Feb 4, 2018  -  A year after its tiny, experimental rocket failed to reach orbit a year ago, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched (via Engadget) an experimental rocket into orbit this weekend, the smallest ever to do so.

According to JAXA, the launch was a demonstration experiment, that carried the TRICOM-1R — a three-unit cubesat— into lower Earth orbit, where it will observe the Earth with a set of cameras. Now in orbit, JAXA says that its status is “nominal.”

With its successful launch, the SS-520-5 is the smallest rocket to ever deliver a satellite into orbit. The vehicle is a SS-520 sounding rocket that’s been modified with a third stage, which helped bring the satellite into orbit.

The mission is part of a movement in the space industry towards using smaller vehicles to deliver tiny payloads. New Zealand company Rocket Lab successfully launched its first small rocket called Electron last month, delivering four satellites into orbit, including the disco ball-shaped Humanity’s Star. Small rockets designed to carry small payloads like the Electron and Japan’s SS-520-5 are designed to help bring down the cost to get to orbit, paving the way for small companies that can’t afford to hitch a ride into orbit on rockets from companies like SpaceX, Orbital ATK, or United Launch Alliance.

Source:  TheVerge    ||  February 03, 2018  |||

Feb 2, 2018  -  Airbus SE reported its flight-test team completed the first flight for the A321LR (Long Range), a new variant of the A321neo single-aisle aircraft. The test mission lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes, with the aircraft powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines. The same aircraft now will undergo a flight-test program scheduled to last nearly 100 hours (including transatlantic routes) to attain for EASA and FAA Type Certification by midyear.

Jan 31, 2018  -  Gender-balanced tech firms are up to 40 percent more profitable and it is important that Kiwi companies and leaders acknowledge and accept that when hiring staff, the new executive director of Tech Women NZ says.

Write nothing dangerous in the eyes of a third party

The email has turned out to be a most accessible form of communication competing in its way in visibility terms with the unsightly billboard hoarding on the motorway.

Jan 30, 2018  -  The new Lord Mayor of London Charles Bowman will be among key speakers at the major Digital Nations 2030 summit in Auckland on February 19 and 20. The 690th London lord mayor and a long-time partner of PWC, Bowman will sit on a panel at the summit with Frances Valintine, founder of Tech Futures Lab; Ian Taylor, chief executive of Animation Research; Leigh Flounders, board member of NZTech; Vic Crone, chief executive of Callaghan Innovation and Carolyn Tremain, chief executive of the Ministry of Business‚ Innovation and Employment. They will discuss the digital economy, increasing productivity and economic benefits of digital transformation, skills for the future and digital leadership for a new wave of thinking, process and opportunity. The event, Digital Nations 2030, is an international meeting coinciding with the visiting ministerial and business delegations from the world’s leading Digital Nations and the D5 meeting in Wellington next month. The D5 is a network of the world’s most advanced digital nations. Other speakers include Tomas Izo who leads a Google team of engineers and scientists researching digital issues which contribute to a wide range of products across Google and Alphabet, such as video understanding for YouTube and Cloud Platform APIs. Sandra Ng, group vice president Asia Pacific, IDC in Singapore, will deliver one of the opening keynote addresses. She will be talking about digital transformation. “2017 was the dawn of the DX (digital transformation) economy. By DX economy, we mean digital transformation will attain macroeconomic scale and impact,” Ng says. “It will become the core of what industry leaders do and how they operate. 2018 is when the ticking clock starts. Nations and organisations slow to adopt a digital-native operating model will compete for a smaller and smaller piece of the global economy.” Weta Digital’s visual effects supervisor Anders Langlands will showcase digital and creative industry excellence in the key address on the second day. From humble beginnings, Weta Digital has become a cornerstone of Wellington’s thriving film industry. Widely regarded as one of the best in the business, their creativity and commitment to developing innovative technology has set them apart as industry leaders. Langlands will present Weta Digital’s recent work on the Oscar nominated film War for the Planet of the Apes, and the evolution of the technology and artistry behind their films. NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says the summit is the biggest and most important international tech conference ever to be staged in New Zealand and will help pave way for faster advances in the Kiwi economy. “Changes and tech developments are happening globally at a phenomenal and unprecedented rate. Last year we saw the launch of a self-driving vehicle firm in New Zealand, face-detecting systems to authorise payments, the creation of new solar devices that could create cheap and continuous power and the relentless push to add connectivity to home gadgets,” Muller says. The Digital Nations conference is expected to attract more than 500 people including D5 Ministers and their delegations, invited international experts and New Zealand digital leaders and influencers representing all sectors.

| A Make Lemonade release  ||  January 30, 2018   |||

Exceptional - Voted "Best Overseas Luxury Romantic & Boutique Property 2017" by Luxury Travel Media.

The Tour de Chef weekend is back for this year on May 25-27 at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers.  Michelin star chef Josh Emett and Hawke’s Bay foodie and cheese expert extraordinaire Juliet Harbutt and Craggy Range Wines.

Jan 24, 2018  - The electric vehicle race shows no signs of slowing, with Swedish truck manufacturer, Volvo Trucks, announcing it will start selling electric trucks as early as 2019.  According to Volvo Trucks, the first units will be medium-duty vehicles that will be placed into fleets in European urban environments.

Jan 23, 2018  -  At its third meeting as a group, the BiTA board made a decision that it believes will have a profound impact on the proliferation of blockchain technology in transport and with it, potentially altering the transport business forever.

Jan 21, 2018 -  One of the main sources of frustration for those of us who are blockchain and cryptocurrency enthusiasts is the degree to which big companies and large financial institutions still don’t understand our industry write Daniel Gross and Timothy Goggin . Earlier this week, one of New Zealand’s largest banks ASB released a blog post by their General Manager of Global Markets, Nigel Annett. We believe that post offers tremendous insight into how financial institutions and other major organizations are thinking about cryptocurrency and blockchain adoption.