Now this is a bit of a creepy story. I was writing a post here on my personal blog which is hosted by WordPress, and I have had this short story in my drafts folder for over four weeks, just percolating. The day after I started this draft I got an auto-mailer message from WordPress to say that the image in the blog had been removed because I violated their community service rules. This is the same meme that got me deleted off of FB. The thing is, this was not on my blog, it was in my drafts. It had not been published. This is pretty much like eavesdropping.

I have many notes/ideas in my drafts that are private and have not been published, and some may never see the light of day. But these are my private ideas. I was still thinking about whether to post that trouble making meme, but WordPress beat me to it. I get the hint. Their AI bot did not like it. Software has no sense of humour, clearly. But this listening in on my drafts is not nice. I wrote to WordPress support saying that they were not cool for doing this but got no response. They normally do respond when you ask for support/help but in this case I got zilch back. The world is on edge. That is my take on this. A bit of stretch yes, but I reckon I am on the money.

They say no good deed goes unpunished. On IG I used to try post a joke a day, for about past 6 years. I reckon I made a few people laugh. Sometimes the jokes would not work, but that is humour for you. You can’t get it right all of the time. Well, this meme below got me deleted. No 3 strikes and you’re out. Just like that, gone. I can’t say I have missed FB much, and it has freed up some time. Sorry to those few guys out there that miss the daily jokes. I will try and post a few jokes on my blog here every once in a while.

Here is the trouble making meme. I put that red/yellow thing over the part that caused the AI bot to go into full Robocop mode. Take a guess as to what was covered up here? Whatever it was, it was deemed inappropriate. This clearly was a joke, but again, software is not known as a replacement for comedy.

A friend was telling me about being blocked by Google. Being blocked by Facebook is one thing, but if Google blocked me now that would not be good. We all have to be a bit careful I guess. These are times of an an abundance of egg shells.

Here are a couple of memes I would have posted on IG. I have a cool group of funny mates, and we all send each other jokes. Laughter is the best medicine after all, as it said on my IG profile.

And here is one last one today. I hope this one doesn’t get me deleted off WordPress. It could be construed as inappropriate. I am sure this one would offend the US Supreme Court. The world is definitely on edge.

I have been very fortunate and privileged to be a part of a cool tech journey with an inspired man and his team for the last 6 years. I have learned a lot of hard personal lessons during this time and gained a lot of wisdom. Something reminded me today of an interesting scenario from about 4 years back. I was trying to connect us with the founder of a large software company that would benefit and like what we had to offer. I happen to know the owner/founder of this firm so after some time thinking about it I called him and asked him to introduce me to the right person at his company. He did. But not before he said to me, “I would like to invest.”

This put in an uncomfortable situation because I was not calling about investments, and also, it was not my place to make such a call. No one was looking for investment and this was not something I was well equipped to handle. But I did make a text connection between the two founders and I did not waste anyone’s time. I did stress that no one was looking for money etc. I was only calling to try and find the right person in his company to show the product to.

What struck me about my call is that I had heard this a few times before. People would say to me, “You need investment.” or, “You will never get anywhere without big funding.” or, “You are wasting time. You need to go big.” And so on. You get the idea. I never ever said anything about needing money or wanting investment, etc.

“The time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted time.” – John Lennon

Perhaps I just sounded excited about something and they wanted to get involved. Which is fair enough. But so many times I was told how dumb we all were, and how we were never going to get anywhere. Perhaps they were right.

What I do know is this. If the purpose in life is to get as much money as fast as you can, then sure, throw lots of funding at something, hype it to the maximum, and try exit with a bunch of cash. But then what? Is the aim then to do it all over again. And again. And Again. If you love what you are doing and you are driven by a sense of purpose then who thinks of exiting. My parents never heard of the term “exit strategy”. Where did these curious words come from? And why are these two words so popular. I really don’t get it.

I remember telling my tech friend a story about another guy who said to me quite forcefully that we don’t know what we are doing. I think at the time the venture had around 600 customers. We are talking mainly Fortune 1000 type of companies. Today there over 1000 customers. My friend said to me, “We got this far without knowing what we were doing. Imagine if we did know what we were doing.” We both giggled a bit.

