Frost*bite: graphic ideas by Vince Frost - till tomorrow

"Frost*bite is a frank and open account of Frost's work over more than a decade: the good, the bad and the ones that got away. This inspirational exhibition provides a true reflection of the ideas-based philosophy now synonymous with Frost's name."

At the Sydney Opera House Exhibition Hall till 12 March 2006.

W: http://www.object.com.au/pages/current.html

DIY Design It Yourself

D.I.Y. Design It Yourself is a design handbook edited by Ellen Lupton.

I came across this book whilst browsing at the Kinokinuya bookshop. I liked the images and various types of media featured in the book. There's a few pages devoted to each of the following: blogs, books, business cards, cds, flyers, invitations, logos, newsletters, notecards, posters, stationery, t-shirts, web sites, wall graphics, zines, and there's a few interviews with designers as well.

I liked how it wasn't corporate design, but more from the design students just coming up with things, experimenting, trying out new ideas. The resulting product/media looks more 'home-grown', earthy, organic and fresh, rather than corporatized, and I appreciated that.

"This book is for people from all walks of life who want to publish words, images, and ideas on paper, on t-shirts, on the Web, or anywhere else. Current technologies—from digital fonts and the Internet to full-service copy centers—make it possible for nearly anyone to produce their own graphics. Technology alone, however, is not enough. If you learn how to think like a designer, you will be able to clarify your ideas and pull together the materials, services, and software you need to make your concepts real. This book demystifies the technical side of small-scale publishing in various media while opening up your mind to the creative side of design."

"This book was produced by students and faculty in the Master of Fine Arts program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). We hope to broaden design awareness by spreading knowledge of what we do."

W: http://www.papress.com/designityourself/index.html

Ellen Lupton also maintains a blog called Design Writing Research at:
http://www.designwritingresearch.org/

10 ways to get the best deal on your next PC

Article in the SMH with 10 handy hints on how to get a good deal on your PC.

W: http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/10-ways-to-get-the-best-deal-on-your-next-pc/2006/03/08/1141701572013.html

Online buying frenzy as big business swoops on sites

Article in the SMH on how companies like Yahoo and Fairfax are buying websites which offer services and has a large number of people using them. Examples include Flickr, Stayz etc.

W: http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/online-buying-frenzy-big-business-swoops/2006/03/10/1141701687721.html

d factory: Tricks of the stage - Feb 23

Powerhouse Museum: Design talk d factory - Tricks of the stage
23 February, 6.00pm, FREE

"From Velcro to gaffer tape, the first d factory for 2006 reveals some of the tricks used for live stage performance and their impact on costume, prop and set design. Nell Schofield talks to production, set and performance designer Brian Thomson, lighting designer Gavan Swift, and costume supervisor Sue Osmond, about creating dynamic environments for live performance."

Event not listed on website, but received info in an enewsletter.

W: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/dfactory/index.asp

Architecture and Photography: Neil Durbach and Anthony Browell - 6 March

An AGDA talk by Neil Durbach and Anthony Browell.

6 March, 2006, 5.45 for 6.00pm start
Australian Museum, Cnr William and College Streets, East Sydney, (entry from William Street)

COST: AGDA Members $25, Non-members $40, AGDA Student Members $10, Student non-members $20

RSVP Robyn Tel 9955 3955, Fax 9955 0566, Email secretariat@agda.com.au

W: http://www.agda.com.au/eventsnews/nsw/events/2006/Archit.html

Victim out-stares attacking tiger

"A female rubber tapper working on a Malaysian estate escaped death when she engaged a tiger in a staring match in which the predator was the loser, a newspaper reported today..."

W: http://www.smh.com.au/news/unusual-tales/victim-outstares-attacking-tiger/2006/02/21/1140284061157.html

Card Art

Saw this magazine in the newsagent. Title: Card Art: Innovative Card-Making Designs. The cards featured are really cool and innovative. Not sure when I'll find time to try making any cards, but it looked so good I had to get it. Written by Stephanie McAtee and Emily Falconbridge. It features 120 cards with step-by-step instructions on how to make them. It's published by Universal Magazines in 2005. Couldn't see this publication listed on their website though. RRP: $19.95.

W: http://www.universalmagazines.com.au

A day in the life of Design: Extraordinary Everyday Objects

"Wake up. Go to work. Unwind at home. A well-designed object may not save your life, but it can make it better and more efficient. From a toaster to a toilet, a bed to a bike, these ten pages of product represent the height of simple pleasures.enjoy them, morning till night..."

