The following letter is from Steve Rayner (Professor of Science and Civilisation at Oxford University) and was published in Wired Magazine.
Mr President
The outgoing administration failed to come to grips with climate change out of fear that reducing greenhouse gas emissions would damage the economy. But the decision to deal with climate change doesn’t lend itself to cost-benefit analysis. It is a strategic choice, like the decision to get married. You have an opportunity to define the nation’s character and upgrade its infrastructure — and bold action would be consistent with America’s historical role as a leader in innovation. It would also encourage India and China to participate in the effort. Here are a few points to keep in mind.
Continue reading ‘Mr President … I mean prime minister’
Bestowed with the honour of being named as France’s answer to Jeff Buckley, Tété is a Senegalese-born, French-raised troubadour. Taking inspiration from Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Lenny Kravitz in order to create his own form of blues, folk and pop music, Tété embodies an earthy, if not slightly husky timbre, which transforms into laidback, toe-tapping tunes. Starting out as a busker on the streets of Paris, Tété burst into the Australian consciousness after a stint performing at last year’s Woodford Folk Festival. This month, he is back on a tour of regional and metropolitan Australia, with guitar in tow. Music lovers may have heard snatches of his music on Triple J recently and can check him out as part of the upcoming Brisbane Cabaret Festival, which kicks off on Wednesday October 1 and runs until October 11.
Depending on what industry you might align yourself with, CSR can mean either one of two things – Corporate Social Responsibility or Creative Social Responsibility. For Creators Inn by Elvine, it’s a little bit of both. Elvine make sophisticated clothing for unsophisticated behaviour and partners with local independent organisations, such as Pecha Kucha GBG, Cheesy Not Cheesy and Koloni, to offer visitors free short-term accommodation during their stay in Gothenburg, Sweden. Previous guests have included speakers at Pecha Kucha GBG, musicians, PR directors and writers. To be a guest at Creators Inn you will have to register your interest via the website and motivate, in one sentence, when and why you should be granted free accommodation at Creators Inn by Elvine. Continue reading ‘creators inn by elvine’
In Indonesia, rainforest areas equivalent to 300 football fields are cut down and burnt every hour to clear land for crops such as palm oil. This looks like a fascinating documentary. An Australian businessman seeking inclusion for ‘avoided deforestation’ in the Kyoto Protocol or post Kyoto Protocol travels to Indonesia and the rest of the world to consult and confront the politicians, businesses, scientists and workers, including a Dutch woman who cares for injured and sick Orang-utan’s, and a palm oil farmer who relies on the destruction of rainforests to grow his crop. Thanks ABC.
The excitement of choosing a birthday cake out of The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book was one of the most memorable parts of any birthday celebration. Would it be the train, the butterfly, the pirate, the piano or the zoo cake? Whatever it was, the decision was well thought out and every option considered very carefully. WebUrbanist has recently profiled 20 creative, artistic and geeky cake designs for those who may want to revive animated cake design, now that they’ve grown up. iPhone cakes to Rubik’s Cube cakes and Pac Man patty cakes, these cake designs are hilarious. Particularly funny is the Death Star (nothing quite like a Death Star on your birthday), simulated Star Trek cakes, baby aliens and Microsoft Vista cakes – which many of you would like to put a knife through. My personal favourite would be the simple but effective Rubik’s Cube cake.
There’s something about great music that gets under the skin, making toes twitch or fingers tap as the music winds through the air. From tapping fingers in time on the steering wheel or dancing in a field with hundreds of other revellers at a summer music festival, the physical connotations of great music are undeniable. Drawing the parallel between music and the body in his newest work is composer Gerard Brophy. A well-respected Australian composer, Gerard was inspired by what he saw as the inherent eroticism in music. Titled Sheer Nylon Dances, his new compositions will be presented by Topology in a Brisbane-first at the Brisbane Powerhouse on Sunday October 5. Sheer Nylon Dances will feature strings, a saxophone, a piano and special guests who will perform a stunning piece written especially for an oboe quintet.
For French daredevil Philippe Petit, nothing is impossible. On the morning of August 7, 1974, Philippe walked for 45 minutes across a metal cable strung between the towers of the World Trade Centre. Man on Wire relives this breathtaking moment in Philippe’s life by documenting the event, through interviews with his sidekicks, his lover and bystanders on the day. Whether Philippe did or did not survive the crossing, this movie documents a beautiful story of an admirable man and shows the place that relationships, taking risks and purpose have in life, as well as providing a positive perspective of the Twin Towers. Man on Wire opens on October 16. For your chance to attend map magazine’s premiere screening at Dendy Portside on Wednesday October 1 @ 7:00 pm, email alice@mapmagazine.com.au before Tuesday September 30.
