Huawei is stoking tensions overseas, causing some countries to ban its technology from their 5G networks. But what does that mean for us? Last week the UK announced it would be banning the country’s mobile providers from buying 5G equipment from Huawei, previously a major technology provider for the new network. That decision is expected … Read more
Felix Walton has tall friends. These are his best tips for getting by in an unforgiving world. I am not a short person – let’s get that squared away. I am a perfectly ordinarily sized person whose friends happen to be a bunch of freaky statuesque Adonises (Adoni?). My friends are also, apparently, very busy … Read more
As government agencies prioritise online interaction, what does it mean for those who just don’t have the digital literacy? A new report explores the scale of digital exclusion in NZ. Pita, an elderly gentleman, received a letter from the IRD that claimed he hadn’t paid his tax obligations and threatened legal action if he didn’t … Read more
If RNZ hopes to court the youth audience with its new brand it should take some cues from the ones who’ve had that audience all along: student radio. RNZ has had a month from hell. News the state-run broadcaster was considering scaling back its long-running RNZ Concert network to make room for a new youth-focused … Read more
A long-awaited bill to regulate vaping has been unveiled at parliament. Here’s the skinny. What does the bill do? The bill, which associate health minister Jenny Salesa is calling “the most significant change to New Zealand’s smokefree laws since they were introduced 30 years ago”, will introduce a complete ban on the sale of vaping … Read more
Dragon Quest: Your Story feels like an hour-and-a-half-long highlight reel of an adventure spanning dozens of hours, but it’s damn fun, writes Felix Walton. One of Netflix’s current hustles seems to be grabbing movies with little to no hope of a wide release and publishing them as “Netflix Originals.” The latest of these is Dragon … Read more
The Ministry of Education is proposing a number of changes to NCEA Level One, including the merging of several subjects to be phased in over the next five years. Felix Walton looks into how, and why, these changes are happening. Why are they changing things now? They aren’t changing things now, per se, these changes … Read more
Back in 2007, TV2 aired The Amazing Extraordinary Friends – a charming superhero show and potential cult hit. Twelve years later, it’s nowhere to be found. Felix Walton looks at the changing landscape of archiving our local TV. The Amazing Extraordinary Friends tells the story of Ben Wilson, an unassuming Kiwi teen who finds an … Read more
Māori culture shouldn’t be something that’s half-heartedly appropriated for some cool video game visuals. So why do developers keep doing it? This year’s Xbox E3 Briefing kicked off with a new game reveal, Bleeding Edge – a multiplayer action game in which players fight in 4v4 battles – and some exciting news for New Zealand players: … Read more