My Corner of the Universe

This web-site represents a voyage of exploration, at the end of which you will know a little more about one of the millions of people on this planet, namely ME!

I’ll be honest: it’s also a showcase of my interests, skills and talents. On this website, you’ll find experiments, blatant marketing, and some daydreaming. Who am I? Well, explore the links below and find out!

The picture in the top left corner of my web page depicts the Orion Nebula, also known by it’s Messier number, M42. The Orion nebula forms part of the sword of the mythological hunter Orion, a constellation of stars that are clearly visible during summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

As a teen I was intrigued by the fact that you could look at this nebula through a pair of binoculars, and it has played a big role in my life ever since. I’ve even named a business after it!

I love reading—mostly non-fiction, but when I read fiction, I prefer science fiction. I was first introduced to science fiction by my father, now deceased. Many of my favorite authors has since joined him, such as Asimov and Arthur C Clarke. My favorite non-fiction writer is Carl Sagan, also deceased. More recent ones are Robin S Sharma (self-help), John C. Maxwell (leadership), Stephen R. Covey (leadership) and Daniel Goleman (Emotional Intelligence). For more ‘current’ science fiction reading, Kim Stanley Robinson’s books win hands down.

Computer Programming has always been a passion. I started with good old Basic, then moved to GW Basic, with a little Pascal and Clipper on the side (remember those?) Finally, with the advent of MS Windows, I became a Visual Basic fan. I’ve been a business consulting for more than ten years, and have frequently used VB to develop consulting tools. Examples of these are ProcessExplorer and DocExplorer.

Who am I? Well, my name is Hendrik Wannenburg, and I was born in Stellenbosch in South Africa in 1962. 1962 was an interesting year, because it was the year of the Cuban missile crisis. It was also the year during which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. I must have sensed the excitement of the birth of the space age from the womb, because I’ve been fascinated by it ever since. I am currently residing in Pretoria (but remain a loyal Western Province / Stormers supporter), and you can read about my work experience here.

Watch this space ...

This is me in a Beechcraft King Air 350, tail number N350KA, a few kilometers out from Langebaan in the Western Cape. The sun is setting, and I am about to bank to the North-North-West for a landing at Cape Town International. The Saldanha airstrip is below my starboard wing and you can see Saldanha Bay bellow my port wingtip. The weather is clear with scattered clouds in the west and visibility is unrestricted. Of course, I’m not really a pilot, but when you're playing MS Flight Simulator X, who’s asking? J

I love taking photographs. I own a smc PENTAX DA Digital SLR camera with a 18-50mm F3.5-5.6 AL lens, and take it with me whenever my family and I go on holiday. I’ve never been to any photography course, but get great satisfaction from being able to capture what I see. The photograph on the left was taken on a farm north of Bergville in the Southern Drakensberg, one of my favorite vacation spots. You can see more photographs here.

The picture on the left represents my own personal mission statement. After being employed for almost 22 years in one way or another, and being everything from a learner technician to an IT Director, I believe that it is time for a paradigm shift in the way people are managed. The key lies in the utilization of Emotional Intelligence to make a positive impact on every subordinate’s work– and personal life. After all, we spend most of our daylight hours (and some of our nighttime hours) at work! I believe it’s time companies take an active interest in the emotional health of their employees.