Technology in the news – Articles from 2011

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TV3 Campbell Live video, 16 May
Dinosaurs last roamed the earth 65 million years ago. Since then there have been movies and TV shows, but nothing quite like this. Walking With Dinosaurs is the stadium version of the BBC television series - not 'stage', but 'stadium'version. It's big, it's boisterous, it's noisy - and it looks very real.
Discussion starters:
• Entertainment technology: recreating history; electromechanical srobotics; material useage
• Intellectual property issues: confidentiality agreements
nzherald.co.nz, 20 June
Here is a glimpse of the future. By 2050, seaweed-powered space-liners will fly from London to Tokyo in two-and-a-half hours, at a cruising altitude of 20 miles and generating no significant pollution.
This is the confident prediction of the Airbus parent company, EADS, which will unveil its plans for a hypersonic, stratospheric airliner, the Zehst, at the Le Bourget airshow near Paris today.
Discussion starters:
• Characteristics of technology: Social and cultural influences and impacts
• Energy technology: Convergence of technologies
PC Magazine article, 20 June
What if when watching Pirates of the Caribbean, you could actually smell the ocean as Captain Jack Sparrow's ship sped through it? Or if you could catch a whiff of the fantastic desserts contestants were preparing on Top Chef? Adding scent to the entertainment experience is the promise of a new technological development.
Discussion starter:
• Characteristics of technology: proof of concept
BBC online news article, 24 June
Acoustic cloaking was proposed theoretically in 2008 but has only this year been put into practice with an approach that borrows many ideas from attempts to "cloak" objects from light. It uses simple plastic sheets with arrays of holes, and could be put to use in making ships invisible to sonar or in the acoustic design of concert halls.
Discussion starters:
• Characteristics of technology: collaborative interdisciplinary practice
• Technological products: material manipulation, transformation and formulation
NZHerald online, 29 June
Tumu ITM's 4200sq m store in Ahuriri features a world-first roof design, says University of Auckland PhD student Felix Scheibmair. The university designed a connection that enabled steel and laminated timber to be joined more efficiently with a bolt system.
Discussion starter:
• Resistant materials - Research and development; construction innovation
Ideolog.co.nz, 7 July
Being allocated only 48 hours in which to redesign a part of Christchurch's central city may not seem like enough time, but it was enough to earn NZ Wood the title of supreme winner for the 48 Hour Design Challenge.
Discussion starters:
• Nature of Technology : collaborative interdisciplinary practice
• Design and Visual Communication: site permeability
• Construction technology: timber as a safe construction material
www.bbc.co.uk news, 10 July
Atlantis has docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on the final mission of the US space shuttle programme.
It will spend at least seven days at the ISS and, on its return to Earth, will be retired along with the other shuttles in Nasa's fleet. Atlantis is taking vital supplies to the space station, including more than a tonne of food, ensuring astronauts there have got enough to last a year.
Discussion starter:
• Characteristics of Technological Outcomes: fitness for purpose - in its broadest sense
Idealog Daily Bacon video, 18 July
Ah, those crazy Swiss people. First they invented the Swiss Army Knife, now they've come up with a way to turn your car into a house. It's a modular box system, installed in the boot of your car, that unpacks and folds out to a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.
Discussion starters:
• Design and Visual Communication: human aspects of design; modularisation
• Manufacturing Technology: flatpack assembly
NZ Herald Changespotting video, 5 August
You've probably never tried to cook with your eyes closed, but imagine if you didn't have a choice. For the blind and sight impaired people around the world, this otherwise simple task can be as daunting as it is dangerous.
Discussion starter:
• Product design: Human elements in design
NZ Herald online article, 12 August
It's billionaire Richard Branson's boldest plan - sending tourists soaring into space. But the countdown to commercial spaceflight hasn't always gone smoothly.
Discussion starter:
• Transport technology: future scenarios
Stuff.co.nz article, 23 August
When times get tough, Mairehau Primary School pupils hug their flugs. After the June 13 earthquakes, teachers at the school realised the value of children having a soft toy to hug. The school did not have enough soft toys for all the junior pupils, so the teachers decided to get the children to make their own fluffy ugly toys, or flugs.
Discussion starter:
• Technological Practice: authentic need
Ideolog.co.nz news article, 29 August
Massey University has appointed its first ever Innovator-in-Residence, who will work with a range of local companies to amp up their innovation processes and boost quality and productivity. Colin Gilchrist, managing director at Set Based Solutions, is a champion of the Learning First product development model based on the Toyota manufacturing approach. He will be based part-time at the Albany campus running workshops to help students and companies adapt the method, which he says will significantly enhance Kiwi business outcomes.
Discussion starter:
• Product Design: innovation issues; product development models
Beehive.govt.nz press release, 7 September
Education Minister Anne Tolley says the development of new vocational pathways for senior secondary students is making good progress, as the Government improves the transition from education to employment.
Discussion starter:
• Career pathways: collaborative training opportunities
Idealog Daily Bacon article, 10 October
More than 600 designers turned out for the Best Awards 2011, which received a total of 812 entries - the highest in the 23-year history of the event. A multitude of Gold, Silver and Bronze pins were handed out, with four winners picking up the most coveted pin of all, the Purple Pin, representing supreme design within each category.
Discussion starter:
• Design in Technology: good design
NZ Herald online article, 17 October
John Brown designed the new Matangi trains for Wellington, where he grew up, and was one of two final contenders for the Metro electric train fleet in Auckland, where he was born and spent his early years in the shadow of One Tree Hill. Brown's Sydney-based industrial design business also includes boats, white goods and consumer products. His international clients include battery giants Energizer and Eveready, Danish cookware maker Scanpan and America's VeriFone, one of the world's leading producers of retail and banking transaction terminals.
Discussion starter:
• Design in Technology: Human factors in design

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