‘In Bruges’ is a great little movie starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. It is the story of two hit men hiding out in Belgium after a challenging hit-man job. The movie is quite quirky. It slowly reveals how the two men experience local customs in the very charming medieval canal town of Bruge.

Often mistaken for Colin Farrell, I too was ‘In Bruges’ and fell in love with its charms. Fan Foley

This week in Christchurch is Cup & Show Week; eight days of horse racing, fashion, farm shows and partying. Today is the highlight for most being Canterbury Anniversary Day and a public holiday. Folks from all over the region will be donning their best threads, packing a picnic and heading to Addington Raceway for the Lindauer Family Race Day to have a punt on the gee gees.

Canterbury Anniversary Day originally marked the arrival of the First Four Ships which bought the first organized groups of European settlers to the area on December 16 1850. The picture below shows emigrants landing from the four ships in the port of Lyttelton, Christchurch.

Matt

I have a facebook page, I get my RSS on with a few blogs, but I’m not really an active social networker, I have never tweeted, I’m a little bit old school, I leave that for the birds.

I don’t believe that Tweeting and following twitters has any substance, it’s hardly revolutionary in my view, it’s called conversation, we’ve been doing it for a long time now. Of course, everyone’s interested in the marketing potential, Twitter is apparently worth a billion dollars despite not having turned over a single cent. I’ve always thought that my generation are a bit self obsessed and see Twitter as a way to talk about themselves even when there’s nobody else around, so it doesn’t surprise me that the most Tweeted topic is Twitter itself, iPhone is high on the list too. I imagine there are a lot of tweets along the lines of “just using twitter on my iPhone lol”.

Below is a list of brands mentioned over a 24 hour period on Twitter, it’s kind of a boring list, mostly computer/internet related stuff – mostly, it seems, people are getting on there computers and mobile devices to talk about their computers and mobile devices. I don’t really know what to make of it, there’s no mention of whether or not the Tweeters (Twits?) are saying nice things about these brands or not.

If you’re a tweet follower, someone sent me this a while back, it worth following, if you follow such things.

And now I’m going to get my old school on, with some old school goodness that you can’t find on your MyFace and SpaceBook pages…

This is still the most on-target advertising I have ever seen:

This is excellent old school exaggeration in advertising from Atari:

Cover Art…

Actual game play…

And here’s an ad for a 15MB Hard Drive for only $2495:

Moonwalk, electric boogie, head spin and top rock to that.

David

As a keen aircraft geek, I am counting down to the first test flight of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Boeing’s vast manufacturing facility in Puget Sound, near Seattle.

Boeing plan for the first test flight to be before the 1st of July. Just like the way TimeZoneOne does business, this will be a game-changer. It affords airlines an aircraft that is lighter than anything comparable, that flys further, and that is faster with up to a 20% fuel saving per passenger. With the Dreamliner it may be possible to fly direct from Christchurch to Chicago non-stop.  This would be perfect for Zoners! The Dreamliner is the most significant technology change for mass transport in 40 years. She will fly proudly alongside another game changer – her 40 year old sister – the Boeing 747 Jumbo.

Nigel – Sitting At The Runway’s End In A Pac A Mac.  

In true kiwi can do style we celebrated ANZAC day by remembering the brave soldiers who fort in the first world war, and then worked feverishly for our client in another part of the northern hemisphere.

Here is a exert from http://www.anzac.govt.nz/ Significance of Anzac Day 

On 25 April 1915, eight months into the First World War, Allied soldiers landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula. This was Turkish territory that formed part of Germany’s ally, the Ottoman Empire. The troops were there as part of a plan to open the Dardanelles Strait to the Allied fleets, allowing them to threaten the Ottoman capital Constantinople (now Istanbul) and, it was hoped, force a Turkish surrender. The Allied forces encountered unexpectedly strong resistance from the Turks, and both sides suffered enormous loss of life.

The forces from New Zealand and Australia, fighting as part of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), played an important part in the Gallipoli campaign. At its beginning, people at home greeted with excitement the news that our soldiers were at last fully engaged in the war. New Zealand soldiers distinguished themselves with their courage and skill, establishing an enduring bond with the Australians they fought alongside.

The Gallipoli campaign was, however, a costly failure for the Allies, who after nine months abandoned it and evacuated their surviving troops. Almost a third of the New Zealanders taking part had been killed; the communities they came from had counted the cost in the lengthy casualty lists that appeared in their newspapers. And the sacrifice seemed to have been in vain, for the under-resourced and poorly-conducted campaign did not have any significant influence on the outcome of the war.

Although Anzac Day, the anniversary of the first day of conflict, does not mark a military triumph, it does remind us of a very important episode in New Zealand’s history. Great suffering was caused to a small country by the loss of so many of its young men. But the Gallipoli campaign showcased attitudes and attributes – bravery, tenacity, practicality, ingenuity, loyalty to King and comrades – that helped New Zealand define itself as a nation, even as it fought unquestioningly on the other side of the world in the name of the British Empire.

After Gallipoli, New Zealand had a greater confidence in its distinct identity, and a greater pride in the international contribution it could make. And the mutual respect earned during the fighting formed the basis of the close ties with Australia that continue today.

AnzacNumbers

260 – days of the Gallipoli Campaign

8556 – NZ forces landed:4852 NZ forces wounded, 2721 NZ forces fatalities

8709 – Australian forces fatalities

33,072 – fatalities from all British forces

10,000* – French fatalities

87,000* – Turkish fatalities

20,000* – total number attending 2005 Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli

*Estimated number 

Andy 

This weekend I went to the Wairewa Marae to stay for a few days. That’s probably a uniquely kiwi thing to do, so I’ll blog about it for a bit. I arrived late because I had to wait for a video to render before I left town. As it is anywhere, arriving late for a pÅ�whiri is considered rude. But when you arrive late to a marae, you can’t simply sneak in the back door, as with any home, you don’t just wander on uninvited. So, you have to wait at the gate and hope that someone notices you. And then everyone gathers around to welcome you, which is nice, but then your tardiness is very much exposed. Then on top of being late, I had to leave in the middle of the night and drive down to Dunedin for a family emergency. Obviously leaving the marae while everyone’s asleep in another show of poor form. Heoi anÅ�, ko te whÄ�nau te mea nui.

