Idealog

Idealog magazine
 
 

Goodnight, I'm off to work

Welcome to Idealog Weekly, the free email newsletter for New Zealand commercial creatives, entrepreneurs and anyone rich with ideas.

Goodnight, I’m off to work

Most people aren’t too productive when they sleep for 22 hours a day. But the mystery illness that caused Garth Murray’s extreme sleep-ins also gave him a prophetic dream—of making a speaker with reduced harmonic distortion. Whatever gets you through the night. While this may seem like a wasted prophesy, the people who Murray claims have cried when they’ve heard the Theophany Loudspeaker’s output don’t think so.

 

Music to your eyes

No one could accuse Wellington music mag Exposure of being over-exposed. Until now the free encyclopedia of Kiwi creativity has turned up at your café counter when it gets there, alright? But now Exposure creator Pat Shepherd has turned his attention to the project full-time, you’ll be ale to get your aural fill in word form, online or on shop counters. Starting now.

 

Save the seeds!

Don’t panic—we now have a panic room for seeds. One hundred million seeds have been loaded into a frozen vault in the Arctic circle, where they will be safe even if we’re not. Able to withstand fire, flood, earthquake and even nuclear war, the last man standing will be able to feast on everything from 100,000 different kinds of carrots to 40,000 kinds of beans—as long as he can find somewhere to plant them and some actual food to eat while they grow.

 

Google in the Earth

Google Earth, Google Video, Google Reader … this very public company hasn’t been underground for a long time. But that’s about to change. Google’s just announced that it’s helping lay a $300 million-dollar undersea cable between the US and Japan to meet increased broadband demand. Hey if there’s any of that cable left over …

 

Complicated compositions

Framing someone could take on a much more informative meaning with a digital frame that incorporates a camera, scanner, GPS and Internet connection. The hand-held device allows you to frame anything—or anyone—before sending the image for instant analysis on sites like Wikipedia, Google and Google Earth. You can also put your frame over words or phrases in books for an instant definition from a plethora of online dictionaries, thesauruses and reference books. So that solves the problem of buying into the right school zone—stay put and buy the kids an educational square instead.

 

Eyes of the prize

Then again why bother carting around an information-gathering frame when you could just get bionic eyesight. No really you could. A team at the University of Washington has created a contact lens complete with functional circuitry and LEDs. This could lead to applications such as telescopic vision for soldiers and virtual displays for pilots. Personally I’d rather have my pilot fly drunk than focused on his own eyeballs, but each to their own.

 

Bring back the brick

If listening to Michael Jackson on your iPod doesn’t make you feel like a kid again maybe this will. Someone inventive and childish—actually quite possibly Michael—has made a music player that looks just like a piece of Lego. Just as well not every plastic brick has raised dots that double as volume controls, or we’d have a serious plastic housing shortage.

 

Star Wars episode 3 year old

If anyone’s looking for a movie reviewer we’ve found one who is cheap, confident and Oxford-concise. This three-year-old movie buff has only seen Star Wars once, but that’s probably just as well—if she had anymore to go on she’d have no memory space left for motor skills.

 

Any which way

If yesterday’s Bike to Work Day ended up being another “get in the car!” day, you’ve got another chance to redeem yourself tonight. Critical Mass is a spontaneous leaderless bike ride that somehow occurs on the last Friday of every month in every major city of the world. Meet by the fountain in Auckland’s Albert Park at 5.30 then follow the people following you.

Morningside 4 life! Except when the Bro’Town boys are in Wellington for their stage show next Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

Quote of the week

“I was lying in bed and I actually saw myself making a speaker. I saw the ruler, I saw the dimensions. I woke up and then I spent six months learning how to build them.”

—Garth Murray, otherwise known as The Daydream Believer

 

More at Idealog online

Read more on our website: web exclusives, opinion, Idealog IP, the Idealog blogs and the Idealog podcast. See you at idealog.co.nz.