This thing about exiting something you love is very curious. Do you exit a marriage because you then aim to get married again. And again. And again. If you love something or someone, then why do you exit?

You can’t hurry love and you can’t rush building a business. Creating a company with a magical culture and a healthy set of a values, while trying to make a difference in the world, is not the same as making a buck.

When 911 happened America and the rest of the globe was shocked. This tragedy changed everyone’s lives. And now in Ukraine we are witnessing terrorism constantly but not much has changed in the world, well, not that I can see. Perhaps I am just cynical but I don’t believe Russia is being punished for what they are doing. It is insane and evil, and yet, they keep doing it, and the world is watching, week after week. If a mall in a G7 country was hit by missile or if a residential building got destroyed by a rocket, there would be a backlash towards Russia the next day. A total boycott would be the result. But when it is Ukraine, who cares.

Ukraine is far from a perfect place. This new democracy was going through a lot of growing pains. Corruption is a big issue, but it was being dealt with it, slowly but surely – Ukraine was changing for the better, year on year. This nightmare war is not something they started and they did nothing to Russia to deserve such a brutal invasion. Yes, there have been tensions between the two nations for a long time, but Ukraine was getting on with life, making food, writing software, building airplanes, and more. Tourism was on the rise, and life in Ukraine was good. And now, innocent people, and children, and being brutally killed, just about every day, and it seems like it will never end. And yet the average Russian is carrying on with their lives without a care in the world. Something is not right with this scenario.

This warning on cigarettes in Ukraine says that you should quit smoking so that you get to see how Putin dies. With a bit of luck Putin will disappear one of these days. Please God this nightmare war ends soon. As I have said before, if Russia wins this war and destroys Ukraine then evil and terrorism have prevailed and it will spread. What kind of a world is this then? Not a world I want to be a part of.

Russia is clearly sabotaging the entire world, not just with food supplies but also with energy supplies. First, the aggressor stopped gas supply through Nord Stream-1 due to turbine maintenance, which they hoped Canada would not return. It’s a sly, clever move to cut off the gas supply to the EU and blame Canada for not giving them their turbine back. Well, it did not work out that way, as Canada returned the turbine because most EU countries need to fill their gas storage ASAP before the heating season starts. When their plan did not work, Russia announced a “force majeure”, which is defined as an extraordinary set of circumstances that releases a party from its legal obligations. This is clearly energy terrorism, in addition to food terrorism and terrorism against the Ukrainian nation. It will be interesting to see how much more Putin needs to do in order to have the world recognize him as a global terrorist and take appropriate action. – This is from today’s UBN – what a story !

We spent 10 days at a game reserve in Albertina and it was a very cool experience. Marta always wanted to go on “safari” and for the Bunster it was a whole new world once again. But this was not any safari, this is a place with a close family connection. Below is a paragraph from their in-room welcome pack:

“Garden Route Game Lodge is the realisation of a dream of come true for owners, the Doherty and Apteker families. Started in 1999, Garden Route Game Lodge became the first private game reserve in the Western Cape and Garden Route Region to offer big game viewing safaris.”

I highly recommend this destination. I can’t believe it took this mad war to bring us here, and of course, my brother’s kind embrace. Thank you Lon. And thank you Anthony. Everyone looked after us so well, and even the animals seemed to be on their best behaviour. Yeah, it was a welcomed change. Feeding the elephants was a treat and the game drives were cool. Here is the web site : https://grgamelodge.co.za/

We met many of the guests. So many foreigners from all over the globe. Saudi Arabia, America, Germany, Ireland, Israel … and also, lots of locals. The Bunster is the ultimate ice breaker, and with all the other toddlers around he honed in on new friends at every opportunity. We met many parents and everyone was enjoying the experience. A lot of people were repeat customers.

The food was fantastic. I put on some weight for sure – I better go easy for a while. The deserts were seriously amazing and the breakfasts were just too cool. The accommodation offers 3 types of rooms and each one has its charms. There is a curio shop at the main reception and the Bunster is a top customer. They had a collection of small toy cars and the Bun man is clearly a shopper.

