The Lunaticks Society 2012 Season of New Ideas
The Lunaticks Society 2012 Season of New Ideas a blend of stimulating conversations around new ideas presented by innovative thinkers with a few cultural agitators
It’s a yearlong program of talks and debates, live video links from far off places and our second annual Digital Showcase. From tech start-ups and social media to fashion and film, there’s plenty in store for you this year.
Event Dates:
- Feb 28th: New Ideas for 2012
- Mar 27th: How Cities Can Become Super-Connected
- May 29th: Think Like A Tech Start-up
- Jun 26th: Topic TBD
- Jul 31st: Topic TBD
- Aug 28th: Topic TBD
- Sep 25th: Retailers And Fashion Designers In The Cloud
- Oct 30th: 2nd Annual Digital Showcase 2012. And The NEWi Awards
- Nov 27th: The Mad Hatters Xmas Party
Smart and Innovative City – Video by Vince Moody
Vince filmed a short video of the society’s Smart and Innovative City gathering, earlier this year upstairs at the Delany Hotel.
Using a basic video camera and editing software, Vince proves compelling user-generated content can compete with costly video production.
Happily, Vince caught some of the drama, which unfolded during the night providing enough insight into the difficulties the Newcastle business community has with engaging our current City Council.
Big thanks to Vince Moody.
Brand Newcastle: an image worth spreading
Newcastle is undergoing an image makeover with the launch of ‘‘Brand Newcastle’’ a new marketing project to change the city’s image from its blue-collar industrial past into a sophisticated, world-class city of opportunity.
And I for one would like to congratulate everyone involved with Brand Newcastle and I hope the people will support it.
If implemented well, such a strategy will make a huge economic difference to Newcastle, helping to attract the best talent, events, visitors and investment.
When I first arrived in Newcastle in the mid 90′s, there was no emphasis on promoting the city. It was considered a waste of time and money for a city with an economy and reputation built on coal and steel to promote itself. But times have changed and it’s nice to see the economy and local attitudes have changed within the city since then.
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Why not replace parking meters with docking stations?
Surrounded by Sunday newspapers with articles on London’s new cycle hire scheme while debating NSW’s horrendous transport problems and solutions to save the current NSW’s Labor government – well I have an idea.
Let’s start replacing on road parking meters with London style cycle docking stations and cycle hire scheme. On road parking meters have no use other than clogging our city streets with parked cars and raising money for councils. Yes, we still need parking spaces, but let’s get the majority of the parking spaces off road.
Sydney has already invested $76 million in new cycle ways with the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore claiming it will transform the city into a cyclists’ paradise. Imagine if the state government had invested the half a billion dollars it wasted on the recently scrapped Sydney metro plan on state wide cycle ways and hire scheme. That’s a lot of push bikes.
In London, cycling is now back in style. It now has up to 5,000 bikes at 300 “docking stations” available for hire to combat the out of control traffic congestion and overcrowding on London’s commuter network.
