Adieu, for now

Today’s newsletter is the last for 2010, but we reckon our sweet new issue (out this week) will provide enough Idealog fixin’ to see you through. For starters, we found out first-hand why Aucklander Chris Haverkort’s trikes are proving a nifty alternative to wheelchairs for kids with cerebral palsy—and what this means for people like his teenage daughter, Brooke. In fact, her quality of life is so improved, Haverkort is on a mission to advocate the benefits of the third wheel all around the world.

Our cover story is, of course, centred around nurturing and birthing new ideas. But how does one cultivate creativity and distinguish a dud from a winner? Thirteen renowned Kiwis share how, when and where they do their best thinking; some of their responses will surprise (and perhaps polarise).

Elsewhere, Peter Gordon, perhaps our most famous chef to date, explains his newest overseas venture in his own words; Campbell Hooper and Joel Kefali of design house Special Problems make a convincing case for their reluctance to expand a booming business; and we explore how Webstock came to be one of the definitive conferences on the local calendar.  And that’s just a taste of what our 31st issue has in store. Until then, see you next year!

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Child's play

Never underestimate what a spot of tinkering can lead to; it saw Kiwi designer Turi Park eventually score a spot at the 100% Design London trade show. Comprised of a powdercoated steel canvas and magnetic coloured shapes, his range of artwork—called Magma—encourages would-be artists to tap into their own creativity by moving the shapes into any configuration they choose. It strips art back to its most basic ingredients: colour, shape and texture.

Thanks to the generous Magma crew, you could win one for yourself, valued at $490—what a prize!  Click here to enter (all you need to do is post a link to the best Photoshopped picture you’ve ever seen and a comment on why you like it).

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It's all fun and games

Can you make a game in 48 hours? More importantly, are you willing to try? The Global Game Jam is an annual event where artists, video game developers and programmers create a video game over the course of one weekend. Held in over 120 locations worldwide, it’s creative, cooperative, chaotic and huge fun. Kiwi gamers (Auckland, Hamilton and Dunedin) will be the first to kick off when the theme is unveiled at 5pm on January 28. Teams work flat out until Sunday night; with such a tight timeframe, the games tend to be somewhat experimental, like last year’s Terror-misu (pictured). And you don’t need to be an expert to join in. “We need a mix of people,” says organiser Stephen Knightly. “There are roles for artists, musicians, writers and game players to layout levels or playtest.”

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Money, money, money

Films made on a shoestring are rarely done so by choice. Documentary Edge is now accepting applications for both DOC Pitch and DOC Lab at AUT, supported by CoLab. Both events offer a unique opportunity to develop projects and find potential funding. DOC Pitch allows filmmakers to pitch to a panel of local and overseas commissioning editors, buyers and other funders; DOC Lab acts as an incubator for cross-media documentary projects. Get your submissions in by January 9 and some big doors could be opening for you come February.

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Ancient wisdom gets the Lego treatment

The ancient Greeks were a lot smarter than we give them credit for, according to Apple engineer Andrew Carol. He should know; he just built an analogue computer, a working replica of the famous Antikythera Mechanism, entirely out of Lego. The famous model was created in 100 BC to predict astronomical events, such as eclipses. Here’s how Carol recreated the 2,000-year-old design.

Tightening the purse strings

Do the shopaholics in your life a favour and ask them to get in touch with the MIT Media lab, where US researchers have come up with a novel way to control mindless spending. While it’s easy enough to swipe a card, it’s also easy to go over budget in the blink of an eye. The Proverbial Wallets reconnect spending with the physical connotations of handing over cash. The Mother Bear helps curb spending with a hinge that resists opening; the Bumblebee buzzes whenever your bank processes a transaction and the Peacock literally swells or shrinks to reflect the balance in your accounts.

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When the digital turns physical

Imagine turning something on your computer screen into something tangible—something to reach out and touch. Tableau, a concept curently in production, acts as a bridge between physical and digital media, taking the best parts of both. It’s a nightstand that quietly drops photos it sees on its Twitter feed into its drawer for the owner to discover. Oh, and images of items placed in the drawer are posted to its account too. Better yet, it’s made from recycled materials and electronics rescued from the clutches of landfills.

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City life in miniature

Twelve hundred toy cars. 18 lanes. 13 trains. That’s Metropolis II, a massive kinetic sculpture designed to emulate a real freeway. Artist Chris Burden is soon to exhibit it at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, but for now, click here for more pictures and a video of it in action.

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Get your head around this

Artist Noah Scalin made it his mission to remind us all that death is the only certain thing in life, fashioning a new and different skull every day for a year. Materials included book pages, clay, fireworks, capsicums, coins and even body parts. The result: a dizzying display of media (365, actually) in just one minute.

Quote of the week

Apart from the therapeutic and fun value, it turns them into ‘cool’ kids.

- Chris Haverkort on the benefits of his customised tricycles for disabled kids