certainly injected a bit of fun into the race up to elections. Which reminds me, remember – cast your vote next week on the 22^nd of April. It’s really a waste if you don’t have your say!