The Guardian: New Zealand site to report Covid-19 rule-breakers crashes amid spike in lockdown anger. “So many New Zealanders have reported their neighbours to the authorities for breaking lockdown rules that a new police website to record such incidents crashed. More than 2,000 people rang an emergency police line last week to report rule-breakers. As a result, a dedicated website was set up in the hope it would dissuade them from ringing 111.”
New Zealand
1 News (New Zealand): Website giving people chance to support artisan goods businesses amid coronavirus downturn
1 News (New Zealand): Website giving people chance to support artisan goods businesses amid coronavirus downturn. “The free to use online farmers market called Maker2U fast tracked to launch this week, in order to connect people and small businesses. Founder Hamish Hutton said the non-profit website allowed Kiwi makers and growers of food, drinks and other consumables to set up a store and sell directly to the public.”
ABC News (Australia): Google Maps mission for Wollongong-born hiker on remote New Zealand trail
ABC News (Australia): Google Maps mission for Wollongong-born hiker on remote New Zealand trail . “A woman with a taste for risky, solo hiking is about to complete a spectacular top-secret journey for tech giant Google, wearing a custom-made backpack with 360-degree camera. After having to lay flat on the ground and grip a boulder for stability in the face of 100kph winds in Patagonia, anything less should be a walk in the park for Sharmali Kulatunga.”
Air Force Museum of New Zealand: Air Force Museum Photo Archives Go Online
Air Force Museum of New Zealand: Air Force Museum Photo Archives Go Online. “Although at this stage only approximately 5,000 images are available, an estimated 0.5% of the total collection, more are coming online every day. Usually these are photos that researchers have requested and because there’s only me working in the Photo Archive, generally these are all I have time to digitise and make available. As time permits, I’ll be working through many thousands of files which simply need only a small amount of work before they can be made available. The initial focus will be on named course groups, starting with wartime pilots’ courses and aircraft pictures.”
New York Times: They Wanted Research Funding, So They Entered the Lottery
New York Times: They Wanted Research Funding, So They Entered the Lottery. “Since 2013, the New Zealand council has dedicated around 2 percent of its annual funding expenditure to what it calls explorer grants, asking applicants to submit proposals they think are ‘transformative, innovative, exploratory or unconventional, and have potential for major impact.’ Such lotteries have been used in other countries, and some have the goal of increasing the diversity of grant recipients, as well as assisting researchers in earlier stages of their career who might struggle to find funding.”
The Next Web: New Zealand’s first AI police officer reports for duty
The Next Web: New Zealand’s first AI police officer reports for duty. “New Zealand Police has recruited an unusual new officer to the force: an AI cop called Ella. Ella is a life-like virtual assistant that uses real-time animation to emulate face-to-face interaction in an empathetic way.”
New Zealand Herald: Phil Goff’s emails hacked – 15,000 emails over 12 years offered for sale
New Zealand Herald: Phil Goff’s emails hacked – 15,000 emails over 12 years offered for sale. “Emails apparently sent and received by Auckland mayor Phil Goff over a 12-year period have been offered with a $20,000 price tag and appear to contain deeply personal information alongside council and Parliamentary work.”
