RNZ National – Last of ‘Notes from the South with Dougal Stevenson’

### radionz.co.nz Sunday 24 June 2012
Sunday Morning with Chris Laidlaw
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday

10:40 Notes from the South with Dougal Stevenson
In his final Note, Dougal ponders how all things must pass. (5′50″)
Audio | Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3 | Embed

(although, this is not the last of Dougal we will hear on RNZ National…)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Thinking differently

### bbc.co.uk 6 October 2011 Last updated at 23:07 GMT
The cult of Steve Jobs
By Kate Dailey BBC News Magazine

Steve Jobs’s combination of success and secrecy endeared him to people across the world, who mourned his death in public. Even before Steve Jobs passed away, his cult of personality loomed large over Apple. When it was announced that he’d be stepping down, analysts worried that the company would flounder without him. But his death crystallised both his status as a cult figure and his legacy to a company in transition. Within minutes of his passing, Twitter was overcome with hashtags and posts in memoriam. On Facebook, people posted and reposted a series of photos, quotes, and videos about Jobs, creating a digital echo chamber. People flocked to Apple stores across the globe to leave flowers. Groups used the candle apps on their iPads to create a vigil.
Read more

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Idealog’s tidy summary (via Daily Bacon 7.10.11)
Steve Jobs: “Technology Alone Is Not Enough” (The New Yorker 7.10.11)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

What if?

### petapixel.com Dec 30, 2010
Polar Bears Hate Being Spied on by Hidden Cameras
By Michael Zhang
For the BBC documentary “Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice”, special hidden cameras were designed with unobtrusiveness and durability in mind. They didn’t succeed very well in either, as the polar bears quickly detected and destroyed the pesky cameras intruding on their privacy. What they did accomplish was capturing footage showing what it looks like to have polar bears perform CPR on you. Luckily they didn’t have real photographers crouching in those domes!

(via Gizmodo)

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We trust Dunedin City Council’s use of social media will convey as much curiosity and success in 2011. Happy New Year!!!

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Post by Elizabeth Kerr

BBC on New Zealand

Tweet:

@JohnJCampbell The BBC’s particular take on NZ: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8683377.stm Vaguely lovestruck. Goodness.

Post by Elizabeth Kerr

Infrastructure's value to economic growth

“The debate over how to fund much needed infrastructure projects is once again centre stage, as the United States and other countries approve stimulus packages that devote significant funds to infrastructure.

Taking the US as an example, many state and local governments have been eager to request funds to create needed jobs in their communities.

But the $100bn or so allocated to infrastructure in the US stimulus plan really is just a first step towards addressing the more than US$2 trillion of US infrastructure needs.

The stimulus money will fund desperately needed shovel-ready projects that should spur immediate activity.

It has brought much needed attention to the state of infrastructure in this country.”

Full story here

This is a great article from the BBC.

Some (like myself) will argue that modern Infrastructure needs to be redefined. A classic definition of infrastructure “basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.”

It would be very hard to argue that the arts and entertainment (including sports) isn’t an integral part of a healthy functioning modern western society. Just as traditional concepts of communication in Infrastructure used to mean just Morse and the telegraph line, then the telephone and latterly to include Cellular Networks and Interweb communication, the concept of the houses/arenas of culture and sports must be given consideration.

Others would argue that this is an extravagance, and Stadiums and the like have little or no place in modern infrastructure. I would suggest that these people look at the ‘brand’, economic and social contribution that modern sporting franchises bring to communities in New Zealand. I have witnessed firsthand how much a city will bend over backwards to host a major sporting franchise in North America, with Vancouver recently being granted an expansion of the MLS team to their city. There’s a real civic pride associated with it. Just look at the city when a test match is in town, the ‘cultural and sporting spirituality’ of a community is important today.

Still good story and worthy debate.