Submit your idea. Get some votes. Win $10,000. Sounds easy. ideablob is a site where entrepreneurs can upload their ideas and visitors to the site can vote for them. The organisation with the most votes wins $10,000. With five days of voting to go for September’s showdown, it looks like it will be won by Project H Design. This talented design agency, led by Emily Pilloton, has already managed to have an effect on the world community with its Hippo Water Rollers and Lifestraws. This time, it wants to design math toys for kids in Uganda and the US. With the $10,000 the team will be able to delve more deeply into the design development, prototyping, user testing and distribution strategy. But Project H is not the only company that could do with a helping hand. Go online to vote and see some of the other great ideas, such as the solar and wind-powered eco village or the Quant Kitchen, which uses cooking to enhance maths and science learning.
Ever struggled making perfect poached eggs? If so then you are not alone as it’s a frustration I often hear about. So, I’d like to introduce to you all – The Poach Pod from Fusion Brands. It’s a culinary wonder tool and it’s been a best seller in my store since its arrival last year. You’ll make perfect poached eggs every time, guaranteed. It’s made from silicone (food safe silicone of course) and is heat resistant up to 357°C. The little pods float on top of gently simmering water in a saucepan, like lily pads in a pond and when done just pop out a perfectly domed shaped egg. They’re microwave and dishwasher safe and because of the silicone, non-stick. For those who think outside the box you can also use them for desserts or really anything that requires gentle poaching. They come in a pair and cost $19.95. Please remember though that whenver using eggs in any dish, the fresher the better!
There is a new strain of graffiti artists hitting the streets. Taking the crude tradition of writing ‘Wash Me’ on a dusty car and twisting it into a new art form, ‘clean graffiti’ or ‘reverse graffiti’ artists have been creating new street works by removing dirt from public spaces using scrubbing brushes, high-pressure hoses and scrapers. Also known as clean tagging and dust writing, reverse graffiti artists have been undertaking night time missions across the world, in a greener way of expressing their art. British artist Paul Curtis has called it, “refacing, not defacing”. Continue reading ‘reverse graffiti’
Kat Nalay, 19
What do you do? I study International Business at the University of Queensland. What are you wearing today? I think it’s all vintage except for the socks and shoes. Describe your style? Navajo kick lately – kind of like Pocahontas. I like the girl-scout scarf look. Where is your favourite place? I think my favourite place is Krabi Beach in Thailand. What is the best advice you have ever received? Do things for yourself and do whatever makes you happy. Who is your role model and why? My older sister because she’s gorgeous and she just does things really well. Would you call yourself eco-friendly? I try to be. I use my green bags and buy recycled toilet paper and organic shampoo. What website has caught your eye recently? I don’t really know. I guess I visit MySpace is useful sometimes.
Poking fun at his own occupation, Brisbane-based sculptor Alasdair Macintyre opens a solo exhibition tonight, at the Ryan Renshaw Gallery. Entitled Splatsville: Memoirs of a Failed Painter, the exhibition consists of small sculptures that reflect a cartoonish style, like a cross between Noddy and Postman Pat figurines. Having used a mix of polymer clay and polyurethane resin to make the miniature figures, Alasdair also used materials such as wood, cardboard and acrylic paint to create the light-hearted scenes. One such scene depicts a man chasing a winged latrine, the latter of which looks like Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (in which the artist signed a latrine with the word, “R.Mutt 1917” and exhibited the piece as a ready made artwork, much to traditionalists’ disgust. Continue reading ‘memoirs of a failed painter’
When I was at school I was taught to listen, ask questions of others and do research in order to learn. It was one of the fundamental basics to a good education and the answer to understanding and gaining awareness on many different subject matters. So, I now feel like swearing and screaming from the bottom of my lungs … but won’t!!!! The reason? Why could our last prime minister not sit down with Al Gore or Tim Flannery - 2007 Australian of the Year! – to discuss the impact of climate change. If it was a terrorist expert or George Bush, I’m sure he would open the door graciously to listen and learn. I’m numb in disbelief. As a citizen of this country who is concerned deeply about climate change, I think it is unbelievable of leader to act so blatantly unfair. The wool seems to be pulled further and further over the eye’s of many when it comes to this issue. Now, I know the government is now led by a Kevin Rudd and that Labour is doing far more than Liberal did when it comes to climate change. Continue reading ‘numb’
