ThoughtSpurs

Sure it's cheesy. But for me this clip and the album evokes a time of my life I rather enjoyed, the early-mid 90s. Single. Living downtown in the the beautiful Endean apts (opposite the ferry building), classic sports car, ducati, creative director for an ad agency, on the town every night…evenings in with this album and melancholy. Tres, tres, chic. Tres, tres sexy…

I have never indulged in 'new year's resolution' and I resolve to stay true - one day before the end of the year - so I'm not caught in a paradox. Here's the thing. A year. A month. A day. A moment. Why leave it for a year? With each moment take responsibility for it's quality (which, of course, you are in charge of). A year is a man made concept after all. Happy new moment. Happy new moment. Happy new moment. Happy new moment. …

Me and Zoë, my daughter, at my office. I've been 44 for one hour and 44 minutes. Happy birthday to me.

Is that a good thing? 20 Questions about obscure design. I'm 20/20 (or 'sad' in the vernacular). What is your score?

Mariana, my friend from Argentina is in Auckland. She is a fashion designer and has a business selling through stores here. She lived in New Zealand for many years before returning home. She's also the coolest person on the planet. She tells me there are two Davids. The one who writes this blog and the real life me. I think I agree. But, when I think about it more I have to say that blogging and real life are fundamentally different things. Let's think about why…do you have a minute?…don't let me hold you up… Firstly, …I don't know who you are. I don't know what your interests really are. You may have arrived through a random link. You may be here because I showed up on Google when your searched…Kiwi ferrit fanciers (though until I publish this post, that is unlikely), or yurts. I do know than a significant percentage of you are returning visitors. Thank you. You both know who you are. Second. Because I don't know who you are (and yet you chose to visit) I don...

"When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from delusion it is called Religion" Robert M. Pirsig (author of Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance ) These videos of Richard Dawkins' (author of The God Delusion) two part documentary 'Root of all Evil?' makes astonishing viewing. Give yourself some time…watch them all. Make up your own mind. If you can. Root of all Evil? Part 1 Root of all Evil? Part 2 Root of all Evil? Part 3 Root of all Evil? Part 4 Root of all Evil Part? 5 Root of all Evil? Part 6 Root of all Evil? Part 7 Root of all Evil? Part 8 Root of all Evil? Part 9 Root of all Evil? Part 10

Thankfully Christmas is over for another year. I managed to avoid any feeling of faux goodwill to all men and the decision to avoid gift giving beyond my own children was a move worthy of wise men. Of course I also feel something of a hypocrite even acknowledging Christmas at all. You see, I am not a member of the Christian cult, or any for that matter and I have a healthy scepticism of people who are. It is my birthday in a couple of days. My son asked what I would like. I have requested a copy of The God Delusion. If he's clever he'll get a copy from the public library, wrap it (optional) and offer to return it for me. I heard the author being interviewd on the radio the other day and thought it was refreshing to hear someone discuss a sensitive topic so forthrightly. How much of political correctness stems from pussyfooting around other people's beliefs. Why? I don't see the point. In my opinion, if you want to hold nutty views of the world, then that is fine by me...

Muffle the drum. The One & Only James Brown!

Did you ever buy the Stephen Hawkins book A Brief History of Time ? Early nineties. Some of you must have. It was a monumental best-seller. I bought one. Never read it though. Couldn't. It was impenetrable rubbish. Not for me. Literally. The book was touted as a populist thesis. But maybe I missed something,…a meeting or something? Well, I've decided to do something useful for the new year. If you have a copy of A Brief History of Time , send it to me. Why? I want to make clever igloos for the world's homeless out of copies of the book. Finally, a use… Send to: David MacGregor c/o P.O. Box 90 096 Auckland New Zealand Send this to a friend - let's change the world…