City Magazine has published 5 pages of design products you can use throughout your day.

W: http://www.city-magazine.com/abovestandard.html

Q&A with Zaha Hadid - City magazine

"The personality of Zaha Hadid borders on myth. The 2004 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner, born in Iraq and based in London, has been called the most famous female architect in history. Hadid is often respected, at times feared, but always discussed—as much for her penchant for Miyake as for her darkly aggressive paintings and swooping buildings. CITY’s Eva Hagberg caught up with Hadid three days after the opening of her site-specific installation, Elastika, at design.05 during Art Basel Miami Beach..."

W: http://www.city-magazine.com/pageone/members/archives/2006/02/interview_zaha.php

Welcome to the angst-ridden inner west

"A new survey that compares the wellbeing of people in all 150 federal electorates reveals the safe Labor seat of Grayndler, covering Annandale, Leichhardt, Petersham, Newtown, Marrickville and Summer Hill, tops the national list for all-round unhappiness..."

W: http://smh.com.au/news/national/welcome-to-the-inner-west-seat-of-suburban-angst/2006/02/12/1139679480760.html

Greenhouse critic says views cost him his job

"A FORMER CSIRO division chief and world expert on climate change says he was reprimanded and encouraged to take redundancy after joining a group of scientists urging action to cut greenhouse gases..."

W: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/views-cost-me-my-job/2006/02/12/1139679480763.html

Panda Inc: worth a fur-tune

"As US zoos gasp at rising multi-million dollar rents for pandas, Sydney's Taronga Zoo has confirmed all its animals are complimentary...

Atlanta zoo, in Georgia, and others say they cannot afford the rental fees charged by China: about $2.7 million dollars a year per pair..."

W: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/panda-inc-worth-a-furtune/2006/02/13/1139679522240.html

Sydney Symphony: Discover Classical Music

Entertaining lectures about the great composers with live orchestra.
Discover Mozart Tue 7 February 6.30pm
Discover Shostakovich Tue 28 March 6.30pm
Discover Beethoven Tue 1 August 6.30pm
Discover Tchaikovsky Tue 17 October 6.30pm

W: http://www.sydneysymphony.com

1st Sydney Latin American Film Festival - Feb 06

17-19 February: Campbelltown Arts Centre, Art Gallery Rd Cnr Camden & Appin Rd Campbelltown
24-26 February: Tom Mann Theatre, 136 Chalmers St, Surry Hills

"From the edgy underbelly of Brazil’s Lower City, the cultural and environmental preservation issues explored in our Focus on Amazon series, to the vibrant musical delights of Cuba’s La Tropical; be inspired by a new breed of talented and socially aware filmmakers.

We very proudly present Cuban filmmaker Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti as guest of the festival, to showcase his films Viva Cuba and Nada+. Australian documentary filmmaker David Bradbury will also join us in a Q&A session following the premiere screening of his new documentary Raul the Terrible. Inspiring stories of love and resilience are fertile across the Latin American continent and with many thanks to all the Filmmakers and supporters of the festival we have been able to create a home for them in Sydney."

W: http://www.sydneylatinofilmfestival.org

Indivision Screenings 06 - Feb 17-19 Sydney

"The IndiVision Screenings present films where imagination triumphs over money, where iconoclasm and the visionary soar over conformity, where there's space to hear characters breathe, ultimately where cinema kicks against the mundane.

Wildly divergent in style and content, these films act as stark - and original - proof that cinema can be made with limited finance. I promise they also urge Australian filmmakers and audiences to be both constantly restless and fundamentally attentive to what inspiring work can be found from often unexpected places and stolen moments.

Screenings include three Australian premieres - Close to Home (Israel, selected for Berlin film festival 2006), Allegro (Denmark, selected for Venice 2005 and Sundance 2006), and Down to the Bone (USA, winner, Director's Award Sundance 2004), as well as the powerful Keane (USA, selected for Director's Fortnight Cannes).

Special guests, US producer Andrew Fierberg (Secretary, Keane, Fur) and French producer Marc Missonnier (5 x 2, Swimming Pool), will participate in both the IndiVision Project Lab and Screenings.

Whether polemical or political, whispered or shouted, soft or hard, these films won't leave you indifferent. They will inspire."

