It's better when it's free

Here at Idealog, we’re all about nurturing great ideas and celebrating homegrown success. So we decided to compile the  Cash for Ideas guides that ran in our last two issues into one bumper handbook, and send it to all subscribers with our next magazine. (And if you too would like the privilege of having Idealog land in your mailbox without having to lift a finger, subscribing is just as easy.) But if anyone else wants a free copy, we’ve got five to give away; just flick us an email with one great reason as to why you should win it.

A meeting of minds

Geo-tagging. Foursquare. Social search. Mean anything to you? Find out what works and what doesn’t in the world of online marketing at Social Media Junction next month, which boasts a lineup of international speakers including SM expert Mike Hickinbotham, MySpace’s Andrew Cordwell and author Julien Smith. The Auckland conference will also include local case studies (Air NZ, Vodafone and more) followed by a workshop on reputation management with marketing consultant Andy Beal. Find out more and book a place at socialmediajunction.co.nz.

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A byte out of the Big Apple

Kiwi web design company Terabyte Interactive has scored double honours at the 14th Annual Webby Awards, with two of its projects named official honourees out of nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries. Recognised for both its Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism and 10 Years Young (Tourism NZ) sites, Terabyte was the only nominee with two spots in the 12-strong tourism category. The awards will be handed out at a ceremony in New York on June 14 during Internet Week—seven days of events celebrating the booming online industry.

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Desktop factory

One day, products won’t be shipped or sold in shops: they’ll be downloaded as design files and then printed in our office or home. Now that day is one step closer. In a new twist on Ponoko’s personal factory concept, the company has teamed up with MakerBot to offer users the chance to make custom desktop 3D printers. MakerBot’s CupCake printer turns digital 3D designs into almost anything up to 4x 4x 6” in size from ABS plastic at the world’s lowest cost per print. Keeping in line with Ponoko’s “made on demand” philosophy, the downloadable templates join its database of tens of thousands of product plans, ready to be customised, priced and manufactured at the click of a mouse.

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Hats, cats and strange coloured eggs

Aucklanders have the chance this month to get an exclusive look at the work of Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka writer and illustrator Dr Seuss. The Art of Dr Seuss is at the Lonely Dog Gallery until April 24, spanning 70 years’ worth of his work. Seuss himself forbade his estate from releasing his private collection until after his death in 1991, but it’s been gradually released for public exhibitions worldwide since. And who wouldn’t want an insight into the mind behind Green Eggs and Ham?

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Automated movie maker

YouTube’s latest feature lets you turn Google searches into video stories. Just type in some search terms, choose the music and let YouTube do the rest—resulting in something along the lines of this zombie tale. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2S0sY0-jgw

Time on your hands

“Our office clock fell, causing the minute and second pointer to come off … Witnessing the random patterns that occurred while the hour pointer still rotated, the concept for the Continue Time was born,” reckons Sander Mulder. Indeed, this looks nothing like a conventional clock— two out of the three pointers rotate around another pointer rather than a central pivot. The resulting timepiece changes shape continuously during a 12-hour rotation. Artistic or absurd? You decide.

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Form and function

Meet the world’s first headphones in a headband. Tangled cables and uncomfortable earbuds are now a thing of the past—Halo Headphones‘ high fidelity speakers can be inserted into a washable headband and adjusted to sit over the ears for a more personalised fit.  And should you struggle setting them up for whatever reason, this handy video tells you all you need to know.

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Pimp my ride

Car lacking that X-factor? Slap a moustache on it; stares, waves and whistles are guaranteed. And once inducted into the Carstache club, don’t forget to give the official salute (index finger to upper lip) to fellow members.

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Kitchen whiz

Those too busy to cook might find a robotic chef a good investment. Students at two Chinese universities recently teamed up with a local business to invent a programmable cooking robot that can whip up a whopping 600 dishes. Sadly, it hasn’t hit the market yet, so it looks like takeaways again for the time-pressed among us.

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Keep on ticking

Delightfully pointless, despite the straight-faced video: Vodka bottles featuring scrolling LED displays. And remember … always drink and tick responsibly. http://vimeo.com/7817799

Quote of the week

“People think that the biggest hurdle is getting investors. It isn’t. It is getting customers.”

— Jonathan Kirkpatrick explains the power of the market.