It's Christmas morning. Gifts have been exchanged. Taylor was chuffed with his fully monte poker chip set and the various golf doodads. I was well pleased with 'The World According to Jeremy Clarkson'…Now he's off with his maternal grandparents and I'm left to catch up on some of my favourite blogs, and have a little read before hitting the road for the Christmas Day Tour 06 - The joy of a 21st Century nuclear meltdown family. On my brief tour of the blogosphere I found a new toy, let it be my gift to you. I hope you like it. Unfortunately I got it from a street vendor, so it can't be exchanged. Merry Christmas, thanks for visiting this year - returning visitors represent nearly 30% of total visitor numbers and the number of readers has increased steadily over the year. S'quite fun really…

I have been undertaking an online seminar, developed by Sony called " How To Think Like da Vinci ".It is one of a range of workshops and seminars offered for free online covering a wide range of topics under the heading SONY 101 . Check them out here. I was fascinated by Leonardo daVinci when I was at high school, mostly for the breadth of his work, rather than his paintings. I never really liked rennaissance art - for all its virtues. I wasn't aware of Leo's seven principles until now…let me paraphrase from the introduction to the course. The Seven Principles Curiosita An insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning. …genius is born when that quality of curiosity continues throughout life. Leonardo da Vinci was insatiably curious. He possessed the openness and energy of a child combined with the focus and discipline of maturity. He was curious about everything. His theme was the quest to find the essence of truth and beauty. D...

It has been a busy day. Whether it is the heat or old age I am feeling sleepy and it is only quarter to four in the afternoon. I'll put it down to the heat. I have been reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything . He makes the excellent point that " for me to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had to somehow assemble in an intricate and curiously obliging manner to create you. It's an arrangement so specialised and particular that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once. For the next many years (we hope) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly in all the billions of deft, co-operative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally under appreciated state known as existence " Good point. I shall ponder it as my particular particles feel ever so slightly disengaged. Taking the point a little further and putting aside my under appreciated state I am amazed at the stuff outs...

I watched The Ferocious Mr Fixit again tonight. TV1, 9.30, Thursdays (NZ). I suggest you do too. Insightful. Who needs McKinsey & Co. Alisdair Jeffrey is smart and has what it takes to make the right recommendation (I suspect that's not an MBA - though I've been wrong before…) Take care that you don't disrupt the Alice in Wonderland kiwi employment rules.

Matt Cooney, the thoroughly gentlemanly editor of Idealog has asked me to send him my next column about advertising for the magazine. Sometimes I feel a little like a fraud writing about the subject. Putting aside the aesthetics of advertising (if you follow this blog you'll know I delight in cleverly conceived and executed commercials), I find it a little awkward because I feel the advertising business must move forward. As it stands it is very old fashioned. There is a gigantic shift coming - I can sense it - and I fear that the education of young advertising people is preparing them for the business as it was in the 1970's. Does that sound harsh? I don't mean it to be. The main issue I have is that the narrative form widely used in advertising is based on a logic that doesn't seem to hold water anymore. Beginning, middle, end. I don't really have any answers, but plenty of questions. I suppose that is a good thing? Perhaps that should be my theme for the column?...

I was just reading about the Bugatti Veyron. It has a 1001 horsepower engine. That's quite a lot. It costs US$1.3 million. That's quite a lot. It travels at 250 miles per hour and gets there quicker than it took me to type 'It travels at 250 miles per hour'. Santa, if you exist. I've been good for goodness sakes. For those of you who think the Veyron is an environmental and economic disgrace. You might take pleasure from being right. But never has something so wrong been so right. It makes me feel better to imagine the catastrophic effect of 4004 wild horses hoofs charging over the landscape (1001 horses x 4 legs). Read about the jawdroppingly awesome Bugatti here .

I was trying to explain how I feel about conversation to a friend…how some people are 'nice' but don't really add much. It came out kind of wrong. Then I was spending a little time in the Library at Rotorua and I stumbled across a remark by The One & Only Jack Kerouac that, curiously enough, explained. " But then they danced down the street like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww! "" 'bout sums it up. Kerouac's On The Road P.S. This will be the first Christmas without my father, who died a couple of months bac...

If you're not aquiring new skills it won't take long before you are left behind. I saw a report off the wires on TV about an 86 year old man who recently became the world's oldest primary school pupil. I gather he has become something of a celebrity. Good for him. Watch the newsreport from the curiously titled New Tang Dynasty TV (requires real player). Hey, you can even buy Life Long Learning T-shirts (and other merchandise) from my online store.