Idealog Weekly is sent to friends, subscribers and registered website users of Idealog magazine. Rather read your Idealog Weekly in  your inbox? Subscribe here 

Also in Idealog Weekly …

Article illustration2010-08-27 13:26:59: 128 pages of pure gold
Article illustration2010-08-20 11:51:54: Total Semi-Permanent
Article illustration2010-08-13 13:18:18: Life through a lens
Article illustration2010-08-06 13:54:12: Pie in the sky
Article illustration2010-07-23 14:16:23: The bounce factor
Article illustration2010-07-09 13:46:23: The future is now
Article illustration2010-07-02 14:45:16: Sneaking around
Article illustration2010-06-25 13:52:07: Making their mark
Article illustration2010-06-18 14:18:59: From C-student to CEO
Article illustration2010-06-11 12:59:50: Walking the talk
Article illustration2010-06-04 12:06:56: Stars of the small screen
Article illustration2010-05-28 13:27:44: A job well done
Article illustration2010-05-21 11:38:39: Story of my life
Article illustration2010-05-14 13:34:52: Where are the asteroids?
Article illustration2010-05-07 15:03:09: Get your fancypants on
Article illustration2010-04-30 14:44:05: Ready, aim, fire
Article illustration2010-04-23 15:11:14: Lean machine
Article illustration2010-04-16 13:38:34: It's better when it's free
Article illustration2010-04-09 11:11:34: Good fortune
Article illustration2010-04-01 13:47:45: Forward thinking
Article illustration2010-03-26 14:58:28: Back to basics
Article illustration2010-03-19 12:43:58: End of the road
Article illustration2010-03-12 14:29:30: Under the sea
Article illustration2010-03-05 14:32:56: Race to the bottom
Article illustration2010-02-26 14:43:20: Small but mighty
Article illustration2010-02-19 14:43:04: A taste of what's to come
Article illustration2010-02-12 16:27:05: The case for saving science
Article illustration2010-02-05 11:20:54: Betting on the bell curve
Article illustration2010-01-29 11:43:43: Urban facelift
Article illustration2010-01-22 12:46:42: Back to business
Article illustration2009-12-18 12:32:14: An Idealog year
Article illustration2009-12-11 11:32:17: Cultivating creativity
Article illustration2009-12-04 12:41:50: Beating the data maze
Article illustration2009-11-27 13:20:20: Into the wild
Article illustration2009-11-20 12:09:59: Clever Kiwi
Article illustration2009-11-13 15:24:34: Behind the scenes
Article illustration2009-11-06 16:14:16: The garlic solution
Article illustration2009-10-30 17:36:54: Man of the moment
Article illustration2009-10-23 18:20:02: By the numbers
Article illustration2009-10-16 16:18:27: Pavlova principles
Article illustration2009-10-09 18:53:36: The secret of the songbook
Article illustration2009-10-02 14:52:56: Free and easy
Article illustration2009-09-25 14:58:12: What the world wants
Article illustration2009-09-18 14:58:12: A slice of the pie
Article illustration2009-09-11 16:16:54: Walking man
Article illustration2009-09-06 22:39:01: A calmer kind of business
Article illustration2009-08-28 16:14:07: We have issues
Article illustration2009-08-21 14:15:49: Mincing about in waistcoats
Article illustration2009-08-14 15:16:48: Wired on pop culture
Article illustration2009-08-07 14:33:11: Trust is not a commodity
Article illustration2009-07-31 14:05:29: Fuzzy logic
Article illustration2009-07-24 12:44:11: Game of life
Article illustration2009-07-17 15:07:41: Grape expectations
Article illustration2009-07-10 15:55:03: Blade runners
Article illustration2009-06-26 17:29:25: Poorly pleased
Article illustration2009-06-19 13:07:47: The giver
Article illustration2009-06-12 15:09:07: Buggy on down
Article illustration2009-06-05 13:15:14: Brand Cambo
Article illustration2009-05-15 13:37:38: Rugger blogger
Article illustration2009-05-08 16:19:47: Get on our cloud
