Edward de Bono is an inventor and problem solver who coined the term ‘lateral thinking’ and he was the first winner of the Capire prize in Madrid for a significant contribution to humankind through his groundbreaking ideas on the way we think.
Map Magazine attended his speech on February 01 at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
During question time, when we asked him “what’s the purpose of life?”, he responded with an aussie joke. We’re not so sure what that meant, but one of his key points about creativity was humour. We’ve outlined his main points below.
Continue reading ‘‘poor thinking’ plagues humanity - edward de bono’
“Post Secret: Confessions of Life, Death and God” (a short 6min video at Vimeo). You may find the brave voices captured in this short film haunting, shocking and humorous. In some of their faces you’ll see joy, anguish and grace as they trust you with their confession. PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. Continue reading ‘Postsecret’
Meet Hamish Cairns. Hamish is a photographer. He recently returned to Brisbane from Pakistan and what he describes as World War III happening there right now. “This is worse than Vietnam, but there’s no information,” he says. As someone who witnessed the situation first-hand, he believes it should be headlining the news every day. “What’s happening there is going to change the world we live in,” he says. His photographic exhibition PAKISTAN - Faces From the Frontline will display shots of actual refugees who have fled the warzone.
Continue reading ‘faces from the frontline’
Films have a powerful effect on the human psyche. Some of them make you laugh, cry, question and comprehend and some educate you about worlds unknown. Short film Validation is one of those films that will make you smile. It tells the story of a parking attendant who gives his customers validation by dispensing both free parking and free compliments. Above all, it profiles the importance of acknowledging and ‘validating’ people. It’s a great reminder of how we can all create a better world, by sharing a smile and a few kind words. Validation has been played at 34 film festivals worldwide and has won 17 awards, which shows that people are searching for films with a more spiritual and enlightening angle. For 16 minutes of inspiring film, take a moment to watch Validation. (Thanks to Morgs at Urban Grind for passing it on)
Via Volkswagen - “We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it the fun theory. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better”.
Continue reading ‘the fun theory’
William Kamkwamba is 22 years old and grew up on his family farm in Masitala Village, two and a half hours from Malawi’s capital city. Due to severe famine in his country, and his family’s inability to pay his school fees, William was forced to quit school when he was about to commence high school. His inherent ability and urge to learn did not stop when he left school. William would go to the local library to research and was taken by a book called Using Energy, which depicted wind turbines on the cover. William took this knowledge and built a windmill in his village, which eventually powered light bulbs and charged mobile-phone batteries. William’s windmill project attracted mass attention from the world. He has since released a book, The Boy Who Harnessed Wind, which profiles his story, innovative thinking, challenges and where it has taken him.
Here is an orchestra that specifically states “no snobs allowed”. Deep Blue Orchestra last night unleashed upon ears and eyes their latest show “The Dream”. If you go in expecting a traditional classical performance, you’re in for a sizzling surprise. You won’t need to turn your phone off during the performance; in fact, they want you to keep mobiles on, and sms them your thoughts and dreams during the show! One such sms from their opening night was: “it’s eargasmic!”. Watch ABC’s Stateline at 7:30pm today for a story on these revolutionary musicians. “The Dream” will be showing at La Boite Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove until 17 October 2009.
Continue reading ‘“it’s eargasmic!”’
Alexander McQueen Shoe
There’s only so much fashion designers can do for one head, two arms and two legs. We’re used to seeing ‘new’ trends emerge and remembering the last era they came from. So, it’s not often you come across a piece where your eyes sparkle with the sensation of seeing something fresh. This shoe may look more like the foot of a predator, than that of a fashion-forward female. Check out Alexander McQueen’s latest collection for some creative design inspiration.
Scott Schuman, no doubt one of the original street style bloggers, has turned his fashion blog The Sartorialist into book-form. The book, also titled The Sartorialist, is a collection of Schuman’s best and favourite photographs from his blog, which documents his encounters with the style-savvy around the world. While Schuman’s style preference has been poked fun at, his ability to find elegance and cool in everyday people (regardless of age, sex or race) and capture people’s confidence in their own style (no matter how unconventional their look is) is really what sets The Sartorialist apart from the many street style blogs out there. Due for an Australian release in late September, The Sartorialist is sure to be the most eclectic and inspiring book on your coffee table. Schuman was also recently in Australia to shoot a campaign for Saba denim with models hand-picked off the streets of Melbourne by the man himself. Image via The Sartorialist.
