Feb 01, 2018 - Emirates, the world’s best airline according to TripAdvisor 2017, plans to launch a new, five times a week service from Dubai to Santiago International Airport (SCL) in Chile, starting on July 5, 2018.
Feb 01, 2018 - Frequent travelers generally start to learn the ins and outs of arriving at the airport with only enough time to spare to make it to their gate – but accounting for long security lines can throw a wrench in even the best planned trip to the airport. To get around this, trip-organizing app TripIt has introduced a new feature that will tell users how long the waits are at airport security in select US airports.Skip the rush to security with a new app feature. Image by Jetta Productions/Getty Images
feb 1, 2018 - Some of the top cutting-edge tech companies, academics and leading tech chief executives will unleash all the latest information and how AI (artificial intelligence) is impacting on New Zealanders’ lives at a major event in Auckland in March. AI Day 2018 in Auckland on March 28 will be the biggest AI event ever to be held in New Zealand. The conference is being organised by NewZealand.AI and the AI Forum NZ, which is part of the NZ Tech Alliance, bringing together 14 tech communities, over 500 organisations and more than 100,000 employees to help create a more prosperous New Zealand underpinned by technology. New Zealand’s trail-blazing AI event will showcase the major steps AI has made in recent times and is starting to have impacts across the country, AI Forum New Zealand executive director Ben Reid says. Some of the trail-blazing pioneers of AI at the event include Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president, AI business, at Microsoft; Dawie Olivier, chief information officer for Westpac NZ; Kathryn Hempstalk, head of data and insights at Trade Me; David Leach, chief executive at Qrious; Eduard Liebenberger, chief tech officer at Jade; Kurt Janssen, chief executive at Orbica; Mahmood Hikmet , data scientist, at Ohmio and Angie Judge, chief executive, at Dexibit. “This event is about building New Zealand's AI community and helping kiwi businesses better serve their customers with AI, as well as emphasising the benefits of AI for people and society” Reid says. “Last year saw an explosion of machine learning in production use - AI technologies have moved beyond experimentation and are now being leveraged for practical applications in every domain thinkable. “Real world applications of AI are everywhere and out in the open these days. From Siri, Cortana and Google Assistant on your smartphone to the intelligent computer vision that enables Amazon’s new cashier-less grocery stores, there are plenty of examples of AI making our lives easier and more productive. “In fact, most people use or interact with AI every day, but seldom recognise it. When AI is done well, it usually becomes invisible. No one actively thinks of Amazon product recommendations or Netflix's 'Recommended for you' list as Artificial Intelligence, yet machine learning algorithms power these systems. “There are exciting developments applying AI to environmental goals – for example the Cacophony Project is using AI to radically improve trapping and accelerate us towards a pest free New Zealand. "There are incredible opportunities at the intersection of AI with people and society - initiatives such as the international Partnership on AI and Microsoft's AI for Good programme are just some examples of how AI can be used to leave a lasting, positive impact on the world. “Investment in the right skills is important. Demand for data scientists will surpass demand for engineers. According to IBM, demand for data scientists will increase to 2.7 million by 2020. China has recently stated that AI related courses will be added into the curriculum of primary and secondary schools – what are we doing in New Zealand to keep up? “AI Day is an opportunity for leaders and innovators to come together and start engaging with AI now to secure a prosperous and thriving future for New Zealand.”
| A MakeLemonade release || February 1, 2018 |||
A rather enlightening article posted on engineering.com by Roopinder Tara that has attracted a lot of interest. While the U.S. dawdles with much needed domestic infrastructure upgrades, China is already engaged in a project so massive that it will tilt the Earth in its favor. The trillion-dollar Belt Road Initiative (BRI) is a plan for a web of transportation routes (road, rail, shipping lanes, more—all leading to China) that will be created or expanded over the next 30-plus years. The BRI’s main purpose is to facilitate trade. China, the world’s leading producer of exports, no longer wants to rely on slow moving boats to move its goods out.
Feb 1, 2018 - Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little has welcomed the launch of Te Kāhui Whakamana Rua Tekau mā Iwa—Pike River Recovery Agency in Greymouth today.
“The mining disaster at Pike River was a national tragedy. After seven long years it’s critical that we make every effort to safely recover the Pike River mine drift, to better understand why 29 men never came home.
“The launch of a new agency, dedicated to achieving that, is a major step towards giving the Pike River families overdue closure and peace of mind.
“Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made it a priority to establish this agency in the first 100 days of her government. We have achieved that in partnership with the families.
“We will continue to include the families at every stage, and will be transparent with all New Zealanders about the progress we make and the challenges we face.
“Basing the agency in Greymouth, on the West Coast, is appropriate and upholds our commitment to create government jobs in the regions.
“Now we look forward to seeing work on developing a robust plan for manned re-entry progressing at pace. I don’t expect this to be straightforward, but the agency will be running a thorough and transparent process, drawing on expert advice and the families.
“When I make the final decision on whether to re-enter the drift, it will be based on a technical assessment of the risks and advice that risks can be reasonably managed.
“I want to acknowledge the unwavering support for the families and the recovery effort by Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, and the New Zealand First and Green parties,” Mr Little said.
Te Kāhui Whakamana Rua Tekau mā Iwa—Pike River Recovery Agency was established as a single purpose, stand-alone government department today, by Order in Council signed on 11 December 2017.
It is expected that the new agency will execute a plan for recovery of the Pike River mine drift by the end of March 2019.
The agency’s website is: www.pikeriverrecovery.govt.nz
| A Beehive release || January 31, 2018 |||
Jan 31, 2018 - It rains a lot on the West Coast, some might say that is a bad thing, but as Andrew Robb, Chairman of the West Coast Governance Group stated in his foreword of the Tai Poutini West Coast Economic Development Action Plan 2017*Ref1 "The West Coast is full of potential. Many of the characteristics of the region that have traditionally been seen as barriers will be the keys to our future success." (2017, Pg2) His foreword continued "This is the time for us as West Coasters to grasp these opportunities, to celebrate and market our identity, tell the world our positive stories and that the region is open for business." (Robb, 2017, Pg2)
Jan 31, 2018 - The Household Labour Force Survey is used to produce official estimates of the numbers of employed and unemployed people, those not in the labour force, and the official unemployment rate for New Zealand.
Continue to full article here on STATSNZ || January 31, 2018
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242