Clasp

I'm an enormous fan of Kobi Bosshard's work; I bitterly regret not being around 30 or 40 years ago to start amassing pieces then (especially when I look at what Te Papa has). I don't think I've posted about something I've bought, but I'm going to make an exception for the Bosshard necklace I collected today.

Very occasionally, I get to have a pure gut reaction to something, and it's amazing. I had one at the NGV in Melbourne, walking round a corner and discovering a Cattelan, and laughing aloud in surprise and joy. I had one when I wept at a Webstock conference as Rives performed. I had one when I finished Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses.

And I had one when I put on the Bosshard necklace. Like the Christian sacramentals, the necklace is designed to be worn with one piece on the chest and the other below the nape of the neck. When you settle the two (heavy silver) pieces in place, they seem drawn to each other - it's like being pressed between a pair of hands. It is the most physical reaction I've ever had to a piece of jewellry, and as I write this now, wearing the necklace, I realise this pure reaction will always be there.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who helped share the news about my ticket giveaway for the Webstock Mini on 3 November.

The tickets have all been snapped up, and I'm looking forward to seeing the winners on the night. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on the night - why not check out the list of speakers & rsvp?

Dazzled

Just as I get started on the Royal Society's science book shortlist, the winner is announced: Nick Lane's Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution.

I'm currently half-way through James Hannam's God's Philosophers, in which he tries to correct the general conception of the Middle Ages as a period where science was devalued, if not persecuted, by the Church, and position the period instead as a time of development of classical thinking and preparation for the glorious 1500s. It's an absorbing read, if a little too colloquial for my taste; but certainly an amazing insight into the minds of people whose entire thought processes were radically different from our post-Enlightenment positions.

The Guardian has reviewed all the books on the shortlist - why not start on those before you hit the books?

James Hannam - God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science

Nick Lane - Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution

Frederick Grinnell - Everyday Practice of Science: Where Intuition and Passion Meet Objectivity and Logic

Marcus Chown - We Need to Talk About Kelvin: What everyday things tell us about the universe

Henry Pollack - A World Without Ice

Brian Cox, Jeff Forshaw - Why Does E=mc2?

Bonanza: Webstock Mini ticket giveaway

UPDATE

All the tickets in the give-away have gone. But it's not too late to buy tickets for the event under your own steam. Go on - it'll be worth it.

There are few things more satisfying than chances to support something you believe in.

The upcoming Mix and Mash competition is such a thing. I believe that open data is an inherently Good Thing. I believe in the mantra that if we release our content and data for reuse and remix, amazing things will happen. I believe, as Nick Poole might phrase it, that the data is the sausage and the openness is the sizzle.

But I'm worried that advocates like me might slip into the build-it-and-they-will-come mindset, and then be discouraged - even dissuaded - when data and content are released, but we don't see any sizzle. And I'm even more worried that the people who create and own the data might start feeling like this.

Mix and Mash: the great NZ remix & mashup competition is being run to stimulate the sizzle. Cash and other prizes will be up for grabs for people who make great stuff using New Zealand content and data.

The competition categories and prizes are being announced at a Webstock Mini on 3 November here in Wellington. It will be an evening of awesome speakers and fine hospitality. You should all be coming.

Because I believe in the cause, I wanted to give something back (for me, this is a bit like my Brooklyn Museum giveaway last year). So ...

I'M GIVING AWAY 5 TICKETS (valued at $18 each) FOR THE WEBSTOCK MINI

To get a ticket, all you need to do is email me (auchmill at gmail dot com) or leave a comment on this post. There's just one catch. You need to tell me that you haven't been to a Webstock event before. Like open data and the Mix and Mash competition, Webstock is a Good Thing and, moreover, a community full of wonderful people that more people should join.

Disclaimers

1. Tickets are being given out on a first come first served basis.

2. When I was working at the National Library, I was part of the Digital New Zealand team that's running the Mix and Mash competition. Now I work at Boost New Media, a web design & development company that's been working with DigitalNZ since the project started two years ago. I'm professionally involved in helping organise Mix and Mash, but this giveaway is a totally personal activity.

Things you must do

Go along at hear Nick Poole, CE of the UK's Collections Trust, speak in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. I don't care if you don't work in a museum, the man is awesome and his stories and ideas should be listened to.

Nick keynoted (yes, I just verbed that, I'm in a hurry to get this message out) at the National Digital Forum at the start of this week, and brought the house down. It's 90 minutes of your life I promise you will not regret.

Auckland: 22 October (tomorrow!)

Christchurch: Tuesday 26 October

Dunedin: Wednesday 27 October

Nick's tour is sponsored by National Services Te Paerangi at Te Papa.

I love you David Sedaris

It really is that simple

Things that I'm still in two minds about

Christopher Knight on 'vanity shows':

The visitor experience is rarely satisfying. At a vanity show, exploring an artist's specific talents or a group of artists' larger cultural meaning is secondary. Focus is shifted to the collector's aptitude. The leading question viewers debate is simply: How skillful has this shopper been? Did he buy great things? Did he assemble them in interesting ways? What will become of the collection? Personal consumption becomes the primary issue.

I love the Big Blog Theory

I really really do

Discounting

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Joffrey using the discount site Groupon to offer memberships - here's a much longer and more thoughtful piece by the masterful Nina Simon.

I thought it would be funny if someone did this for art writing, and then on further reflection, realised sadly that it wouldn't.

Martin Robbins spoofed science writing - and was surprised by the pick-up. Both pieces make great reading.

Mr Met

A nice long interview with Met Museum director Thomas Campbell by Charlotte Higgins for the Guardian:

Campbell is clear that while each system has its "swings and roundabouts", there is no chance of

Britain's arts institutions being able to adopt a US-style philanthropic model of funding, as culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has stated he would like them to do. "The American model comes out of a long tradition," he says, "and critically, is supported by the tax system: as a donor you can claim a large percentage of your gift, dollar for dollar, back against tax." (In the UK system, the donor receives less of a tax benefit.) He adds: "It would be deeply naive to assume you could simply transfer the American model to Europe."

Finlandia

In Finlandia: the greatest architectural mistake ever made? Aalto's benign errors Dan Hill investigates the billowing marble panels on the facade of Aalto's beautiful concert hall.

Dan Hill, by the way, is a keynote speaker at next week's National Digital Forum; full and single day registrations are still available.