Apologies for moderation

To everyone posting comments. I’ve had to turn moderation on due to a concerted spam effort from some pesky Russians. Once it dies down I’ll remove moderation again. Thanks for being patient.

Project 10 to the 100th

Google is offering to fund ten ideas that have potential to make life better for people. They are: “ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible”.

They call it 10 to the 100th, or 10^100.

Ideas need to be submitted before October 20th. 100 are chosen then voting is opened to find a final 10. Google are committing US$10 million to bring these 10 ideas to life.

More information here.

Escaping Beagle

This is incredible. A cheeky beagle locked in his cage makes a daring escape…

If you are viewing on an Apple you’ll probably need to download and view…PC users will be able to view directly.

Download Video

Ranfurly Shield magic

Very good news: Wellington 27. Auckland 0.

I took the boys to the airport to welcome the team home. It’s the first time since 1984 that Wellington has held the Shield. Only four members of the current team were even born then.

Here are a few pics:

The back of the Ranfurly Shield…it’s not often you get to see this side…

The more commonly seen ‘front’ of the Ranfurly Shield…

Piri Weepu, Captain of the victorious Wellington Lions…

A thumbs-up from an unknown player – someone please help me here…nice tattoo though…

The throng of cellphones – Score: Telecom 1, Vodafone 3…

Art with a heart

Yesterday Click Suite (where I work) dedicated the day, not to designing fabulous websites but, to building/making/creating art – all for a noble cause – Save the Children in Vietnam.

Emily, Rex and Stephanie (Click Suiters) are biking 400km in November through the Vietnamese countryside. As part of that experience each of them needs to raise $2,100.

So, the very creative folk at Click Suite all got together and each produced an artwork that we are individually selling on TradeMe as a fundraiser.

Here’s the link to mine: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=177407956

And here’s a sneak preview:

Follow this link to see the other Click Suite creations: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/SearchResults.aspx?searchType=all&searchString=clicksuite&x=0&y=0&searchregion=100&type=Search

Please bid…it’s all for a good cause.

My painting measures 25 x 25 cm, acrylic on box canvas, with gloss varnish coating. The bidding is currently at $10, and has already reached reserve.

Opshop wins Silver Scroll award

Congratulations to Opshop members for winning the APRA Silver Scroll last night for the song “One Day”.

And here’s my ‘one-degree-of-separation’ story.

Years ago I lived in Christchurch (1979 – 1985).

• I got involved in the music scene with Pete Rainey (Smokefree RockQuest founder).
• Pete had a Big Band, called the Pete Rainey Big Band.
• I was the vocalist.
• Pete left university and became music teacher at Hornby Highschool
• Many fine musicians came through that school, under his guidance
• On our trip to the Gore Gold Guitar Awards in 1991 we used some of Pete’s ex-students in the band – Skinny La Veal and his Fat Band
• One of those ex-students was Bob Kennedy, now Bobby Kennedy of Opshop fame…

Pathetic to be using someone else’s fine and well deserved success to blow my own trumpet. This is not my intention.

Merely to say that the world, and New Zealand, is a very small place, and so it’s easier to bask in other people’s glory and feel like you have a closer connection to it, other than buying the CD or getting carried away by the music.

I spoke to Bobby earlier in the year, albeit very briefly, when Rockquest celebrated their 20th birthday in Wellington. He remembered me, which was nice. He also told me he had finally been able to give up his day job and devote his time fully to making music.

We went to Gore in 1991. 17 years later he now has a full-time job making music. That’s dedication. That’s devotion. That’s having belief in the fact that music can offer you a real career – now more than ever.

Congratulations Opshop. Congratulations Bobby.

Here he is with the rest of the band…he’s on the drums.

And if you want to see Bobby playing in 1991 go here: he appears about 46 seconds in.