Idealog
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Pavlova principles
Welcome to Idealog Weekly, the free email newsletter for New Zealand commercial creatives, entrepreneurs and anyone rich with ideas.
Pavlova principles
What industry teaches you “discipline, collaborative skills and determination”, “the importance of expression and its place in society“ and ”how to run a very tight ship, with no room for waste”. Dance, of course, in the words of Shona McCullagh. It’s a tough industry and it produces tough people.
In the current Idealog, Tara Jahn-Werner looks at four very entrepreneurial Kiwi women who have used the skills they learned in dance to create their own businesses, and explains why Anna Pavlova was considered such a bitch—and such a role model. Check it out in Idealog #24 and on our website.
The way we wore
Archives NZ is posting some genius material on YouTube, like this reminder of the total awesomeness of 1970s New Zealand. What a time to be alive.
There's more too, like a busbound tour of Enzed for our oldies and a 1957 look at rollerskating in Napier (where snow is never seen). (Thanks, Dan News!)
Fast finalists
The Icehouse whittled down its Fast Pitch finalists from 53 to 10 last night in a marathon pitch fest. With 60 seconds to sell their ideas, the wannabe Sam Morgans had to convince 20-odd judges including Idealog’s own Vincent Heeringa.
And the finalists? Check them out. The chosen ten will pitch in a Dragon’s Den style event on Thursday 27 at Auckland University.
Tickets to the event, which includes a guest talk by Orion’s Ian McRae, are on sale now. We imagine they’ll be gone in, oh, 60 seconds.
Magical mystery search
Remember the Ogori cafe, the Japanese business that would take your order and give it to the next guy, while handing you whatever the last customer asked for? Well, we can report that it’s also a wonderful idea for web searches and equally harebrained. Meet Mystery Google, where you get what the person before you searched for. (Keep those searches seemly!)
Wilco’s way
We’re huge fans of Chicago’s reformed alt-rockers, Wilco, but we didn’t realise quite how cool their posters are. Beautiful! Check them out at the Grids design blog.
Ana in aggregate
Nearly three years ago, Ana Samways told us her big-picture plans for Spare Room, the website and publishing empire-in-the-making she created with Steven Shaw. She’s kept up her other gig, writing the New Zealand Herald’s Sideswipe column for nearly seven years now, and this week she announced a book collecting the very best. It’ll be for sale on Friday next week only at the Warehouse and online. Congratulations, Ana—we hope we won’t have to wait seven years for the second volume.
Feeling FX
There are three big conferences for the movie and gaming FX industries: one in LA, one in Germany and one in Wellington. The latest installment of that event, AnimfxNZ 2009, kicks off in November at Te Papa and the Museum Hotel. It’s a key event for everyone involved or interested in FX and animation and features a typically top-notch list of workshops and speakers (you can expect many of the event attendees to be just as clever and well-connected too). We’ll have a story about AnimfxNZ in our next issue, but in the meantime it would be wise to get registered now at the website.
And while we’re on the topic, let me update you, dear readers, on two of my fascinations of the moment: forthcoming features with a healthy dose of visual effects, Where the Wild Things Are (opening today in the US) and The Fantastic Mr Fox. The San Francisco Chronicle comes up with this endearing headline, ‘Maurice Sendak tells parents to go to hell’ on Wild Things, which is a fair indication that Spike Jonze’s film will be no saccharin Hollywood remake of Sendak’s beloved book. And the Los Angeles Times chimes in with a from-the-trenches report on the obstinate directorial style of Wes Anderson, who apparently wasn’t on set for most of the shooting of Mr Fox. In fact, he was chilling out in a different country, and his demands caused his underlings a great deal of pain. Quote from Anderson’s director of aimation: “Honestly? Yeah. He has made our lives miserable.”
Stock take
Webstock, the addictive annual Kiwi web conference, is confirmed for February 15-19 in Wellington. On Monday the Webstockers announced the list of 2010 speakers, and it’s a doozie. We thought they’d already pretty much brought all the best web speakers to New Zealand in previous years but the 2010 lineup is fresh-faced, including Kevin Rose, founder of Digg; Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva; John Resig, creator of the jQuery library and Jeff Atwood of codinghorror.com.
Even better: after delaying the Onya awards this year to avoid clashing with the NZ Internet Industry Awards, the first Onyas awards dinner will be held on the (tradionally riotous) final night of Webstock. So if you’re a New Zealander doing brilliant work online, get your entries in. You have till November 9.
