Toast.

Stink things about quitting your job: employers swearing at me.

Not stink things about quitting your job: lunch at Toast (it's the rules).

Wine with your art 2

In 2004 Spanish/German deisgner/artist Marti Guixe filled a Dutch gallery with a fog made of gin and tonic. 10-step programme members need not attend the opening.

(Via notcot.org)

Map of the Human Heart

A small project in developing a more user friendly map system for the Mountain Bike Park out at Makara has got me thinking about the London Underground Map, designed in 1933 by Harry Beck.

The simplified map is a deservedly enduring design classic, and has popped up in a few places - there's a framed version charting the history of popular music hanging in the Wellington Library, and Simon Patterson's Great Bear twists it into a smart comment on the evolution of contemporary knowledge.

Japanese interfact and strategy (love that term) thinktank Information Architects have a cool version based on the Tokyo subway that links the 200 biggest websites according to content classifications. Version 3 - due shortly - takes things to a whole new level, with layers based on the new map developed for the Swiss Train network.

The subject of these flash new layers? Brand Experience and Momentum - two concepts at the very heart of mountain biking.

Pic: sneak preview of Information Architect's Web trend Map v3.0.

The Season 1.

...and we're back!

"Creative New Zealand will host the official presence at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009, the world's oldest and most prestigious international forum for contemporary visual art."

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Wine with your art?

Tis the season of frequent drinking, and to mark this occasion, One Moment Caller is publishing the results of its brief and informal ongoing survey into the drinking culture of our art institutions, particularly at opening time.

• City Gallery: White and Red wine, withheld until after speeches, limited to foyer.
• Adam Art Gallery: White, red, freely available, some space limits.
• Te Manawa: White, red, beer, freely available, limited to foyer and one gallery space.
• Sarjeant Gallery: White, red, beer, withheld until after speeches, no space limits.
• Govett-Brewster Art Gallery: White, beer, freely available, no space limits.

It would seem that if you're after a good time, head to the provinces.

Pic: Hannes Broecker, Drink away the art.

Discovered on Swiss Miss, via Visual Streak, via Coolhunter... There should really be a one-step-removed links policy applied to the interweb - it's just getting silly, but then I suppose it is the season.

And the winner is...

So the competition below was just judged. Seems I'll be getting a spanky new custom built Cotic Roadrat some time in the new year. I'd like to thank...

You'll be able to follow the complete build online on Vorb, should you be into that sort of thing.

And I really would like to thank Paul, Tama, Cy, and Mrs Ogle, formerly of Hawera High School, now of Tawhiti Museum. Stay in school, kids.

Did I mention it's $5,500 worth?

12.5%

A couple of months ago I entered a competition run by Vorb and Essence to win a custom specced Cotic bike, up to the value of $5,500. Yes. $5,500.

The contest required an explanation of how you'd build the bike up and why. I had a bit of fun, wrote a few different builds, and a few different stories to justify them, submitted the one I liked best at the time, and promptly forgot all about it.

Until this morning, when I was gently informed my entry has been short listed to the top 8, which is a little exciting, and potentially somewhat useful considering I've just this week sold 2 of my 3 bikes.

High school English. Who would have thought?