Teaching 19 -25 year olds I sometimes find it helpful to remember that most of them were born in around 1987. Some of my references to popular culture fly over their heads either because the weren't born yet or the subject might as well be a cave painting in France. Punk rock had started 10 years before and died soon after. So it was interesting to read a speech by John Naughton to the English Society of Editors about declining newspaper readership - or more specifically why the average age of a newspaper reader in the UK is 54 (and rising). "…These are the future, my friends. They're here and living among us. They're not very interested in us, and I'm not sure I blame them. The best we can hope for is that one day they may keep us as pets." Read the full content Young people don't like us. Who can blame them?

I just watched the movie Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy with my 14 year old son. Loved the radio play by Douglas Adams when I was a kid - and the BBC show that followed. The film is average. The script wanders away from the original story in many ways. What I liked about it was that Taylor, my son connected with the idea. I found my original paper back (1982 edition) and felt a strong emotional tug. I wrote my name on the inside front cover with the message "This book belongs to David MacGregor…if you steal it I will track you down…be warned, there can be no escape." I'm going to read it again this weekend. There are phrases I still remember word perfect after 25 years. Douglas Adams , its creator, is a clearly The One & Only. Footnote: The West Wing just came on TV. Do you think that there are clusters of people in the word who really do speak in complete micro Gettysberg Address es and don't interrupt each other?

Stop attending press releases. It authenticates forged credentials. Don't repreat the meme 'Cleaning up government". It is an unsubtantiated rubbish. You are being sucked in. Pull the plug on every point of contact. Leave it to Mel

What is cool? Not really a question I ask much, what with being about as cool as a cardigan myself. Thankfully there are people who obsess about coolness, marketers, advertising agencies and the like. I remember seeing an American PBS documentary called The Merchants of Cool presented by Douglas Rushkoff ( you can watch the entire show on the web - thank you public broadcasting - there are also some excellent support resources on the site ). One of the most striking things about the show is the opening scene where a market researcher is conducting a focus group with some teenagers. Of course they are inarticulate and awkward, but I found it amusing that though hunting for the cool code, the interviewer asks the subjects what is 'hot', as if to cleverly mask his true intentions. As the documentary unfolds there is commentary on the cynical nature of the merchandising of cool, the inter-relationships of media outlets like Viacom and the vested interests of business in manipulati...

I went along to the end of year bash for the Freelance co-op called The Pond after work yesterday.I was the guest of the talented Mr Langridge . It is funny how the perceptions about freelancers has shifted from being people who weren't good enough to get a proper job to simply being clever people available as an external resource. I had an interesting chat with one of the group who said he liked freelancing because he stayed 'hungy'. Not because he's not getting enough work, but excited about doing great work. I haven't worked in an agency for some time but I had always had the view that you were only really as good as your last ad anyway. When a job was done I was immediately on the mooch for another brief. I was shocked to hear that agency creatives have become complacent. Why? Well, simple really, the employment contract laws make it hard to get rid of duds. There seem to be complaints to the employment court preformatted like wills in the bottom drawers of many...

Yes, I blog elsewhere. My latest on Idealog has my first ever editorial cartoon,…way hay ! Auckland has a fleet of rickshaws that take visitors around for free. Intend to make full use from here on in.They hang around outside my office on the viaduct after all.

Flipped on Prime TV to watch Weeds . (Wed, 9.30) Found Dead Like Me instead. The pilot seems like a funky combination of Six Feet Under and The Gilmore girls . It's part of the line that I think was pioneered by Ally McBeal , and the subsequent, aforementioned Six Feet Under and even Boston Legal . The genre seems to promote absurd plots in mundane settings. Like Six Feet Under, Dead Like Me treats death like life. The classic dream-within-a-dream trope. I like it, like the interaction between the Mandy Patinkin character and the dead teenager - who embodies the surly whateverness of teenagers - trying hard to be unphased by the grim facts of grim reaping and at the same time being horrified by the task. Sort of like the relationship my 14 year old son has with washing pots and pans. Perhaps I should convince him that it is part of his magical reality?

