Screen unseen

Samsung unveiled a very cool 46-inch transparent LCD television at the recent CeBIT electronics show in Germany. The radical prototype is powered by solar panels that feed off the ambient light in the room, and comes fully equipped with the shiny features of HD (1921x1080) and a ten-finger touchscreen surface. Plans to commercialise the TV are apparently underway, and its uses could be extended beyond the living room, with application possibilities in storefront windows and fridge freezers.

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Brace for change

It’s predicted that Auckland will hit two million inhabitants by 2050. That’s a pretty big onslaught to brace for: any infrastructural changes we implement now—and there are plenty in progress—will play a big part in shaping the growth of the city. That’d be all well and good if relationships between infrastructure, environment, economy, social wellbeing and land-use patterns were being balanced but so far there’s not much evidence of the necessary greater cooperation between agencies. Case in point: the harbour tunnel project, which spurred a campaign by a landscape architect to roll a historic pub out of the way. His protest highlighted the lack of planning around integration of the tunnel entrance. How could a project of this scale in such a busy part of the city be approved without that? 

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Calligraphy for the 21st century

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On the treadmill

Three actors on three treadmills for 60 minutes. It’s as simple as that in Standstill, the latest production from The Rebel Alliance. Inspired by real-life tales, the play weaves tales of factory workers, cyclists, doctors and tour guides into a kaleidoscope depicting what happens when dreams and ambitions collide with reality. It premiered last month at the Auckland Fringe Festival, but you can catch it in a one-off encore performance at Western Springs’ Tapac theatre on April 30.

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Make art without lifting a finger

Eske Rex’s massive “Drawingmachine” does more or less what the name suggests. It’s driven by two huge pendulums swinging in tandem, which connect to two wooden “arms” holding a ballpoint pen; the technique of using weights and pendulums was apparently invented during the Renaissance. The contraption is displayed at the Danish design and craft exhibition MINDCRAFT11.

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Worthy words

For New Zealand writers like Keri Hulme, Maurice Shadbolt, Charlotte Grimshaw and CK Stead, winning the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Award was where it all began. Get your entries in for a chance at the $10,000 prize if you’re a published writer, or else try your hand at at the Novice Writer Award. The literary judges are Rachael King (The Sound of Butterflies, Magpie Hall) and Owen Marshall (Sleepwalking In Antarctica, among others).

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Putting beauty back into barcodes

QR codes—which can be scanned by a smartphone to launch an online experience—don’t have to be black, white and dull. Break them out of the box or try adding a burst of colour. Here are a few more tips to make yours stand out.

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On a roll

Who says film and digital photography have no common ground? One Etsy seller has managed to combine the charm of film rolls with the practicality of digital storage. These little 35mm film canisters have been converted into 2GB and 4GB USB drives, on which you’ll be able to store heaps more than just 24 or 36 photos.

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Telling it like it is

Local feature film Russian Snark this week scooped Best International Feature at the Garden State Film Festival in New Jersey. This adds to its six nominations and one award at last year’s Qantas NZ Film and TV Awards, as well as three nominations at the US-based Maverick Movie Awards in December.  The film tells the story of a Russian couple who sail to New Zealand only to deal with the challenges of trying to live artistically despite the realities of daily life.

Playing house

All work, no play—we know how that ends. How about adding a bit of fun into your day with a giant floor mat? Land Peel, the brainchild of Japanese industrial design student Shin Yamashita, is a modular mat that users can transform into furniture—chairs, tables and workstations—by simply lifting the panels.

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Quote of the week

“Newmarket, one of the most expensive real estate locations in the country, has vacant lots and carparks under and around the existing viaduct.”

–Natasha Markham on the impacts of the disconnect between transit authorities and city councils