The corpses of moths littering the floors of the cyberhouse are just one clue hinting at the fact that Dotcoza still hasn`t managed to find domestic services online. However, the man at the centre of Andersen Consulting`s e-commerce lab experiment has had success in another aspect; he has finally managed to partially furnish the place.
Three new couches, bought from Furniture City through Megashopper, now grace the media room and entertainment areas within the cyberhouse. His new treadmill, acquired through LifestyleMD.com, is set up facing the TV set, on which rests the new DVD player he bought at DVD Universe.
All in all, a cosy enough place from which to watch - and virtually participate in - the Comrades Marathon. Dotcoza plans to run at least one leg of the Comrades in virtual support of the race participants and is currently breaking in his new running shoes, of which he is the very relieved owner. As he admits, running barefoot has been a rather bruising experience.
Sports fanatic that he is, Dotcoza is wearing his Stormers jersey and paying close attention to the rugby in between interviews and other duties, while discussing how news of the Hansie Cronje matchfixing debacle reached as far as the cyberhouse.
"It was fascinating to see how the word spread on the chatline. People were referring to various Web sites, saying 'Check out the latest news here!` And IOL updates ahead of iafrica, and then CricketNet gets a step ahead of them, and to me, it was such a clear example of the value that the Internet has in terms of tracking an event."
In terms of healthcare on the Web, Dotcoza has once again identified gaping holes in South African online offerings. Visits to leading medical aid providers` Web sites revealed limited functionality, and in some cases, none at all. The primary stumbling block, as Dotcoza found, is that in most cases, although information is plentiful, one cannot apply for membership online.
In addition, one cannot purchase over-the-counter medication online, as there are no pharmacies which have as yet taken to the Web. Further research into the online healthcare industry will run in the background for the rest of the project, which lasts until 6 July.
Canine healthcare, on the other hand, is not as hard to acquire online. Dogcoza, the recently renamed house pet, had a recent trip to the vet which was organised entirely through e-mail. Payment for the treatment had to be made the old-fashioned way, however - the only concession allowed by the project`s strict guidelines.
Having rounded off the primary thrust of Health Week with an overall fitness assessment provided by personal trainer Mark Joyce and analysed by iafrica.com`s health and fitness editor, Dr Bridget Farham, Dotcoza now plans to dive back into personal finance with research into the insurance industry.
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