As you know, if you are one of the nine return visitors to this blog, I opposed the hasty construction of the waterfront stadium. Now the neighbours of Eden Park are up in arms over the prospect of a towering monstrosity in their backyard, blocking out the sun. The promise of being visible from space holds no allure. I feel sorry for them. It points to the simple fact that stadiums (rather cutely called stadia in the paid-up media), are simply god-awful things that require long range planning, not quick fix solutions. My suggestion, to make stadiums more appropriate to a human scale would be to excavate a big hole in the ground, like a greek or roman Amphitheatre and have a more modest superstructure. 'Course digging a big hole ain't going to happen in Mt Eden - you can imagine the cost of blasting the volcanic rock…be like digging a big hole and throwing money in it. Mind you, any stadium is going to be a collossal money pit . Worth a thought though. More importantly must keep...

I don't remember jokes very well. I have a small repertoire I can remember and deliver with confidence. Hence, if I tell you a joke you will be highly likely to have heard it before. One I tell reasonably well goes as follows: Two race horses are in their favourite bar having a drink, following a big day at the the track. After a cleansing ale or two one horse feels relaxed enough to share the extraordinary experiences he had been having at the track… "There's something strange that happened today, I was in the gates at trentham, the 2.15, favourite to win…track firm, just as a I like it…atmosphere electric…the gun goes…BAM!!!…Normally I'm quite smart out of the blocks...but today…vavoom! Unbelievable...I felt a red hot poker sensation right up my jacksee!…I was off! I'm telling you I won in record time" His friend takes a long thoughtful draw on his pint and says… "Unbelievable…I've been keeping this to myself, but I have to tell you…same thing happe...

Fiji has a new national sport. It's called Coup D'Etat. I don't know why New Zealand gives the Fijian military the airtime they do. It only encourages them. I guess it gives TV One's Simon Dallow the opportunity to broadcast live from Suva as Fijian soldiers drive around in trucks looking bored. He thus establishes his chops as a war correspondent and therefore the future right to wear safari suits. Hardly Baghdad is it? Bula!

Here is something very cool. If you are a designer creating a unique brand language for your clients you will love this tool available free from Adobe. It's called Kuler and, quite frankly, I have never seen a web application that is cooler. Here's how it works. Log on and create a colour theme with the flash generated tool box, manipluate the palette of 5 colours using 7 variable settings: Analogous, Monochromatic, Triad, Complementary, Compound, Shades and Custom. Modify using sliders if you like. You can also extract the RGB, CMYK and HEX numbers to translate to other programmes like Quark or Photoshop. Save your creations and share them with other users. Check the creations of other users, rate them. It's useful and great fun. I am not much chop with colour, so I love this!

I am trawling through the stats of the 157 entries I have made on this blog since November 2004 (I can hardly remember a time without blogging). I thought it would be fun to do a 'best of', maybe the top 5 by page views and the top 5 of my favourites. It's quite a big job...

On one of my other blogs - about blogging ( The New Yak Times ) which, unfortunately I haven't had the time to keep as fresh as I would hope. I got a little kick to have recieved a comment from the legendary Guy Kawasaki when I remarked on a movie shown on his blog. Technology evangelist that he is he suggested a better version of the presentation using a new thing called Veotag. This technology adds chapter divisions like a DVD to a video. Checkout the Art of the Start and Kawasaki's interview with Steve Wozniak (the creator of the Apple). It's time to stop thinking about 'web sites', time to start thinking web CHANNEL. By the way, if you use the Firefox browser check out the cool plug ins - I'm loving Cool Iris. If you don't use Firefox - you should. Download it for free here. . Another plug in - Performancing (which I am using now) allows me to blog directly from the browser without leaving the page I am on - genius.

