In October this year Brisbane will play host to an exciting new design event – Unlimited: Designing for the Asia Pacific. Unlimited: Designing for the Asia Pacific is a new international initiative supported by the Queensland Government to promote the value of design thinking in shaping a positive future for the Asia Pacific region. The event invites you to join them as they reveal the valuable role that design is playing in resolving complex challenges and addressing our most pressing concerns, from urbanisation, transport and food production, to health and education. Unlimited aims to create opportunities for businesses, governments, students, community groups and individuals to collaborate on common ground – as we search together for sustainable and commercially viable solutions that can positively contribute to our everyday lives. The first Unlimited event, to be held from 4–10 October 2010, is destined to excite, inspire and confront!

Feel like escaping underwater for four minutes? Free diving world record holder Guillaume Nery filmed this video at a place in the Bahamas called Dean’s Blue Hole, a 202 metre hole in the ocean. Stunning and mesmerising, the film evokes, beautifully, the immense silence and power of the ocean. The film reminds me of The Big Blue directed by Luc Besson – one of my all-time favourite films and one of the greatest dream movies of all time.

Having heard so much over the years about the capsule hotels in Japan, I thought I would take the opportunity to experience one first-hand. Images of drunken ’salary men’ that are synonymous with capsule hotels was not to be at the 9h Capsule Hotel in Kyoto. 9h is a new capsule hotel that offers luxury sleeping time in a minimum living space. The 9h Capsule Hotel and all amenities were designed by Fumie Shibata of Design Studio S, which she founded in 1994. With her team, she defined the elements necessary for a ‘minimal transit space’ in big cities in Japan. Located in Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, the building itself is nine stories tall and offers 125 capsules, locker rooms, showers, and a lounge. From a design point of view the experience is spectacular. Modern graphics communicate throughout and the stark white interior adds to a rocket-like experience – you could be forgiven for thinking you were going to the moon! The capsules are extremely comfortable and clean, though a little noisy and I did wake in the morning to the person next to me snoring loudly! That aside if you’re looking for a place to sleep in Kyoto, an incredible experience and at a great price, the 9h Capsule Hotel offers a rewarding ‘capsule experience’.

map magazine’s Smallest Short Film Festival, 2010 aims to have some fun and inspire filmmakers and audiences alike, while strengthening the artistic fabric of Brisbane and its creative community. It’s time to grab your iPhone and start shooting! Robert Altman said filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes. So, here is your chance to step into some of those lives! No matter how bad the film is or how brilliant the film is, map magazine’s Smallest Short Film Festival 2010 is for every budding filmmaker out there to have some fun and unleash their creative genius. And if your film is voted ‘The best small film’ you will win an Apple iPad along with a selection of other special prizes (depending on our sponsors!).

Categories include: The best small film, The best actor in a small film, The best special effects in a small film, The best foreign language in a small film, The best original soundtrack in a small film, The best horror small film.

Ever wonder where big ideas come from? If you’re a fan of LEGO bricks, eureka moments, or guys with odd mustaches, you really should see this.

TEDxBrisbane has announced the theme of All you need is … for the 2010 TEDxBrisbane conference on at the State Library of Queensland March 6, 2010. The conference is shaping up to be an exciting day of inspirational speakers and a conference that is sure to leave you feeling inspired in the spirit of TED. There are only 260 seats available for TEDxBrisbane so if you would like to attend TEDxBrisbane, please register no later than January 31, 2010. The exciting lineup of inspirational speakers will be unveiled on February 14th, 2010.

William Kamkwamba was born August 5, 1987 in Dowa, Malawi, and grew up on his family farm in Masitala Village, Wimbe, two and half hours northeast of Malawi’s capital city. Starting at 14, rather than accept his fate, William started borrowing books from a small community lending library located at his former primary school. He borrowed a 5th grade American textbook called Using Energy, which depicted a wind turbine on its cover … the rest of his story is amazing!

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Have you ever wondered where you would arrive if you dig a very deep straight infinite hole on Earth?

Local Brisbane artist, Anthony Bennett, has been accepted as a finalist in the Archibald Prize, Wynne Prize and Sulman Prize for 2009. Anthony has risen to become one of Australia’s most curiously interesting artists with a huge future – that has already started!

One thing that is occurring in the world that is perplexing me at the moment is what is occurring with the notion of the free market. Technically, a free market is the healthiest way for societies to prosper and economics has showed this in many examples for many countries. Whilst some may disagree with the notion of democracy and capitalism, it is so far considered the most successful form of advancing societies from human despair – even though there is still a long road to go. According to the free market principles – A free market is a market that is free of government intervention and regulation, besides the minimal function of maintaining the legal system and protecting property rights, and is free of private force and fraud. So, all going well … the market should sort itself out without intervention! A recent book, Spin Economics, by economist Nariman Behravesh advocates this principle and cuts to the core of contemporary global economic issues affecting every individual’s business and economic decisions. (more…)

… and humanity did this … wow … thank you to the spirit of hope and positive energy.

To the street editors and the street editor community, thank you for being part of the conversation in 2008. map looks forward to sharing more thoughts and ideas with you all in 2009. You make the world a better place.