I’ve watched this video twice and can’t seem to figure out why I like it so much. Basically, it’s the making of that French song by those French guys, with the French title and the French lyrics. You’ll recognise it by that silly duck-sounding hook. (The duck is probably French, too.)

What’s funny is that I have no idea what they’re saying, other than “recording”. And, somehow, it doesn’t matter.

I believe they’re using sound recording software called Reason, which is pretty top drawer. (Mind you, that keyboard looks pretty bottom drawer.)

But, if this is how they made that (rather catchy) track – with a keyboard and a laptop – then that’s probably why I like it so much.

It’s minimal, yet maximal; it’s funny; and it’s all quite creative.

Be careful when opening an Edgars account or signing up for one of their services. Because, before you know it, they’ll acquire your email address (and cellphone number) – which you gave them in good faith – and they’ll regularly send you promotions and other rubbish. Then, when you click on the “unsubscribe” link and find yourself being directed to the appropriate page, things become uglier.

Because they don’t want you to opt out of email marketing for which you didn’t sign up. And they want the process to be as inconvenient as possible, so that your life will be as miserable as their telemarketers’ lives.

In short,

• Edgars’ back end is deliberately not intuitive enough to automatically insert the relevant data after you’ve clicked “unsubscribe”.  Just to piss you off some more, they grey out the text fields so that you can’t type in them.
• Edgars demands that you capture enter your ID number because blocking spam requires additional security just in case some angry hacker, in Malaysia, decides to unsubscribe you when you least expect it.
• Edgars, again, demands that you read (and understand) their Terms And Conditions.  This is to remind you that, after unsubscribing, you will no longer receive unsolicited winter specials on hoodies and denim jeans.

Once you manage to successfully unsubscribe, assorted muffins will await you at Pick n Pay.  You’ll need them.

And they won’t be shoved down your throat.

Update

Edgars’ tweet is a little too late. (Did they not look at the above screen shot?)

Wait. What? I must give Edgars my contact number?  Ha ha!

Another update

This morning (8 September), I received more unsolicited email from Edgars, despite “successfully” unsubscribing from their list.

And another update

Edgars have just (September 20) sent me another unsolicited marketing email.

Meanwhile, the marketing manager emailed me out of the blue, apologising and requesting my ID number. I see no reason why an email (un)subscription requires an ID number. As such, I did not give it to him.

Would you believe, another update

Nearly four months later (15 December) and Edgars are still sending me unsolicited emails. (In other words, I am receiving marketing emails that are unrelated to my monthly account.)

Edgars have contacted me a few times, requesting my ID number. Which I refuse to give. As I’ve already said, something as basic as an email subscription does not require an ID number. It requires an email address.

Kudos to Gwede Mantashe for sticking to his guns.

And to the police for sticking to their (water) guns.

My related cartoon is here.

The best part is that, yesterday, the ANC Youth League denied that their members were unruly. Julius Malema then gave a predictable speech which, of course, was a little too late. Gwede Mantashe was not impressed.

Although Mr Malema called on the crowd to refrain from committing such acts, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said this was insufficient. “It is not good enough to send a statement saying, ‘We are distancing ourselves’. “You must take full responsibility,” he told a press conference yesterday. [Business Day]

Also, why was Juju sporting a beret? Does he now think that he is some sort of Cuban communist revolutionary, here to fight against the perils of a democracy?