Cultivating creativity

Idealog #25 arrived on newsstands yesterday, and features something very special: the first ever Idealog guide, our step-by-step manual to turning your brainchild into a commercial success. From the all-important business plan to the financial nitty gritty, we’ll walk you through the process with tips from expert advisers. It’s the first of a two-part series; part one helps you turn an idea into a business proposition, and part two—included with the next issue of Idealog—will help you turn it into a market success. It’ll even advise you on how to move on to the next great thing.

Writer Andy Kenworthy has worked with some of the country’s foremost innovation experts, so you’re in good hands. We’re also putting the guide online, one chapter at a time. Start with the introduction: a welcome and a warning.

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Hot off the press

There’s plenty more in the new issue, of course. Consider it a fresh injection of inspiration before ’09 draws to a close.

It includes an interview with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, who confesses his global social media phenomenon was a happy accident. Then there’s the Dunedin-based team at Areograph, who tinkered away in their garage and ended up reimagining the gaming industry, and Katie Taylor’s tenacious trajectory from Wellington Polytech student to London-based graphic designer (with a stint as an acrobat in Siberia).

And there’s more food for thought: believe it or not, Liverpool, home of the Beatles and a footie club, could teach New Zealand’s cities a thing or two about urban design. And the cover story is about saving science—but don’t expect the usual get-the-government-to-pay-up article. See more on our website.

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Bring me to life

It would not be exaggerating to say Joshua Harris takes street art to a whole new level. Think giant inflatable animals—made from rubbish bags, of course—positioned over grates on the sidewalk and brought to life from the subway’s exhaust air below. Who needs the zoo?

Bright sparks

Microsoft has named 20 teams from universities around the country in the 2010 Imagine Cup preliminary finals. No more designing robots in the basement; they’ll get expert guidance and software to help them transform their ideas into viable prototypes. Winning designs included a method for delivering data via FM radio to support the One Laptop Per Child initiative, a portable solar-powered desalination plant, and a weather index reporting scheme for farmers in impoverished countries. And come February, four national finalists will be selected to compete for the chance to represent New Zealand at the international finals in Poland. For a backgrounder on the Cup and what it’s all about, have a read of Gena Tuffery’s feature on the 2008 Paris finals.

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Graffiti goes green

If you never thought the words ‘graffiti’ and ‘clean’ could be synonymous, think again. Check out reverse graffiti artist Moose making his mark in San Francisco’s Broadway Tunnel.

Fame and glory

Yet more ONYAs finalists have been announced, including categories for best user experience, best web app, best content and most innovative (sponsored by Idealog, who else?). The list is packed with kick-ass Kiwi websites that we know well, including a trifecta of finalists in both the best web app and most innovative categories: PowerShop, Xero and PocketSmith.

The Onyas will be presented at an awards dinner on the last day of Webstock 2010. If you work in the web biz and don’t have a ticket yet, you should rectify that now. Why? Let the Webstockers explain.

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Get cooking

Japanese researchers have developed the ultimate kitchen appliance for geeks, a YouTube-powered microwave. It looks like a conventional microwave at first glance, but sports a pair of built in speakers and a 10.4-inch LCD screen. Whether you’re nuking a pack of two-minute noodles or waiting for a steak to defrost, the Castoven will pull up a video of the same length to keep you entertained. It’s not for sale yet, apparently, but it’s only a matter of time…

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Literary wizardry

It’s not too late to enter AUT’s creative writing competition: entries are open till January 31, so get scribbling or visit the website for more info. You could see your name in print in Idealog, hear your song on bFM, learn from the wisdom of an established Kiwi writer and even score a shiny new Sony Vaio laptop.

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Quote of the week

“Newton didn’t get hit by an apple and discover gravity; he had been thinking about gravity for most of his life and was carefully observing the apple as it fell, looking for answers.”

–Andy Kenworthy on the realities of inspiration.