Archive for the ‘Encouragement’ Category

David Bowie’s influence on acceptance of gay ‘lifestyle’

I’ve just watched this fantastic BBC 4 documentary David Bowie and the story of Ziggy Stardust (below) about Bowie’s emergence as a global pop star and, more importantly, cultural sensation and groundbreaker. I had all his albums. (On vinyl. Not an exaggeration.) I recall feeling anxious for him when I saw how skeletal he looked […]

Very cool Macbeth school production poster

How cool is this?: Shepard Fairey’s Obama HOPE poster spawned a style, almost a language … the controversy over his deceit about source materials notwithstanding. – P Via my friend Dagmar.

Our heroes are personal

Here are Judith Collins’ comments marking the death, at 87, of Margaret Thatcher. Good on her for laying out her thoughts and beliefs like this. Yes, some might see them as polarised and polarising. But they’re worth a read and convey an insight. Today, my facebook page will be devoted to Margaret Thatcher. I well […]

Back from Hawkes Bay

I took off to the beach for a break over Easter, and got back tonight. Hawkes Bay still looks pretty damn dry to me with the drought, but a friend who is a local farmer told me things are greener — then mentioned he had gotten rid of all his stock to reduce his stress […]

Morning and night

Someone asked me this week why I chose Howick as a place to live. Mainly because we had friends in the area, I explained, and being from Wellington, we needed to be close to the coast. This is the view from my kitchen yesterday morning and last night with the full moon. I find it helps […]

Earthquake engineering in action

I spotted this building under construction in Manukau yesterday on my way to Whitcoulls Distribution Centre with boxes of books. I’m not the civil engineer in the family, but boy, look at the earthquake resistant support structure there! Those diamond-shaped frames at the right, and the massive reinforcing in the concrete wall beside the stairwells. If […]

Rain, followed by an earthquake. Hello Auckland.

This rain is a blessed relief. The small earthquake centred on Motutapu Island apparently (er, just out the window) was not. Still, small potatoes compared to Christchurch. I can’t remember the last earthquake in Auckland. – P PS Here’s how the course looks ‘normally‘.

Contrasts

Top: Ruapehu (Mt Doom) on Friday on my way down country. Bottom: Sunday on my way back. What a contrast. – P Pix: Peter Aranyi. http://campl.us/ofW8

A wonderful NZ short film ‘The Six Dollar Fifty Man’

I hadn’t seen this … The Six Dollar Fifty Man from NZ Shorts on Vimeo.

The gutsy Amanda Palmer: The Art of Asking (TED)

It’s easy (and in some cases, almost fashionable) to knock TED Talks. I don’t care. I love and value them so much. Here’s the brave and visionary Amanda Palmer’s talk filmed in Feb 2013, posted March 2013. Gutsy. – P

Computer coding as super power

I was a geek way back, too. – P PS: Look at all the Macs! hat tip: EmpowerNetwork.com

Vi Hart’s Guide to Comments

If you’ve ever felt a sting from someone knocking your creative work (or your expressions of opinion, comments about people you like, or the way you approached a situation*), here’s a wonderful ‘guide’ from Vi Hart. – P *I copped a bit of what she calls ‘disappointed high-horse’ (5:10 in the video) from Ivan the […]

I like Mihingarangi Forbes

I like journalist Mihingarangi Forbes* and I don’t care who knows it, or whether they agree or disagree with me. It’s good to have her voice, her character, her background and her point of view represented on our airwaves. Read Sarah Stuart’s Twleve Questions with Mihingarangi Forbes. Good on her. Congratulations on her new job […]

Ralph Hotere RIP

I was sad to hear this news this afternoon on my way to a exhibition opening at a gallery on the North Shore. Ralph Hotere was a trail blazer, a visionary …  and an artist. RIP – P

Cool video

PAIFF 2012 Festival Trailer – Tribute to Eadweard Muybridge: The Man Who Made Pictures Move from Palo Alto Int'l Film Festival on Vimeo.