In the Wharenui , you have to formally introduce yourself, part of this introduction includes stating the name of the mountain where your ancestors are from. Being of Scottish ancestry, my mountain has a Gaelic name, which means I have to stand in front of a large group of people and get my tongue around MÄ�ori and Gaelic in the one sentence. I’m not the most confident public speaker in my first language, so that makes me nervous.

There’s a Chicago/America tie-in coming up….

Another Wharenui that I’ve visited fairly recently is Ruatepupuke, it once stood at Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast, but now stands at the field museum in Chicago. According to MÄ�ori legend Ruatepupuke discovered the art of Whakairo (Carving), and this Wharenui is an amazing example of traditional whakairo, with nearly every piece of wood in this 100+ year old Whare meticulously carved.

Here’s a photo of Ruatepupuke in the Chicago Field Museum.

And to change things up a bit, while sort of keeping with the theme, here’s some Hip-Hop…

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The artist is from Christchurch, you can find out more about him here .

N�ku noa, N� David

Millions of cubicle dwellers across America helped set records for Internet traffic on Tuesday as they watched online video of the inauguration ceremonies — or at least tried to. The overwhelming demand meant that some Web sites and data networks had trouble keeping up, forcing many people to turn to less cutting-edge forms of media.
Internet traffic in the United States hit a record peak at the start of President Obama’s speech as people watched, read about and commented on the inauguration, according to Bill Woodcock, the research director at the Packet Clearing House, a nonprofit organization that analyzes online traffic. “The peak is the highest measured to date, and it appears to be mostly a U.S. phenomenon,� Mr. Woodcock said.

Rather than go on about it I have attached my favourite photos from the ceremony celebrations. The volume of people attending and the passion on their faces speak louder than words!

Liz Bissland

Something a bit lighthearted for Friday. Here are a couple of pictures of the inspiration for my wedding dress:

It was worn by Carly O’Brien of Gloucester when she married in 2006. Weighing in at 425 pounds, it had 30 layers of material and 30,000 Swarovski crystals. Who wouldn’t want a dress that was heavier than they were?

Some interesting and little known facts about weddings:

The tradition of wearing wedding rings on the third finger has two sources: one started back in ancient times when it was believed that the third finger had a nerve that ran straight to the heart; the second is metaphorical, while every other finger can be extended to its full length and straightness alone, the ring finger can only be fully extended in the company of an adjacent finger.

Groomsmen were basically henchmen. Originally made part of the wedding party by the groom in order to keep too many uninvited people from joining in the celebration and the wedding party getting big, rowdy and uncontrollable. Today, they are simply symbolic.

In Christian ceremonies the bride stands on the grooms left. This was started when it may have been necessary for the groom to reach for his sword with his right hand in order to keep someone from riding up and stealing his bride during the wedding.

A number of cultures adopt the western custom of a bride wearing a white dress. This tradition came to symbolize purity in the Victorian era (despite popular misconception, the white dress did not indicate virginity, which was symbolized by the face veil). Within the ‘white wedding’ tradition, a white dress and veil would not have been considered appropriate for a second or third wedding of a widow or a divorcee.

 And finally, a funny twist to the traditional wedding dance:

Signing out for the last time as ‘Miss’ Rose

TimeZoneOne is awesome! TimeZoneOne is awesome! TimeZoneOne is awesome! TimeZoneOne is awesome! Not very subtle but true.

While some brands like to advertise themselves the above way others prefer a different tact… subliminal messaging. Whether you believe or not there is small minority out there who think we are being brain washed to buy certain products based on advertisers tapping into the subconscious, of course these are the same people who say the moon landings were faked, that Bigfoot is real, and that JFK is living the high life in Colombia, having said that below is an example brought to you by the believers (TZ1 neither endorses or discredits this argument)…

“Subliminal messaging in advertising usually takes the form of optical illusions. A book called The Secret Sales Pitch – An Overview of Subliminal Advertising argues that optical illusions have been embedded in mass media in order to secretly manipulate consumers since the 1950s. These subliminal messages are extremely provocative, and involve nightmarish monsters as well as many forms of erotica. In addition, pictures with subliminal meanings understood only by your unconscious have secretly aroused your innermost fears and fantasies. 

Most subliminal advertising concentrates on one thing… SEX, look at the following set of images as an example…”

Is that the guy’s leg behind Mr Snooker player or his… use your imagination.

What is he holding in his hand, look… then look again.

Do those ice cubes really spell out sex?

While these ones are a touchrude, there is also the down right funny (click to embiggen the image)

Looking at these its easy to say there may be nothing there, yet maybe there is – Benson and Hedges (example 2) were accused in the 70′s of advertising porn rather than product, or maybe subliminal messaging just attracts people with filthy minds, or maybe there are just a bunch of bored ad execs and designers out there looking to have some fun. At the end of the day there is no strong argument for or against subliminal messaging, it is really down to what you choose to believe.

To end off, a less subtle form of subliminal advertising is the product placement that happens in movies – from gratuitous close ups of Iron Man’s Omega Watch to the less obvious placement of Ford Expedition Cars in the Dark Knight (apparently the Joker’s Henchmen drive them). Here is a humourous look at how shameless advertising in movies can be…

Tim.