Article illustration2009-05-01 14:23:55: Easy Tiger
Article illustration2009-04-24 10:45:23: Tiki tacky
Article illustration2009-04-17 15:41:21: The not-so-great indoors
Article illustration2009-04-03 15:41:21: A site for sore eyes
Article illustration2009-03-27 12:01:53: Dual control
Article illustration2009-03-20 12:41:29: Worth their Alt
Article illustration2009-03-13 11:40:07: Biofuels or bio-fools?
Article illustration2009-03-06 13:06:03: It's electrifying
Article illustration2009-02-27 12:05:00: Experience-rich and theory-poor
Article illustration2009-02-13 10:17:02: Own your mistakes
Article illustration2009-02-05 11:08:46: Rules—made to be broken
Article illustration2009-01-30 12:13:46: Money: that's what I want
Article illustration2008-12-05 12:15:14: Framed by the thousands
Article illustration2008-11-21 10:07:48: In the Loop
Article illustration2008-11-14 12:30:00: Your good health
Article illustration2008-11-07 15:29:37: Misfits of science
Article illustration2008-10-31 00:00:00: No absence of colour
Article illustration2008-10-24 12:55:16: Plain-speaking Peri
Article illustration2008-10-17 15:17:07: Rebels with a cause
Article illustration2008-10-10 14:53:35: Seoulipsism
Article illustration2008-09-26 13:20:53: Don't label us
Article illustration2008-09-19 14:37:12: Bloody Graham
Article illustration2008-09-19 14:17:45: Dream proposition
Article illustration2008-09-05 15:21:48: Taxi!!!
Article illustration2008-08-29 11:24:08: Up-Skilling on Idealog TV
Article illustration2008-08-08 12:00:07: Strange journey
Article illustration2008-08-01 15:17:10: SMElly and happy
Article illustration2008-07-25 13:24:35: What a dive
Article illustration2008-07-18 12:19:42: Softly and woolly does it
Article illustration2008-07-11 11:59:13: The saviour from Timaru
Article illustration2008-07-04 14:50:24: Last laugh
Article illustration2008-06-27 10:56:38: King Kev
Article illustration2008-06-20 12:20:14: Slow ART
Article illustration2008-06-13 11:56:13: Killing two birds with methane
Article illustration2008-06-06 11:41:39: A combine harvester
Article illustration2008-05-30 11:55:00: Gold paint
Article illustration2008-05-23 12:01:40: Rock, out
Article illustration2008-05-16 10:44:03: Goodwill hunting
Article illustration2008-05-09 11:53:04: No wine jokes please
Article illustration2008-05-02 11:51:55: Who's bad?
Article illustration2008-04-24 13:23:02: Succession success
Article illustration2008-04-18 13:41:43: Out now or thereabouts
Article illustration2008-04-11 12:52:49: Paint by numbers
Article illustration2008-04-04 14:24:53: Reincarnated good
Article illustration2008-03-28 15:26:16: Making it
Article illustration2008-03-20 17:03:39: Knock three times
Article illustration2008-03-14 12:31:52: The customer is always tight
Article illustration2008-03-07 11:56:55: Beautiful words
Article illustration2008-02-28 12:55:22: Goodnight, I'm off to work
Article illustration2008-02-22 12:15:19: The art issue
Article illustration2008-02-15 11:31:15: Straight to the top
Article illustration2008-02-08 16:05:53: H for hot
Article illustration2007-12-13 14:52:13: Nothing in common? Perfect
Article illustration2007-12-06 12:50:32: Who needs a beer?
Article illustration2007-11-30 12:37:37: Dirty secret goes public
Article illustration2007-11-23 13:28:24: Don't speak
Article illustration2007-11-16 17:01:13: Worthy work (and free beer)
Article illustration2007-11-02 20:07:12: East meets best
Article illustration2007-10-25 12:47:59: Raid the fridge
Article illustration2007-10-19 09:18:05: Looking good
Article illustration2007-10-13 10:20:34: Can't miss it
Article illustration2007-10-05 12:55:52: Fresh meat delivery
Article illustration2007-09-28 11:49:23: If the walls had eyes