In keeping with the message of Yen’s pedal powered dance party post, I would like to bring attention to The Otesha Project. Otesha, which means ‘reason to dream’ in Swahili, was created to gather youth to promote local and global change through their daily consumer choices. To do this, The Otesha Project’s education programs use theatre, multi-media and storytelling to engage its audience. Otesha Canada, the first of the organisation’s groups, has been so inspiring there is now an Otesha UK and an Otesha Australia. From getting dressed, to grabbing a coffee and transportation, the people behind The Otesha Project know that we can either be contributing to child Continue reading ‘reason to dream’
“Design Cities” is an exhibition at the London Design Museum that tells the story of contemporary design through seven key cities. It looks at how, at particular moments in their history, a handful of cities have shaped the culture of design worldwide: London (1851), Vienna (1908), Dessau (1928), Paris (1936), Los Angeles (1949), Milan (1957), Tokyo (1987) and London (2008). The exhibition features a full range of objects from textiles and fashion to industrial pieces, furniture and prints, but in a way is also an exhibition on the development of cities. Underlying the exhibition is the idea that creative cities are the best cities.
Continue reading ‘Design Cities’
Taking her alias from the classic 1985 fantasy movie of the same name, Ladyhawke (aka Pip Brown) is a New Zealand-born solo electronica act. Having just released her self-titled solo album, Ladyhawke is currently in the midst of a UK headline tour and will soon support The Black Kids on their European jaunt. Influenced heavily by the 1980s pop music that she listened to with her jazz-drumming step-dad as a kid, her synth-pop sound is a cross between Cyndi Lauper and Peaches. Her first single ‘Paris Is Burning’ was written after a long weekend of wild partying in Paris with her pal and sweet French pop artist, Soko. Admitting that her music is all about “big production, big synths and big guitar riffs”, Ladyhawke is one to watch out for when she finally returns to the Southern Hemisphere.
Today I rode a bike. I can’t say I rode very far or very fast, but I can say that I powered a concert. I was on one of 8 bikes that were wired to batteries, that powered the speakers, that blasted over Queen St West, Toronto. The funky band was Mr. Something Something and throughout the concert, people could come ride, or if you had a bike you could also hook up to the system. The band had actually done the same pedal powered dance party the day earlier at Evergreen Brick Works (which coincidentally is a project I’m looking at with the IwB). The Queen St West performance was one of several parking spaces transformed as part of Streets are for People’s action for World Car Free Day.
Precious spherical bulks, indeterminable amongst the grey sky, fall and swirl through the air before abruptly collapsing onto roofs which slap on clay tiles and ping on tin sheets in tiny amoeba shapes. Slowly the sound repeats and repeats until quietly, softly, a backdrop of polite applause has formed. A woman appears and so, the complimentary sound of her boots are heard, equal in pitch, walking, then pausing to consider the phenomenon, before continuing their journey. Such atmosphere conjures the warmest of memories. For three of China’s most respected and famous female actors, and one of the world’s most lusted after accessory brands, it represents the marketing of love. In an online experience that is truly a work of art, three memories of love are recreated in an audio and visual language as beautiful as has ever been produced in the online advertising form. Listen to their stories as you become entangled in the telling. My pick: Joan Chen in Shanghai, if nothing but for the musical score.
Spring is here and very soon the purple blossoms of the Jacaranda tree will come to life in parks and private properties around Brisbane. Trees and plants throughout the city are starting to hint at a sea of fresh growth, ranging from delicate green leaves to flourishing blooms, in their own celebration of the warming weather. A little further afield, there will be another blossoming celebration to mark the start of spring. The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is an event that has become a national spring icon, a proud annual event and Toowoomba’s horticultural pride. Running from September 19-24, the carnival contains a varied program of events, including garden tours of Toowoomba’s finest private gardens, parkland entertainment, a live concert series, a food and wine festival and the Grand Central Floral Parade. By night, there’s also an open-air cinema and twilight tours of Laurel Bank Park, in which the Council’s gardeners will give a rare insight in the park’s many beautiful features. What a wonderful way to mark the start of a new season and celebrate the many environmental wonders at our own doorstep.
