MarcForrest.com

Month: August 2009

Moses Mabhida Stadium Tour
UPDATE: To see more information about tours in and around the Moses Mabhida Stadium click here- https://www.marcforrest.com/2009/12/08/moses-mabhida-stadium-tours/

I had a fantastic opportunity on Friday to go on a tour round the new stadium that is being built in Durban for the 2010 FIFA world cup. It really is an eye opener, and I think will become a major stadium round the world. The sheer enormity of it, as well as the spaced out seats really makes it. A couple of things that I personally noticed while we were on the tour
- The ABSA stadium, home to the Sharks next door, is a very “tall”stadium, in the sense those top seats at ABSA are high up and you will battle if you suffer from vertigo. Seating at MM is more “level”. When you walk in to the stadium you go 2 levels down, and then you have your seating. So you will effectively be “in line” with the players
- The players change rooms sound awesome. We couldn’t get in, but it sounds like they are huge, and have jacuzzis
- Peoples park on the South side sounds like it will be a great area for families. Big open spaces with restaurants. I think I can see myself going there for family picnics once it is open
- The whole stadium can be evacuated in 8 minutes !!! that is going to be a HUGE selling point
I managed to take a couple of photos, and managed to get 1 awesome pano shot together. Unfortunately I didn’t have my tripod with me, so I had to crop out a bit of it. The original is 12788 x 2892, but have attached a resized 3704 x 838. For the full size image check out (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcforrest/3873506175/)

I have a couple more pics, taken from my phone as well as on the DSL. The iPhone pics are up, and am busy uploading the others. You can check them out on my Flickr -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcforrest/sets/72157622069322251/

I have also replied with a huge post on the SkyScraperCity Forums, with some of the questions asked by the guys on the forum.

Overall, I really think Durban is the potential winner in the stadium contest. I’m really looking forward to settling down in one of those chairs next year, and watching Bafana Bafana win the World Cup :)
August 31, 2009
Making QR Codes smaller

I have always been a HUGE fan of QR codes, and there is so much potential in them. I still think they will become part of our daily lives in the future as it allows us to display loads of information in a small image, using our cellphones to display the info.

I have just finished updating my South African iPhone apps page, and discovered a neat little trick when creating QR codes. Using the Kaywya QR Code Generator, I found is, that when the URL you are pointing to is quite long, the image size gets bigger. So for instance, I want to link back to the apps page, which is https://www.marcforrest.com/south-african-iphone-apps-directory/;

If I use the full URL in a QR Code image, it turns out to be quite a big image size wise (214 x 214)

BUT, if I shorten the URL using Bit.ly, it makes the image size a whole lot smaller (135 x 135) , but with exactly the same info in it

Use it don’t use it ;)

August 21, 2009
New Durban Airport

UPDATE: To see a couple of Photos from the opening on the 1st of May, click check out King Shaka International Airport Opens post

I recieved some awesome aerial shots of the new Airport, called King Shaka International Airport, currentley being built just outside La Mercy just North of Durbs.

The first plane will land at the new airport on the 1st May 2010, just in time for the 2010 FIFA world cup. They are really moving along with the construction as you can see below. For more info on the Airport and what it will be offer check out this Wikipedia link

Click on the images below to view a larger version

August 20, 2009
South African iPhone Apps Directory

Being Proudly South Africa, and my love for the iPhone, I have decided to keep a list of all locally South African iPhone developed iPhone apps, that will be a static page on my blog. As more SA apps get published to the App store, I will update the list. If you are aware of any apps that should be on this page, that aren’t, please drop me a mail or leave a comment.

If you would like your app reviewed before launch, or once it has been published, I will be more than willing to do that for you :)

The South African iPhone apps Directory can be accessed here, or from the menu at the top of the Page

August 19, 2009
Golfers Info iPhone App

A little while ago I did a post on South African Developed iPhone Apps. I haven’t seen many other new apps make their appearance until Shaun tweeted this morning that his Golfers Info iPhone app had been approved by Apple. Knowing Shaun personally from work, this is a fantastic achievement.

The Golfers Info web app was released a couple of weeks ago, and was chosen as a staff pick on the Apple Web apps. And then this morning, Shaun got the magic mail from Apple to say his app had been approved into the app store.

The is a simple little app that integrates with the Golfers Information Website, also originally developed by Shaun. The iPhone app allows you to view reviews of golf courses around South Africa, as well as catch up with the golfing news from around the world

A very cool feautre of the Golfers Info iPhone app is that it allows you to view golf courses near you, using your current location, perfect if you are away on a holiday, and want to hit a couple of balls As you can see in the screenshot below, it shows me a whole bunch of courses that are close to me.

You can also catch up with all the Pro Golfers comings and goings, via a dedicated Twitter stream inside the app as well.

All in all a well rounded app, that will make life a whole lot easier for those bigwigs, that make their crucial business decisions on the golf course :)

Download the

August 19, 2009