Article illustration2007-09-21 04:13:23: Phoenix rising
Article illustration2007-09-15 04:32:01: Can we fix it? Yes we can
Article illustration2007-09-06 19:00:00: Feats of social engineering
Article illustration2007-08-31 09:01:09: Doesn't bite
Article illustration2007-08-24 13:21:33: Telling us where to go
Article illustration2007-08-16 23:00:00: Tomorrow time
Article illustration2007-08-10 12:15:51: Going West
Article illustration2007-08-03 12:35:31: How to ... be your business
Article illustration2007-07-27 14:11:06: Freaky food
Article illustration2007-07-20 15:05:00: Meet the neighbours
Article illustration2007-07-12 12:16:19: Free Hollie
Article illustration2007-07-06 09:03:58: Green queen
Article illustration2007-06-29 08:59:24: The truth about youth
Article illustration2007-06-21 16:03:33: Walk this way
Article illustration2007-06-14 17:58:53: Times ten
Article illustration2007-06-07 15:13:55: The ape woman needs a label
Article illustration2007-06-01 08:51:45: Impossible is something
Article illustration2007-05-25 14:53:52: Yeah, we're still here
Article illustration2007-05-11 14:43:35: Trophy time
Article illustration2007-05-03 15:49:14: Friends with the band
Article illustration2007-04-23 23:00:00: Why worry?
Article illustration2007-04-19 16:08:21: Done by the big jobs
Article illustration2007-04-12 22:34:29: A rockin' good read
Article illustration2007-04-05 13:54:05: No fear
Article illustration2007-03-29 21:54:07: Out to pasture
Article illustration2007-03-22 15:38:14: Hip-hop and The Human Touch
Article illustration2007-03-15 14:27:49: Crazy Frog and Billy T
Article illustration2007-03-10 01:00:00: The Benadryl edition
Article illustration2007-03-01 14:30:53: We can be Xero
Article illustration2007-02-22 17:17:14: Back on board
Article illustration2006-12-15 12:34:29: Free beer
Article illustration2006-12-08 11:09:40: December 8, 2006
Article illustration2006-12-01 10:13:51: December 1, 2006
Article illustration2006-11-24 13:38:37: November 24, 2006
Article illustration2006-11-16 12:08:37: November 16, 2006
Article illustration2006-11-09 12:13:04: November 9, 2006
Article illustration2006-11-03 13:27:12: November 3, 2006
Article illustration2006-10-26 13:39:26: October 26, 2006
Article illustration2006-10-19 16:11:46: October 19, 2006
Article illustration2006-10-12 17:31:36: October 12, 2006
Article illustration2006-10-06 10:16:05: October 6, 2006
Article illustration2006-09-28 16:19:29: September 28, 2006
Article illustration2006-09-21 15:42:31: September 21, 2006
Article illustration2006-09-14 13:56:38: September 14, 2006
Article illustration2006-09-07 00:00:00: September 7, 2006
Article illustration2006-08-31 00:00:00: August 31, 2006
Article illustration2006-08-24 00:00:00: August 24, 2006
Article illustration2006-08-17 00:00:00: August 17, 2006
Article illustration2006-08-11 00:00:00: August 11, 2006
Article illustration2006-08-03 00:00:00: August 3, 2006
Article illustration2006-07-27 00:00:00: July 27, 2006
Article illustration2006-07-21 00:00:00: July 21, 2006
Article illustration2006-07-13 00:00:00: July 13, 2006
Article illustration2006-07-06 00:00:00: July 6, 2006
Article illustration2006-06-29 00:00:00: June 29, 2006
Article illustration2006-06-22 00:00:00: June 22, 2006
Article illustration2006-06-15 00:00:00: June 15, 2006
Latest Idealog Weekly Latest issue: 128 pages of pure gold
Idealog Weekly: Rich with ideas in your inbox every Friday

Sign up now!

Tweeted

  • Fetching tweets …
Follow Idealog on Twitter

Overheard

Idealog is published by

AUT Media

Idealog is supported by

IBM

Image Centre

TelstraClear

 

Most useful

Six random stories

Most commented

Most collectible

Idealog t-shirt