Small but mighty

Palladium may not be a high-profile metal, but it’s certainly one of the most useful—it’s the key ingredient in catalytic converters, which clean the toxic fumes emitted by vehicles. The problem? It’s pricey and doesn’t go very far. But PhD student John Watt has come up with a solution: shrinking the particles, rather than reducing their effectiveness, in fact makes them even more powerful. Read the full story online or pick up a copy of our latest issue, which is on sale now. With a fresh new look, it’s one of the biggest Idealog issues ever and is packed with inspiring stories, including an exclusive interview with Trade Me founder Sam Morgan, Hollie Smith on the comeback, plus part two of the Guide to Product Innovation.

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Writer in residence

Applications are now open for the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency, which offers a writer of Pacific heritage the chance to work for three months on a project exploring Pacific identity, culture or history at the University of Hawaii. Writers of all genres are welcome (previous recipients include children’s author Sarona Aiono-Iosefa, poet Tusiata Avia, playwright Victor Rodger and filmmakers Sima Urale and Toa Fraser). Flights, accommodation and a monthly stipend are all provided, but applications close on April 1 so you’d best be quick.

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Have your cake and eat it too

Idealog contributor Mike Booker thinks there’s got to be something we can do to pull New Zealand out of the economic rut, barring the usual suspects (less tax, less regulation, etc). His new blog, BigCake, is dedicated to his search for the answer, hitting on topics such as academia, sport, music, politics and business along the way.

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Goodonya

There’s nothing quite like being there in the flesh, but here’s the last seven minutes of the Onyas awards courtesy of Bruce Ferguson and the Darkroom team—and what a show it was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mlWXj2-b-I

An evening with King

Idealog and the Chamber of Commerce have joined forces to bring you Creative Entrepreneurs: a series of cocktail and networking events for, er, creative entrepreneurs. First up is an evening with Jonathan King, director of Under the Mountain and Black Sheep. Jonathan will offer insights into his creative process, his work with Weta Workshop and the challenges of funding and dealing with last-minute crises. Join us for a drink and canapés on Wednesday, March 31 at 5.30pm at Orams Marine Boatpark, Westhaven. It’s cheap as: $42+GST for Chamber members and Idealog subscribers; $64+GST for other creative entrepreneurs (active or intending); or $5,600+GST if you are a property developer. Email to register (don’t forget to state ‘Idealog’ when registering if you’re a subscriber).

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Smart talk

Science and innovation is the topic of an upcoming panel at the Auckland Museum, from early ‘Number 8 Wire’  agricultural inventions through to current biotech projects and speculation on the future of the industry. The discussion will be moderated by Finlay Macdonald and features inventor/entrepreneur Ray Avery (sound familiar? You might recall he recently won New Zealander of the Year; we also profiled him not so long ago) and Dr Helen Anderson of the Ministry of Research Science and Technology. Mark Thursday evening in your diary and book a place online.

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Fun with puzzles

Fun Friday fact: the keys off a computer keyboard fit perfectly onto each square of a Rubik’s Cube. Keep that in mind, should you ever need to to MacGyver up your daily Sudoku fix. (Speaking of which, this Lego robot can crack a Rubik’s cube in 12 seconds flat. Guess that makes it smarter than me.)

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A spot of dark humour

What if wacky filmmaker Lars von Trier turned his hand to a series of tourism ads for Denmark? Well, they’d certainly leave a lasting impression, if nothing else. Caution: not for the delicate or easily offended, and it might pay to watch it with your eyes shut if you’re new to his work.

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Voice of an angel

Bill Payne, one of America’s leading angel investors, is in the country for three months to share his knowledge with local entrepreneurs.  Idealog and Escalator have teamed up to offer you the chance to meet him—and various other mentors—as part of Meet an Angel Day on April 17. The cost? Absolutely free. Register your interest online, call 0800 822 748 or email karen@escalator.co.nz.

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Just a minute

Procrastination is…thesaurasising words in your emails, playing imaginary computer games with your furniture, trying to grow a moustache and much, much more, according to this trippy video. http://vimeo.com/9553205

Quote of the week

“Hands up who thought all the hi-falutin’ talk of ‘economic transformation’ under Helen Clark had almost zero effect on the key innovation indicators since 1998?”

—Vincent Heeringa on the dismal truths revealed in a new IBM study.