Our chanteuse in Singapore
Last week, our woman in Asia stumbled across none other than our favourite songstress/covergirl, Hollie Smith, in Singapore. Miss Hollie, who was invited to perform at the Singapore Sun Festival, treated the locals to the first public outing of songs from her new album. The 12-track, yet-to-be-named disc features her trademark soul/funk vibe, but with a couple of up-tempo numbers thrown in. Her inspiration? "The last three years, really," says Smith. Since we last spoke, Hollie has travelled worldwide (including a recording spot with Blue Note, who she’d previously turned down) and has been asked to open for Coldplay and Simply Red. The new album won’t be released until March, but in the meantime she might treat you to a track or two at one of her upcoming gigs.
Quote of the week
“In retrospect, Dragon’s Den wasn’t a symbol of something new—reality TV—so much as a leftover from the days when every idea needed a patron.”
– Allison O’Neill says we no longer need money to go to market
{The secret of the songbook} Previous
Next {By the numbers}
Previously in Idealog Weekly …
October 30, 2009: Man of the moment
October 23, 2009: By the numbers
October 16, 2009: Pavlova principles
October 9, 2009: The secret of the songbook
October 2, 2009: Free and easy
September 25, 2009: What the world wants
September 18, 2009: A slice of the pie
September 11, 2009: Walking man
September 6, 2009: A calmer kind of business
August 28, 2009: We have issues
August 21, 2009: Mincing about in waistcoats
August 14, 2009: Wired on pop culture
August 7, 2009: Trust is not a commodity
July 31, 2009: Fuzzy logic
July 24, 2009: Game of life
July 17, 2009: Grape expectations
July 10, 2009: Blade runners
July 3, 2009: Free: another word for nothing left to lose
June 26, 2009: Poorly pleased
June 19, 2009: The giver
June 12, 2009: Buggy on down
June 5, 2009: Brand Cambo
May 29, 2009: When the going gets tough, go proactive
May 22, 2009: Bayerische Wasserstoffmotorenwerke
May 15, 2009: Rugger blogger
May 8, 2009: Get on our cloud
May 1, 2009: Easy Tiger
April 24, 2009: Tiki tacky
April 17, 2009: The not-so-great indoors
April 3, 2009: A site for sore eyes
March 27, 2009: Dual control
March 20, 2009: Worth their Alt
March 13, 2009: Biofuels or bio-fools?
March 6, 2009: It's electrifying
February 27, 2009: Experience-rich and theory-poor
February 20, 2009: It's a hundred-and-fourteen-pager
February 13, 2009: Own your mistakes
February 5, 2009: Rules—made to be broken
January 30, 2009: Money: that's what I want
December 5, 2008: Framed by the thousands
November 28, 2008: Spank-branding novelty next week
November 21, 2008: In the Loop
November 14, 2008: Your good health
November 7, 2008: Misfits of science
October 31, 2008: No absence of colour
October 24, 2008: Plain-speaking Peri
October 17, 2008: Rebels with a cause
October 10, 2008: Seoulipsism
October 3, 2008: Fall seven times and stand up eight
September 26, 2008: Don't label us
September 19, 2008: Bloody Graham
September 19, 2008: Dream proposition
September 5, 2008: Taxi!!!
August 29, 2008: Up-Skilling on Idealog TV
August 22, 2008: 144 pages of pure pleasure, plus politics
August 15, 2008: Wash down that Lovemark with a Steinie
August 8, 2008: Strange journey
August 1, 2008: SMElly and happy
July 25, 2008: What a dive
July 18, 2008: Softly and woolly does it
July 11, 2008: The saviour from Timaru
July 4, 2008: Last laugh
June 27, 2008: King Kev
June 20, 2008: Slow ART
June 13, 2008: Killing two birds with methane
June 6, 2008: A combine harvester
May 30, 2008: Gold paint
May 23, 2008: Rock, out
May 16, 2008: Goodwill hunting
May 9, 2008: No wine jokes please
May 2, 2008: Who's bad?
April 24, 2008: Succession success
April 18, 2008: Out now or thereabouts
April 11, 2008: Paint by numbers
April 4, 2008: Reincarnated good
March 28, 2008: Making it
March 20, 2008: Knock three times
March 14, 2008: The customer is always tight
March 7, 2008: Beautiful words
February 28, 2008: Goodnight, I'm off to work
February 22, 2008: The art issue
February 15, 2008: Straight to the top
February 8, 2008: H for hot
December 13, 2007: Nothing in common? Perfect
December 6, 2007: Who needs a beer?