This was a silver living to the mad war in Ukraine. A time for a new experience and a time for family. The Bun’s youngest cousin, Aras, was also with us, and he was a champion. He turned out to be a pretty decent baby sitter and the Bun was loving every minute of “Aya”. My dad and stepmom also joined us for a couple of days, and it was all good for the soul. The only thing that got us back to reality was the load shedding, and of course, the war, which were both non-stop. They have a big generator so the lights do stay on, most of the time. A reminder that we are in SA. Ukraine is at war and yet in Kyiv the electricity does not go off.

Over 20 years ago we made an indie film called Purpose. We were trying to explore the connection between making money and making a difference. Entrepreneurs, I believe, are driven by passion and excitement to do something that they feel people will want and value. And when they get it right, they make money. Sometimes though, people forget the mission and focus only on the bottom line. These become poor businesses, even if they make buckets of cash.

Fast forward to the pandemic and the money printing extravaganza that took place over those two years, and today the world is in a situation where inflation is sky rocketing and the markets are anxious. This is the age of the day traders and the Bitcoin gurus. No one wants to work any more. Speculating, er, gambling, seems to be the the new norm. There are still are entrepreneurs out there, breaking ground, but so much bad product comes to market, especially in the tech world. This is largely because of venture capital funds that fuel these half-baked ideas. Too many things are rushed to market with unicorn tinted goggles. Purpose has taken a back seat. Profits don’t even seem to be important. Grow and flip. Who cares about the foundations. Financial engineering is the name of the game because the fundamentals are not that evident any more.

The subprime mortgage crises which erupted around 2008 in the US was never dealt with head on. Just a few slaps on the wrist and the can got kicked down the road. That mess contributed to the rapid rise in American home prices and it was the start of some serious bad shit. At some point though someone has to pay the price for all this greed. I reckon this has been on the cards for a while and it is about to come and bite us all in the ass. A serious reckoning is coming. I am surprised it has taken this long, but it is coming. I am pretty convinced of it.

There are still the constant crazy tech evaluations based on high earnings multiples. It feels like there is a big bubble that is set to deflate. I am not sure about burst, but this party can’t go on forever. The money printing has stopped, and the inflation we are experiencing globally is intense. From food prices to fuel to just about everything. It is hurting the masses.

The war in Ukraine, which makes me very sad, is a catalyst in this perfect storm. There is a lack of unity in the West and weak leadership. And dictators are having a field day. Putin has spurred them all on. The war in Ukraine may have dropped off your social media feed but what we are starting to see is that food prices and energy costs are going up and up. And this affects everyone. There are some very tough times coming to the world. The pandemic was a walk in the park. The biggest disease in the world is greed, and it is out of control and we are all going to pay the price.

We got to get back to the fundamentals. Can we? I think so. We need the crypto guys to save us all. Now there is an honorable profession. I have met a bunch of people over the last few years that they tell me they are working in crypto. I honestly don’t understand what that means. I understand technically what is crypto, but how one makes a career out of this stuff is beyond me. Do you they mean they are trading crypto for a living or are they investing in crpyto oriented businesses? Interestingly, most of the crpyto folk I have chatted to seem like nice guys. I just don’t understand what they do. Not that this matters. As long as they are having fun. Ah. yes, fun. The last two decades have been a ball. I could be wrong, but I think there is a big hangover coming this year. The luck is running out.

The war in Ukraine shows no sign of letting up soon. And this recent missile strike on a shopping mall in central Ukraine is just pure terrorism. What is the difference between this week’s Kremenchuk nightmare and that of 911 in NYC? If this shopping mall happened to have been in America the world would change overnight. No one would have anything to do with Russia ever again. So the fact that Russia still does business with the world is just mind boggling.

Zelensky: Kremenchuk strike ‘one of the most daring terrorist acts in European history.’ President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address that a strike on a mall in the city of Kremenchuk was deliberate and is “one of the most daring terrorist acts in European history.” “Peaceful city, ordinary shopping center, women inside, children, ordinary civilians. This is not a mistaken hit of missiles. This is a planned Russian strike at this shopping center,” Zelensky said.