James Hewison
Curator, IndiVision Screenings 06

2006 PROGRAM
SYDNEY
Dendy Newtown, 261 King Street; ph 9550 5699

Fri 17 Feb, 7pm: Allegro (18+)
Sat 18 Feb, 2.30pm: Close to Home (18+)
Sat 18 Feb, 4.30pm: Primer (18+)
Sat 18 Feb, 6.30pm: Keane (18+), including post-screening discussion with the producer, Andrew Fierberg
Sun 19 Feb, 3.30pm: Forgiveness (18+)
Sun 19 Feb, 6pm: Down to the Bone (18+), including post-screening forum on low-budget cinema

MELBOURNE
Kino Dendy, 45 Collins Street, Melbourne; ph 9650 2100

Fri 24 Feb, 7pm: Allegro (18+)
Sat 25 Feb, 2.30pm: Close to Home (18+)
Sat 25 Feb, 4.30pm: Primer (18+)
Sat 26 Feb, 6.30pm: Keane (18+), including post-screening discussion with the producer, Andrew Fierberg
Sun 26 Feb, 3.30pm: Forgiveness (18+)
Sun 26 Feb, 6pm: Down to the Bone (18+), including post-screening forum on low-budget cinema

Tickets available at the cinemas.
$10 single session
$32 weekend pass (four films).
Booking fees may apply

W: http://www.afc.gov.au/funding/fd/indivision/screenings/default.aspx

The Stitches & Craft Show - 15-19 Feb, Sydney

There will be some international guests as well including: Patti Culea, Elinor Peace Bailey and Barbara Willis who will talk about fabric journaling, and artist's trading cards; Nicola Bota who will talk about knitting and weaving; Brenda Coleman - glass beader, and more.

Dates & Times: Wednesday 15th - Sunday 19th February, 2006. 10am - 5pm Daily
Venue: Rosehill Gardens Event Centre, Unwin Street, Rosehill

W: http://www.stitchesandcraft.com.au/

Green is the New Black - A new look at sustainable building design

City Talks 2006 - Green is the New Black - A new look at sustainable building design
16 February 2006 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM (Doors Open 5:30 PM)

Speakers:

David Gottfried (US)
President, World Build Technologies. Founder, US Green Building Council and World Green Building Council.

Romilly Madew
Green Building Advocacy Consultant. Author of "The Dollars and Sense of Green Buildings."

MC Adam Spencer

Venue: Sydney Town Hall - Centennial Hall, 484 George Street, Sydney Town Hall, (Cnr Druitt) Sydney.
Phone: 1300 651 301

Free event but you need to book to attend this event.
City Recital Hall Angel Place Box Office
City Recital Hall, Angel Place, City 2000
Phone: (02) 8256 2222
info@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

City Talks are presented by the City of Sydney and The Sydney Morning Herald.

W: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/WhatsOn/html/custom/2234-event-details.asp?EventID=11708

The Greenhouse Mafia - Channel 2, Mon 13th Feb

The Greenhouse Mafia episode on Four Corners. Reporter: Janine Cohen. Broadcast: 13/02/2006

"Are Australians getting the whole truth on global warming?

Not according to evidence given to Four Corners, which returns with disturbing allegations about the power wielded by industry lobbyists, the self-proclaimed greenhouse "mafia".

A whistleblower steps forward with claims that industry representatives have burrowed deep inside the federal bureaucracy in a successful bid to hijack greenhouse policy.

"Their influence over greenhouse policy in Australia is extraordinary", he observes.

Four Corners also examines separate claims that the public is being denied full information about strategies to combat global warming.

Australians do know that last year was the hottest on record. They also know that carbon emissions are forecast to bring more heatwaves, storms, droughts, bushfires and diseases. This revealing report will help Australians understand what they are not being told.

Reporter-producer Janine Cohen investigates "The Greenhouse Mafia" – Four Corners, 8.30pm Monday 13 February, ABC TV."

W: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1566257.htm

Give a Tree for Life

"Don't buy flowers to mark a special occasion, give the gift of life instead. Buy a rainforest tree and help save Australia's tropical rainforests...

Our rainforest volunteers will plant your tree in one of our special revegetation areas in the Wet Tropics to provide a food source for the endangered cassowary and a sanctuary for the many rainforest animals, insects and frogs. Your gift will also help rehabilitate our World Heritage listed rainforests...."

W: http://www.arf.net.au/tree_for_life.html