November 30, 2007: Dirty secret goes public
November 23, 2007: Don't speak
November 16, 2007: Worthy work (and free beer)
November 2, 2007: East meets best
October 25, 2007: Raid the fridge
October 19, 2007: Looking good
October 13, 2007: Can't miss it
October 5, 2007: Fresh meat delivery
September 28, 2007: If the walls had eyes
September 21, 2007: Phoenix rising
September 15, 2007: Can we fix it? Yes we can
September 6, 2007: Feats of social engineering
August 31, 2007: Doesn't bite
August 24, 2007: Telling us where to go
August 16, 2007: Tomorrow time
August 10, 2007: Going West
August 3, 2007: How to ... be your business
July 27, 2007: Freaky food
July 20, 2007: Meet the neighbours
July 12, 2007: Free Hollie
July 6, 2007: Green queen
June 29, 2007: The truth about youth
June 21, 2007: Walk this way
June 14, 2007: Times ten
June 7, 2007: The ape woman needs a label
June 1, 2007: Impossible is something
May 25, 2007: Yeah, we're still here
May 11, 2007: Trophy time
May 3, 2007: Friends with the band
April 23, 2007: Why worry?
April 19, 2007: Done by the big jobs
April 12, 2007: A rockin' good read
April 5, 2007: No fear
March 29, 2007: Out to pasture
March 22, 2007: Hip-hop and The Human Touch
March 15, 2007: Crazy Frog and Billy T
March 10, 2007: The Benadryl edition
March 1, 2007: We can be Xero
February 22, 2007: Back on board
December 15, 2006: Free beer
December 8, 2006: December 8, 2006
December 1, 2006: December 1, 2006
November 24, 2006: November 24, 2006
November 16, 2006: November 16, 2006
November 9, 2006: November 9, 2006
November 3, 2006: November 3, 2006
October 26, 2006: October 26, 2006
October 19, 2006: October 19, 2006
October 12, 2006: October 12, 2006
October 6, 2006: October 6, 2006
September 28, 2006: September 28, 2006
September 21, 2006: September 21, 2006
September 14, 2006: September 14, 2006
September 7, 2006: September 7, 2006
August 31, 2006: August 31, 2006
August 24, 2006: August 24, 2006
August 17, 2006: August 17, 2006
August 11, 2006: August 11, 2006
August 3, 2006: August 3, 2006
July 27, 2006: July 27, 2006
July 21, 2006: July 21, 2006
July 13, 2006: July 13, 2006
July 6, 2006: July 6, 2006
June 29, 2006: June 29, 2006
June 22, 2006: June 22, 2006
June 15, 2006: June 15, 2006
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Audi designer Wolfgang Egger brings the A5 Sportback to life right in front of our eyes. It’s all about three lines, apparently, but those three lines have been obsessed over. Enjoy the autospeak: the rear comes complete with both accent and elbow.
Latest issue: Under the sea
Tweeted
- Fetching tweets …
Overheard
- steer seo on Bigger, faster, more productive:
It's got to be good for online retailers selling to the US. They will be able to offer a better multi-media experience. - Mark on Bigger, faster, more productive:
Fantastic! Finally some vision in establishing a key infrastructure to support New Zealand's future prosperity and commercial competitiveness. Good work Rod, Sam and Steve - your country thanks you for your patriotism! … - Margaret Holmes on NZ Institute thumbs down Key's agenda:
Unfortunately it is not just red tape - it is also the laid back kiwi attitude, compounded by educators who think achieving national standards is a bad thing. - Tim Marshall on Smile, you’re in New Zealistan:
The target of higher GDP per capita is all wrong. Aiming for it encourages more production and consumption, often at the expense of quality of life. We need to construct a Genuine Progress Index (GPI) to guide policy. Fr … - Peter McL on New note:
"You got caught up in events at EMI.." and yet shes STILL with EMI - their local branch is distributing her new album. Wonder why?
I blogged some more of Hollies comments on the details behind the fallout … - Phil Wollerman on Smile, you’re in New Zealistan:
Brilliant, insightful article, VH.
This situation has principally arisen because - simplistically - the world no longer wants what we are intrinsically advantaged in supplying.
And yeah, it doesn't look like our co …
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