Russia is over, in my view. The war will end at some point and who will ever do business in Russia again. Who could ever trust them. Yes, many Western firms are still operating in Russia and it is disgusting. But I think a lot of those companies will start to wind down their Russian operations sometime this year. When enough innocent people die things will change. I wonder what that number is … ?!

I think I was on Facebook for around 10 years, and Instagram for about 6 years. I certainly had a few laughs. I never really posted anything personal and often would enjoy a few jokes and get some news flashes. But I did have this constant nagging feeling that it was an unhealthy thing, with many dark sides, and that the world would be better off with out it. I never needed social media to be in business or make friends so when Facebook deleted me, I didn’t panic. I did sigh though and wonder about the world we live in. An AI bot must have zapped me because I posted an off kilter joke. Hardly the crime of the century, and considering my intention was to make people laugh, the sentence does seem a bit extreme. But the Zuck knows best, clearly. Now he looks like a guy who can make you laugh.

I have been off social media for 10 days now and I wonder what I actually was doing. I don’t feel I am missing anything. Is Facebook all about ego? Do we all need affirmation all the time? Was I like everyone else? Of course, we all have an ego, and every human being has insecurities. Was Facebook helping me to deal with mine? I am still thinking about this. I am discussing this openly here and I wondering what good came from all the years I was on Facebook. Did I learn a new skill or master a craft? Did I connect with people meaningfully or get closer to someone that is important to me. I don’t think so. Why then do we need these platforms? And are people addicted to these things?

I don’t think I ever showed off on Facebook but I know many people that do. Instagram, for example, is full of pictures of people loving life, in glamorous scenarios. Is this for real? Isn’t this insecurity we are seeing. Maybe I am being a bit cynical here, but I happen to know some people that are flashy on social media and their lives are not a bed of roses. So why all the pretending.

I think the youth are particularly vulnerable as these platforms are designed to be a drug. They figure out ways, with scientific precision, to push youngster’s buttons, and get them hooked. I don’t think it is healthy at all. What ever happened to playing outside and kicking a ball around. Those were good days. And it is all there still, ready for us. But the world is online, sadly, and life is passing by.

I used to use Facebook when on the toilet, waiting in a queue somewhere, and when I wanted to share some movie or work related news. It was a way to drum up support for a project, and even if it was slightly effective, I was convinced that every bit helps. I wonder if it did actually make a difference.

Let’s say I spent 10 to 15 minutes a day on Facebook. This is over an hour a week. That is 4 hours a month. That is two days out of the year. When you think of it like that, that is a lot of time. I would rather spend that time with my family and friends. And the Bunster needs all the time he can get with me.

Facebook certainly did provide some form of entertainment but I much rather prefer sitting back and relaxing with a good movie. But there never seems to be time. Hang on – from my simple calculation above I can watch more movies now. And there’s the thing. If you want to watch a film then go to a cinema or a streaming platform. If you want to read then pick up a book. If you want to laugh then check out a comedian. If you want the news then get a newspaper. We don’t need Facebook.

Have all of us become entertainers? Sit down comedians. Was that me? Is that what social media is about? One thing is for sure, everyone has an opinion on Facebook. Everyone has something to say online and some of it is pretty nasty, so best leave it alone. One could get caught up in an argument with people you hardly know, so quickly, and for what. Rather spend time with people and on things you love. Focus on something you are good at. Master a craft. Do something that adds real value to the world. Posting on Facebook adds nothing to the world.

The thing about technology is that it is meant to help us. And this is the paradox of progress. The more ways we invent to save time the less time we actually have. What value does Facebook add to the world? And it certainly does not save us time, so why do we need it? We are all slaves to technology. We need to control it, and not be controlled by it. We need less electronics in our lives. We need less digital and more analogue. Don’t get me wrong. I did have some fun with Facebook and it had some uses. I will miss seeing Greg on the island and Karl’s jokes were often very sharp. I am amazed he has not been kicked off for some of the things he posts. He has a wicked sense of humour – I like it.

