A taste of what's to come

We know, it seems like forever since our last issue hit stands. Luckily there’s plenty to look forward to in our March/April issue, including our exclusive interview with the founder of New Zealand’s biggest auction site, Sam Morgan, on life after Trade Me.

We catch up with the producers of 7 Days and talk shop with a group of Kiwis harnessing the power of the humble atom in the little-understood area of nanotechnology. Vincent Heeringa also provides food for thought as he argues that for all the recent rhetoric about catching up with Australia, capitalising on innovation is the only way to drag New Zealand out of the doldrums.

What else? Well, there are the results of this year’s ONYAs (to be announced at a winner’s ceremony tonight) and design predictions for the year ahead from the award-winning Alt Group founders. And of course, you’ll find the second part of our bumper Cash for Ideas guide—a must-read for anyone who wants to go it alone. Grab your copy from February 25.

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Webstock highlights

For for those of us who couldn’t make it to Wellington, Ben Kepes is blogging up a storm with live updates and commentary. From the visionary to the practical, you’ll find his take on this week’s speakers here along with snippets from one of the designers of the revolutionary Obama campaign.

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The green outdoors

You know the drill: don’t believe everything you see, especially when it comes to TV. But as this video shows, the prevalence of green screen—even in seemingly mundane shots—is insane.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clnozSXyF4k

A piece of the past

A collection of vintage Marti Friedlander prints offering a unique glimpse into the past is showing at FHE Galleries until March 20. It’s the first time The Moko Suite, a series of photographs featuring elderly Kuia, have been displayed in full since they were taken for a joint project with late historian Michael King. They first appeared as illustrations over 30 years ago in King’s book Moko – Maori Tattooing in the 20th Century. Friedlander has gifted the photographs to the Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) which will be formally handed over later this year.

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From YouTube to Hollywood

Montreal filmmaker Patrick Boivin has made a name for himself with a run of hit YouTube stop-motion clips. And now, he’s off to pitch ideas to Hollywood movie makers on the strength of videos like his martial arts spoof “Ninja’s Unboxing,” commissioned by Google to promote its Nexus phone. Yep, it’s amazing what you can do with a video camera, a couple of action figures and plenty of imagination.

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Total immersion

Among the items showcased at TED 2010 was this demo of Google Liquid Galaxy, which lets users virtually explore the globe and beyond. Built by a Google employee with his 20 percent project time, Liquid Galaxy takes Google Earth and turns it panoramic using eight LCD screens in a viewing booth. (For more TED coverage, check out our blog, where James Hurman is writing from California.)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atV2foTBbyE

Quote of the week

“All too often, discussions of analytics, clickthrough rates, and search engine optimization cloud the important truth that online campaigns and communities are for human beings.”

— Ben Kepes on the philosophy behind the Obama presidential campaign.