The giver
Welcome to Idealog Weekly, the free email newsletter for New Zealand commercial creatives, entrepreneurs and anyone rich with ideas.
The giver
Cory Doctorow is one of the more famous names on the Internet, thanks to the massive BoingBoing blog and writing rather well on issues ranging from sci-fi and geek obsessions to copyright and politics. He also likes giving things away—creating something and then letting other people have it for nothing.
Despite that, Doctorow still manages to make a living from his writing. Wondering how? Read Stephen Jewell’s interview with Cory Doctorow in the current Idealog and he’ll tell you.
And if you’re up for the freebie, download Doctorow’s latest book, Little Brother, from his site.
Somebody’s mother
As Joey deVilla says, they ran some weird ads back in the day.
Sure, smoking makes you look cool
At Idealog, we’re sympathetic to the plight of today’s smoker, so we’d like to ease the burden. Take these mittens, for example, that do away with one of the great inconveniences of being socially ostracised: cold hands while puffing outside to further personal cancer and emphysema growth opportunities. You’re welcome.
Jericho prospers as recession bites
There’s a smarter way to do everything. For insights into how you can improve your business decisions and investment—or simply to get some inspiring ideas— visit BusinessInsight, a collaboration between HB Media and IBM. This month’s case study: Jericho grows capacity 500%. How? And what’s the ROI? Watch the video and read the case study here.
Levitate me
We love this miniature Maglev ‘steam’ train, showing just how the magic magnetism works. Kottke points to a Scientific American article predicting a trans-Atlantic Maglev train could travel between New York and London at 6,500 kilometres per hour. That would require the train to run in a vacuum inside a suspended tunnel. Hey, if John Key can put $50 million towards a cycleway, surely Uncle Sam can build a hypersonic underwater train?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5el1A5B-h3Q
Voices wins award 
And a hugely coveted D&AD pencil too for Saatchi Sydney, for a clever ad made with Kiwi mobile advertising heroes The Hyperfactory. The spot for the United Nations Voices Project marries mobile technology with creative thinking to give voice to those who don’t always have it.
Job of the Week
Interactive Senior Creative (P0509) Digital Arm of Advertising Agency • Wide Variety of Clients • Superb Role Our client is part of an international agency network and has a vast array of clients. They are looking for a hot senior creative, who along with having great concepting ability has and is a hands on designer. This role will work very closely with the Creative Director, nutting out creative concepts and then delivering outstanding work. For this role you will have experience in a similar senior interactive role, be ready to step up to the mark and really show what you are made of. If you have won awards for your creativity, then that will be seen as a bonus although not a requirement—as you work will speak for itself. This is a leadership role, you will have a number of direct reports and be able to share you knowledge and assist in their growth and development.
If you feel this is the right next step for you, please send your details to Louise Lawton at Portfolio Recruitment on 09 379-9303, or apply on our website.
Super Semi-Permanent
This year’s Semi-Permanent looks like a stunner, with an impressive line-up of speakers from the UK, US, Australia and of course, New Zealand.
Matt Aitken from Weta Digital will talk about his work on Dambusters, Tintin and other films; then there’s Alexia Sinclair from Australia who has a few words about her photography to share.
The United States contingent comprises illustrator James Jean, motion graphics specalist Arvind Palep and graphics designer David Carson.
Britain features strongly this year with wunderkind graphic artist, illustrator and record label founder Kate Moross; masters of graphic design Tim Beard (Bibliothèque) and Harry Pearce (Pentagram); plus Philip Hunt from animators Studio AKA; and Sanky from digital artists AllofUs.
All household creative names, in other words, and there are two more speakers to come, so make sure you’re in Auckland on August 14 and 15 to catch Semi-Permanent at the Aoetea Centre.
As an additional draw card, organisers The Church are holding a We Can Create campaign with prizes to be won during Semi-Permanent.
Tickets for Semi-Permanent are available from The Edge online or phone 0800 BUY TICKETS. Early birders get in for $210 if they’re salaried/waged, or $120 for students. Dilly-dally, and those figures go up to $250 and $150 respectively. Deluxe VIPs like yours truly have to fork out $500 for the tix.
DAW09 warm-up for SP09
You don’t need to wait for Semi-Permanent to get your design fix. Design Assembly’s Winter 2009 event is next week, on Wednesday, June 24.
Raul Sarrot will talk about designing for tough times and Ralph Matthews is on the edge of interactive and intelligent design. Scott Bell will round up the evening with websites without comprise and with client expectations.
Design Assembly 2009 is held at AUT’s Art and Design Faculty, St Paul’s Street in Auckland. Find room WE336 to catch Messieurs Sarrot, Matthews and Bell’s talks. Afterwards, there’s a closed function at nearby Brooklyn Bar on Queen St to continue the conversations.
RSVP on the website.
Quote of the week
“What it’s really saying is that you no longer have a role in talking to government or your neighbours when you lose your Internet connection. For any individual who is part of the digital society, it’s a death sentence that removes their ability to participate.
—Cory Doctorow on the real consequences of S92A’s ‘ultimate sanction’
More at Idealog online
Read more on our website: web exclusives, opinion, creative directory, Idealog TV, the Idealog blogs and the Idealog podcast. See you at idealog.co.nz.
Juha Saarinen
Ideologue, Weekly
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