Knock down your arial. Bop Spotter is a cool little project where someone set up a box in San Francisco to listen to and try to detect the tunes people play in cars, on boomboxes – the tunes that echo out to the world. Inside the box is a crappy Android phone, set to Shazam […]
Notes
My notes are like a personal Wikipedia for my thoughts and browsing habits. It’s made up of articles I’ve read, interesting concepts and innovative ideas I reckon are worth writing about.
OMG. The BBC has just opened the doors wider to its incredible sound effect library, now featuring over 33,000 samples that you can download for free. The collection has been available to the public since 2018, and it’s now doubled in size (!) These recordings take our ears back to the 1920s, capturing sounds both […]
I’ve been experimenting with the new NotebookLM over the weekend, and I hate to say it, but the audio output is outstandingly similar to how current podcasts are structured and delivered. Here we’ve got 2 AI ‘hosts’ actually having a conversation with each other about a topic. It’s not just good, it’s pretty incredible for […]
Instagram launches new ‘Teen Accounts’
Instagram has just rolled out something called ‘Teen Accounts’ across Australia, the UK, USA and Canada and I’m not sure what I think about this bold move. Meta has crafted and protected this new experience for teens, packed with parental controls – which we can only assume is a good thing – but my thoughts […]
I can’t believe that companies as big as LinkedIn turn this kind of thing on without telling you but … it looks like this new “update” from LinkedIn has been turned ON by default… Uncheck it yourself in Settings > Privacy > today, and take back a little bit of control from the algorithms that […]
Yesterday, a friend of mine asked me what I thought “the industry was like at the moment”. I took a sharp intake of breath for a few seconds before the outgoing rant began. “How long have you got?”, I started. We reminisced how marketing used to be a bit of an art. A craft, a […]
This Map Made Me Sad
This map made me sad when I saw it this weekend. I love tramping, I love the mountains and my hope is that the next generation will be able to explore our backcountry like I’ve been able to do. This is a map of those backcountry huts that are deemed ‘poor condition and possibly closeable’ […]
The Balancing Act
As I’ve grown older, this so called “work-life balance” has been harder and harder to obtain, harder to maintain and now even the idea of it is hard to entertain! Life always has a rhythm. This rhythm is different depending on who you are and what you want to achieve. Some of us want success, […]
Over 10 years ago this week, I ventured to Tāhuna Queenstown to run up the snowy peak of Ben Lomond. The 29th peak over 1000m that year. After a rainy trip south, the cloud lifted and blue skies poked out from the back of Ben Lomond (1748m), a 16km return from the town itself. The […]
Well according to the latest stats, our city is leading the running boom across Aotearoa New Zealand! Over 37,000 people have completed a 5km just this year. That.Is.Pretty.Cool. Now, if only we could also get 1 in 10 to commute by bike…. But that’s a post for a different day. Link to the article here: […]
The Melting Reality
Yikes! I’ve seen it with my eyes here in the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana …and sadly this couple has seen it in the European Alps too! 🧊 🫠 Does anyone have any real world ideas about what we can do here?! Is policy and legislation the only way to go? Asking […]
THE JULY SCOOP
No AI, no LLMs, no hype, no BS, just humans talking about their experiences… with extra sprinkles. Grab your spoons and dig deep into the cone that is THE SCOOP – a monthly-ish treat of what’s happening in the wide world of ads, digital and creative from across the globe. Get your serving next month.
Children ARE our future
In a country where we are ranked 35th out of 41 for child wellbeing outcomes (UNICEF Aotearoa) and with one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world, we really need to do something to support our tamariki.
Is this the AI you were looking for?
Remember four or so years ago when Google faked their voice AI phone call at their conference? Seems like the moment has come wfor the smaller and more agile (and more friendly) companies to take the lead, now that AI tools are more attainable, usable and frankly scarily smart. I’ve been using Arc browser for […]
Don’t Worry About It
“Don’t worry about it” – the new collab from 𝗦𝗡𝗟 𝘅 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗻. Satire. Probably the best way to get through to new and old consumers alike about what their purchases acutally mean for the price. Hats off to SNL for running this one with some globally famous names calling it out for what it […]