Category archive for ‘New Zealand’ at bioneural.net

Archive for the 'New Zealand' category

New Zealand tipping over the edge?

Published by Bruce on August 19, 2008 in New Zealand. 1 response

Are New Zealanders, the People on the Edge of the World, about to tip off the edge and into cultural homogeneity with the United States? I was surprised to read in The New Zealand Herald that the a new edition of the Lonely Planet travel guide is advising visitors to leave a tip of about 10% for good service. Tipping was not part of the culture when I was growing up, and nor was it an overt practice during my last stint at home during 2006–2007. It would be unfortunate if visitors to Godzone came with the expectation that they had to pay over and above the advertized price.
Continue reading 'New Zealand tipping over the edge?'

iPhone wallpapers for homesick Kiwis

Published by Bruce on April 18, 2008 in New Zealand. 2 responses

Everyone loves customizing new toys and making wallpapers for your phone is probably one of the easier ways to do it (a lot easier, for example, than trying to find an inexpensive yet good-looking protective case!). I took a selection of images from Project Koru are turned them into three thematic wallpaper sets for my iPhone using this great Photoshop template.
Continue reading 'iPhone wallpapers for homesick Kiwis'

New Zealand progressive on fair use laws

Published by Bruce on April 11, 2008 in New Zealand. 0 responses

As reported by Ars Technica, the New Zealand House of Representatives passed a bill on 8 April 2008 reforming copyright law for the "digital age". Most netizens even outside the US will have come across the American DMCA: any mention seems tainted by the taste of bile. The DMCA criminalises circumvention of digital rights management (DRM) technologies and access controls—many folk argue at the expense of "fair use". Do the NZ reforms provide workable compromise?
Continue reading 'New Zealand progressive on fair use laws'

iPhone features Maori carving wallpaper

Published by Bruce on June 23, 2007 in New Zealand. 7 responses

Apple recently posted a tour of the forthcoming iPhone. Watching the presentation I was surprised to see one of the default wallpapers is the face of a tiki (a wood carving of the human figure).
Continue reading 'iPhone features Maori carving wallpaper'

Rugby, anthems and patriotism

Published by Bruce on June 10, 2007 in New Zealand. 3 responses

Inspired by seeing Wellington's Hurricanes win against South Africa's Bulls, and in fulfilment of Simone's wish to see the All Blacks perform the haka live, we went to see New Zealand face France last night. I'm not a rugby fan, but I sure felt patriotic and shared in the excitement of seeing the national team thrash France 61 to 10.
Continue reading 'Rugby, anthems and patriotism'

Bake like it's 1914

Published by Bruce on June 8, 2007 in New Zealand. 0 responses

Do you recall what is was like to eat home-baked food? Food that didn't contain E numbers? For pre-ADHD delights, try the Edmonds Sure to rise cookery book. There's a complete copy in PDF format for download on the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre website (1914 edition).
Continue reading 'Bake like it's 1914'