I live a life completely surrounded by gadgets, and I love it.

Last week was again dominated by telecoms issues/events, a hot topic both here and in the US in particular.

Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri recently held an informal session with certain hand-picked journalists, although she set herself up for a fall by ignoring those who are extremely critical of her.

Events surrounding the ICT black empowerment charter and the second national operator (SNO) made news locally last week, while international IT activities took a breather.

After 10 years of industry travel, it seems like a fine moment to reflect with some nostalgia, if only to postpone having to take on the queue at Home Affairs.

Following a spate of badly organised ICT conferences, the big question is who is more unprofessional: the event planners or the delegates who don`t bother to pitch?

Telecoms dominated again last week, with the Verizon win for MCI dominating the international scene and the second national operator/Tata announcement taking centre stage locally.

The trade media has been accused of a lot of things, mostly by other media. Maybe it`s time to take stock, at home and over at the mainstream presses.

Like bread and butter or honey and soy sauce, radio and the Internet are a winning combination.

Last week saw the unexpected ousting of HP CEO Carly Fiorina, followed by much speculation surrounding her replacement.

The new threat of onboard car computers getting viruses has brought out the best in doomsayers. However, it has to be admitted that it is such fun to ponder the worst possible car virus and hacking scenarios.

Companies that have replaced good, old-fashioned receptionists with bizarre interlinking voicemail systems run the risk of alienating their clients and the media.