Came across this little gem, it looks like it came from the 1970s, but could easily have been created last week…featuring the dulcet tones of Orson Welles. On Wednesday morning (6 Dec), 8am you are welcome to come to Coffee Morning at Strawberry Alarmclock cafe in Parnell. The details are here on the Idealog site

Well, I am delighted. When I referred back to the interestingness video by Jeffre Jackson of the planning firm Open Intelligence Agency I heard the quote about reading ads again but wondered who Howard Gossage was. I looked on the Wikipedia (which I find more useful than Google for specific leads and information - and for checking student essays for plagiarism), but there was no reference. Though maybe I spelled it wrong. So I went back to Google and found a terrific tribute site to Howard Luck Gossage - The 'Socrates of San Francisco' and advertising's 'most articulate critic'. I can't understand why I had never heard of Gossage, even if only through quotations or reputation. He seems to have been lost in the literature - at least in this part of the world. Gossage certainly counts as The One Only and an iconoclast of high distinction. I enjoyed learning about his concept of The Extra-environmental Man (person, if you want to be anachronistically PC about...

One of my students wrote a research proposal about product placement in movies. Reading it got me thinking. Some commercials, some of the best, feature the sponsor's product as an incidental part of the narrative. A couple come very quickly to mind, Flat Eric for Levis and skating priests for Stella Artois. My interpretation of the charmingly existential Levis ad is that non-iron chinos could be cool - whereas they might have been perceived as naff before the campaign. The Stella commercial is a part of the superb campaign that understates the overstatement of the postioning 'reassuringly expensive'. The performances are brilliant, the casting superb and all of the craftwork employed in the making as good as any film. What genius to have the product inherent in the story but never overtly touted. Flat Eric: Levis, Bartle Bogle Hegarty , 1999. Skating Priests: Stella Artois, Lowe London Both are evidence that commuication with a degree of subtlety is far more engaging than u...

Thelonius Monk said: "Writing about jazz is like dancing to architecture." (although I have also seen a more general variation of the quote attributed to Laurie Anderson ). The remark probably doesn't stand up to rigorous scrutiny and may, indeed, be simply a form of passive aggression. But I like the juxtaposition of thought - expressing a simple idea in a syncopated fashion - and for that reason, and the fact that he predated Anderson, I prefer the attribution to Monk. It has got me thinking about the very idea of writing about creativity. Is there much point? Surely it is better to be creative than to dissect the creativity of others. After all, dissection, normally involves the death of the subject. Perhaps the answer lies in the discussion of innovation - or the application of creativity - rather than the mysterious processes that result in invention. There are some who seek to codify creativity and democratise the concept. But creativity isn't a concept, an ad...

Gareth Morgan was notable before he became tagged as father of Sam Morgan, creator of TradeMe , the biggest hit on the web by a New Zealand company (so far as I am aware). He is an iconoclast, and an economist famous for his direct manner. Quite possibly he is the 'one handed' economist that U.S. President Harry Truman longed for - on that did not leaven their advice with "…but on the other hand…" Morgan senior wrote an interesting article, published on his web site that discusses the sale of TradeMe earlier this year from the perspective of commercial creativity and education, two of my hobby horses. Morgan says "From the perspective of the ‘creative destruction’ that is the essence of a vibrant, productive economy this is extremely encouraging for the prospects of the New Zealand economy. It sends a message one hopes, to the innovative, creative, and independent amongst our youth – that On-line technology provides a platform upon which they can create value ...

I have a new Saturday morning ritual. Drop my son at cricket or golf, or whichever sporting fixture he has on, head back to the city, do a tour of the new city farmer's market (just a few stall at the moment but growing every week), then over the Britomart to Santos for coffee and breakfast with the Newspaper. Very civilised. The Britomart development is already bringing new life to the downtown area with new shops like the 'very Martha' Urban Loft, Markt for funky european mid century furnishings and, this week, some new fashion stores. Who needs a rugby stadium?

I had lunch with my co-founders of Idealog magazine at the place where we first met, Dizengoff on Ponsonby Road. I seem to be spending too much time in Ponsonby. In the car, driving back to the city, we got talking about 'Truth in Advertising'. Then, back in my office, as chance would have it a colleague directed me to these clips on YouTube. Having worked in the business since the early 80's I can report that there is indeed truth in advertising. Sadly it goes unexpressed in most cases. The film has adult themes. You've been warned.