Aardvark Daily

Please visit the sponsor!

The Aardvark (or whoever) Technology Challenge

On several occasions I've lamented the lack of incentive for clever Kiwis to showcase their talents and skills in this country.

The good old "she'll be right" Kiwi attitude to things has overtaken our reputation for being very clever and innovative in our approach to problem-solving.

Instead of coming up with really cool concepts such as the jet boat, splitting the atom and other "firsts" -- we now seem content to just buy an endless stream of (often shonky) products from China and waste our evenings in front of the TV set.

And, although we've seen government working hard to get our bodies into shape through various programmes such as "Press Play", there's been absolutely nothing done to try and get Kiwis thinking and problem-solving.

We have absolutely nothing like the DARPA vehicle challenges, the X-Prize, the many NASA technology challenges or even the Australian Outback Joe Rescue Challenge.

It appears that nobody is really interested in really seeing what Kiwis can do with their brains.

Well I am!

So, in today's column I'm calling on any sponsors that might be interested in fronting up with some prestigious prize (by way of cash or goods) that could be put up for grabs in some kind of technology challenge.

Please visit the sponsor!

Naturally the scale of the challenge will have to be proportionate to the value of the prize(s) but I'm hoping we can come up with something that might not only make it worthwhile for a sponsor but also for those with the brains and stamina to enter.

Ideally such a challenge should aim to produce something that has real value to the country and I'm thinking that it might be related to energy, the environment, communications, or just about anything that has a spin-off far beyond the challenge itself.

Since we've not really had any kind of true "technology challenge" events in NZ before, I'm pretty certain that sponsors will find the media falling all over themselves to report what's being done and how progress is going.

As well as sponsors and ideas, I'm also looking for clued up people with a mix of intelligence and business-smarts who can oversee the administration of things (since my time is very limited right now).

I'm thinking also that those entering might be required to keep a good video diary of their progress and that a special YouTube channel would be set up to give the public (indeed a world-wide audience) a chance to keep an eye on things.

So there we go -- now's *your* chance to become involved in this challenge process right from its conception.

If you don't think that you have anything to contribute yourself, contact all your friends and associates -- see if they fit the category of sponsor, administrator, entrant or might in some other way want to become involved.

I'm hoping like hell that there's a half-decent response to this "call to action" because if their isn't, I will be even more worried about our ability as a nation to come up with "the right stuff" needed to establish and grow an internationally competitive knowledge economy.

Okay, let's hear your suggestions...

Have your say on this...

PERMALINK to this column

Oh, and don't forget today's sci/tech news headlines

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