We know his first name is Cliff and we know he has the ability to tweet the whereabouts of endless accidents, speed traps and stolen cars ‚ all at the same time. He also tweets faster than most MECs can drive and he goes by the Twitter handle @pigspotter. SEAN BACHER asks PigSpotter about his favourite Gadgets.
Pigspotter views himself as any other ordinary South African citizen, and he lives in an ordinary province. But he has an extraordinary view on corruption and ways in which it can be controlled. Quite understandably, he is not willing to reveal too much about his personal life, and his reason is quite novel. ‚It kind of makes things a little more exciting. I can walk straight past the Police In Gauteng without them being any the wiser.‚
1. What is the earliest gadget you can remember buying (when, where, why did you buy it)?
I think it was back in 1990, when I begged my dad to buy a Casio D2000 Electronic Personal Diary which could store all my numbers, calendar events and memos. I used to write down all my thoughts and ideas in there, along with numbers of every friend I had until about standard 6.
I actually found it about four years ago after misplacing it for a while and was so excited to press the on/off button and read through all my old thoughts. Sadly though, everything had been erased because the battery had died.
2. What phone do you use and why?
I currently use a BlackBerry Bold 9700. It replaced my BlackBerry Bold 9000, which had given me endless grief. I choose to use BlackBerry as it is very versatile and customisable. Reliability issues and battery life are a worry though.
3. What is your favourite gadget (aside from the above)?
This is going to sound pathetic but I love my XBox and all the Guitar Hero equipment. The 80GB iPod with video runs a close second.
4. What gadgets do you use that allow you to fulfil your Pigspotting role?
The equipment I use is very basic. For PigSpotting I use my Blackberry, and an Acer notebook with a 3G connection.
5. What is your favourite online tool or useful site and why?
I don’t spend much time online, but the sites I use most are Google, Twitter and Facebook ‚ all purely for PigSpotting use. Otherwise I like to jump onto Google maps and search for random monuments like the Eiffel Tower or statue of Liberty and even the Las Vegas strip.
6. What is your favourite mobile tool or app and why?
That has to be UberTwitter. So much cleaner, easier and quicker to use. BlackBerry Messenger is a massive favourite as well. Great way to stay in touch.
7. What gadget do you wish would just go away?
The iPhone. Simply because I feel BlackBerry users have an unwritten law not to like iPhones. I do however have a great love for other Apple products. Unfortunately, my pockets don’t stretch that far.
8. What is the best piece of gadget-buying or -using advice you can give to gadget consumers out there?
My best advice would be firstly to do as much online research as possible, ask yourself if you really need the gadget. And, if all else fails, log onto Twitter and ask @AkiAnastasiou for his opinion. He really knows his gadgets and will go out of his way to give you some advice.
You can follow the PigSpotter on Twitter on @pigspotter
Follow Sean Bacher on Twitter on @seanbacher