Once upon a time, I bought a brand new bed. I was naively wooed by the readymade boudoirs set up in the bed factory and thrilled by the different-shaped pieces that were delivered to my door. The heady lure of bubble wrap sent me into a domestic frenzy. I was also mildly giddy with the vision I had of myself effortlessly erecting my bed over a blissful bottle of red while listening to Radio National.
Yet four hours in, on a balmy November evening, unable to risk benefiting from a ceiling fan for fear of an accidental clash with my bedhead; I was now more than flummoxed with the task before me. The instructions were blatantly wrong; the flimsy chipboard was cumbersome at best for one to negotiate solo; and the salesman downright lied when he said you didn’t need any tools to assemble my new nest. Continue reading ‘the mirage of the pret-a-porter life’
The stunning photography of Nicolas Evariste.
Some of you may remember her as Kath Walker and others as Oodgeroo Noonuccal – an incredible Aboriginal-rights activist, campaigner, poet, artist, writer and educator. In 1974, a BOAC aircraft was hijacked in Dubai by Palestinian terrorists. The aircraft was flown to Tunisia and held on the tarmac for three days. Oodgeroo was on that plane. See her story played out in a new production at La Boite that shows her time as an activist and a mother to two sons, as well as the untold tensions that tore the fabric of one of Australia’s most prominent families.
Jonathan Harris, co-creator of We Feel Fine, has just launched his latest project – The Sputnik Observatory. In Jonathan’s own words, “it’s the result of a two-year collaboration with New York-based Sputnik, Inc., an organization that documents contemporary culture through intimate video interviews with hundreds of leading thinkers in the arts, sciences and technology, covering a wide range of topics. The central premise of the Sputnik project is that everything is connected to everything else, and that topics and ideas that may seem fringe and even heretical to the mainstream world are in fact being investigated by leading thinkers working in fields as diverse as quantum physics, mathematics, neuroscience, biology, economics, architecture, digital art, video games, computer science and music. Sputnik is dedicated to bringing these crucial ideas from the fringes of thought out into the limelight, so that the world can begin to understand them.
Continue reading ’sputnik’
It’s often easy to lose perspective, but a visit to the World Press Photo Exhibition at the Powerhouse will serve as a profound and ultimately grounding experience. The 52nd annual event showcases the very best of photojournalism around the world, capturing the state of the world in 2008. The Beijing Olympics, crippling poverty, and the beauty of nature feature prominently, as does the state of the world economy, all played out as a visual tragedy. Flying the Aussie flag is Mark Dadswell, who won second prize in the Sports Action Singles category by capturing the agony and the ecstasy of Usain Bolt as he won the 200m men’s final at the Olympics. The calibre of the imagery and the confronting social issues make this exhibition one not to miss.
If you were lucky enough to see it, Earth from Above was the stirring, photographic installation project of Frenchman Yann Arthus-Bertrand that toured the world. A decade in the making, the collection of images taken from the air, documented both the World’s natural and man-made happenings. Not satisfied with either the exhibition, or DVD of the same images, in 2009, Yann, who was possibly inspired by Jehane Noujaim’s Pangea Day, is releasing Home. In partnership with French film director Luc Besson, and a global PR firm, Yann is simultaneously broadcasting the film on the same day in over 50 countries. That day, is World Environment Day, June 5. There’s no place like home. (Apologies, it’s late…;)
From Fast Company: Both American automobile and bicycle purchases fell overall in the first quarter of 2009, but in a surprising twist, bike sales trumped car sales (2.6 million bicycles vs. 2.5 million cars). And while bike sales are down 30% overall from the first quarter of 2008, it’s a slower drop than car sales, which are down over 35%. Granted, bikes are much cheaper than cars–many college students can afford a brand new bike but would be hard-pressed to purchase a car. Still, Dennis Markatos, founder of Sustainable Energy Transition, thinks it is also an indicator of a growing bike culture in the U.S. Continue reading ‘bikes outsold cars in the first quarter.’
Take a moment to go outside today and look at the sky. This shot was taken this morning on my way home from a shoot, the sky was so inspiring, I just had to stop and shoot. Clouds are so cool.
I had a lovely day outside the city, and it included a stop to the creative and inventive home of artist, designer, pilot and film-maker, William Lishman. He’s the guy that the movie Fly Away Home is based on, which is the story of how he trained geese to migrate with his plane. His underground house is a series of concrete domes covered in a hill and overlooking a stunning Ontario landscape. It’s an artistic and engineering feat that you can casually stroll on to the landscaped roof from the ground. It is quite an inspiring experience. There is a swing and part of a rock climbing wall IN the living room, and he said simply that “living rooms should be made for living”. All houses should feel like this.
While the effects of public policies can be widespread, the discussion and understanding of policies are usually not. The 