What was the end result of my Facebook journey. Nothing. If you invest time in digital worlds it is very easy to land up with everything being erased, in a second. By an algorithm. Better to build things in the physical world, like real relationships, with real people. If you build a tree house it generally lasts but a virtual place, er, space, can very easily come to an abrupt and confusing end. Hackers can remove you and can cause trouble, and AI algorithms can decide you are not wanted anymore and voila, you are gone.

My closing thought: Perhaps Facebook is one big echo chamber.

PS – I usually posted these kind of jokes on Facebook and Instagram – enjoy.

If you want to be social then be social. But social media is a poor virtual substitute these days, which seems to becoming more and more negative. It used to be fun, and was always good for a few laughs when on the toilet, but anxiety amongst the youth is intense due to online peer pressure, and the amount of hate speech and misinformation on all these social platforms is very sad.

I originally joined Facebook because of the movie “Material”. It was a cool, easy way to share updates on the film’s development and progress, and also, to circulate Material news amongst my friends and colleagues. Then, a few years later, I signed up on InstaGram – that too looked like a bit of harmless fun. I used it mainly to share jokes and make people smile. I think I was doing ok. Sometimes I posted something that was not funny and missed the mark. I believe I have a good sense of humour but I can make mistakes. Especially in today’s world where one has to be overly sensitive and careful. God bless political correctness.

A couple of days ago I must have posted something that was considered to be inappropriate by an algorithm. A few minutes later I was locked out of my IG account and also, FB kicked me off too. It did allow me to appeal and now I am waiting to see … from what I read on Google there is a chance I will not be allowed back in. I have never had an issue like this before so I was quite surprised. Let’s see … it could mean that my social media days are coming to an end. If I am not allowed back in then it was not meant to be, and perhaps I should be thankful. I think Facebook and Putin share a common theme: evil.

What a week this been, and it is only Wednesday. Bitcoin is down, which to me is a good barometer on the world markets and global mood. I figure it means that people want their cash under the mattress. Perhaps Mr. Ramaphosa inspired this action. Yes, the markets are heading south and there are very tough times ahead. All that money printing in the US had to catch up with the world at some point. And we are all going to feel the squeeze. Not much to laugh at at the moment, including my last joke posting, apparently. Joke low, inflation high.

The saddest thing for me is the war in Ukraine. People are dying everyday. Innocent, kind folk, and from my perspective, America and the West are paying lip service to Mr. Zelensky, who is trying so hard to persuade the world’s leading countries to help. Ukraine needs weapons, and fast. If Russia wins this war, which I just can’t believe will happen, then what kind of a world are we living in. A disgusting world. And we will all pay the price if evil is allow to triumph over the truth.

That silly InstaGram page of mine was a way to try add some humour to the world. And yes, I didn’t get it right 100% of the time. And alas, I reckon my social media days have been halted, thanks to the Zuck and his amazing algorithms. It was a bit of silly fun while it lasted. Perhaps I will be unbanned, but it doesn’t look like it. Wow, years of mainly cool jokes, and then a dodgy one and bye bye. Doesn’t feel pretty apt. Which was the name of my IG account: PrettyApt (like this blog).

I am not a comedian, but I am quite funny, even f I say so myself. I was thinking: it can’t be easy for comedians these days. Especially online. One has to be so sensitive and so PC. Phew!

I was going to post the alleged rule breaking joke here on my blog but then I realized that WordPress most likely have the same bots. You can email me and I will send you the trouble making meme. If it upsets you please let me know, and if it makes you laugh, please let me know too. You can reach me on ronnie@prettyapt.com. Yes, I understand the problem but I really don’t get the part about go directly to jail. What ever happened to 3 strikes and you’re out?

As my friend Gus said to me, this is definitely a symptom of troubled times and of a company that is outsourcing decision-making to machines. Difficult times ahead, on the big social experiment online and on life in general. The headlines this week are here to stay. The next 6 months are going to be rough.