Subscribe » Issue #45, May-Jun 2013 Mag Cover
Idealog—in the ideas business

Cover of Idealog #45

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As commercial creatives, how do you self promote without coming across as a rampant egomaniac? Plus a health check on the Kiwi film industry, a trio of local exporters making it big with physical products, our guide to food innovation, and lots more.

Interact


8 Caffeinating ideas at Bridge Street Collective

In the heart of Nelson is a cafe-cum-incubator, set up by the founder of Lucid Design in a bid to combat Long Driveway Syndrome.

11 All about: The Sharpie

It's the creative doodler's weapon of choice, has a fascinating and possibly imagined connection to The Simpsons, and despite its name, seems to always go blunt before the ink runs out.

13 Idealogic: Long hot summer

Crikey, what a scorcher! The summer if 2012/2013 saw records tumble, climate change arguments reignite and nether regions perspire to a degree not seen since the last hot summer, whenever that was.

15 Idealogic: The Census

Like Grandma's bowel movements, our Census hasn't been quite as regular as it should be lately, so when this year's one arrived, it took many of us by surprise.

16 Five minutes with ... entrepreneur Chad Blair

Chad Blair's baby business is buynow, an app that transforms your smartphone into your very own self checkout.

17 A quick word with ... designer Timothy John

Timothy John is busy learning stuff through podcasts and avoiding home burglaries.

17 Etiquette Gran: Technology for dinner

It's still rude to have a cellphone out at the dinner table, right?

19 If Kim Dotcom was on Pinterest...

Likes: Schnitzel, mansions, poker, meeting new friends on social media. Dislikes: being wanted by international police.

21 For the love of the craft

One man, no budget, and a high-definition streaming TV channel. Mission Impossible? Maybe. Maybe not.

23 Damage control

Know thy own faults and be prepared to stamp them out at a moment's notice – that is the lesson behind startup PagePulse.

Now


24 Agony Lance: Religious education

What can we learn from the new Pope?

24 Agony Lance: Picking a winner

So you want to work for a startup. How do you find the good ones, though?

24 Agony Lance: Business ADHD

How to manage your time when you're juggling multiple businesses.

27 Meanwhile, at idealog.co.nz

What's been shaking at Idealog Towers.

29 The Wright stuff

Husband and wife team Gavin and Dani Wright met while working for Richard Branson. Now their labour of love, label Vinyl George, is all business.

30 Inside the bubble

Coworking space Movers & Shakers in Auckland's Britomart has a fresh take on the playground style workplace.

32 Taking orders

Lurking in the background of your latest pizza order is SaaS company Mobi2Go.

34 Views expressed are not necessarily those of BNZ

BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander has a fancy job title, but in the world of straight-laced corporates, he's a loose cannon on the deck.

36 Gear

The latest and greatest, as modelled by some invisible men.

Features


40 Doing it for the kids

Conventional wisdom would say that independent New Zealand entrepreneurs with the germ of an idea and a small, physical product to take to market could not become globetrotting business owners, selling at volume across the world. Conventional wisdom, as James Robinson discovers, would be wrong.

48 All the world's a stage

Few industries are so instrumental in shaping our national identity, and few can compel the government to create new employment laws on the hoof. But is the film industry all it's cracked up to be – or is it just cracked?

54 Cultivating your own poppy

As a country and a culture, we despise those who self-promote. But in today's climate, you need to have a profile to get ahead - particularly if you work in a creative industry. So how do you talk yourself up, minus the ego trip?

Workshop


65 Scratching the itch

Penelope Whitson two-times her literary devices.

67 Two little words

As such, the current patents bill sucks, says Sim Ahmed.

69 Flushing the turd

Sometimes you have to put away the polishing cloth and just yank the chain.

70 Book review: The Future

Take 10,000 pages of research, add Al Gore and some climate change concern, and you get The Future.

70 Book review: Office Politics

Pick this book up if you work in media, advertising, or the public sector. Otherwise, use it for lighting fires.

70 Book review: Inside Private Equity

A mug tale of manipulation and profit-chasing at all costs.

70 Review: The Package Design Book 2

This Taschen tome can only be described as packaging porn.

71 Environmental blockage

The RMA has constipated the country. Or has it?

72 The shipping news

The sustainability case for giant waterslides.

73 As goes Dunedin, so goes New Zealand

It's the fluffy Ewoks of Star Wars. Cuddle, yes. Take home, no.

112 Are you a creator - or a caretaker?

Business creators make things happen. Business caretakers just make it hard.

Plus


79 The Idealog guide to food innovation

The figures indicate that New Zealand has the ingredients to be a worthy contender on the global food export market. So what, exactly, constitutes the winning recipe, and what are the challenges we face as a minority?