Canterbury

Tech Month Workshops at Selwyn District Libraries – Canterbury – October 2018

What

TECH MONTH

Introduction to 3D Modelling for Games 2 hour / Free

This workshop will cover the basics of 3D modelling for absolute beginners, and is directed toward people who are interested in 3D art and don’t know where to start, or beginners that have a little experience, but want to learn more.

Recommended for adults and young people aged 16 years and over. All sessions are from 1-3pm.

Lincoln: Saturday 20 October https://li-3d-modelling.eventbrite.co.nz

Darfield: Saturday 27 October https://da-3d-modeling.eventbrite.co.nz

Presented by Taylor Mudgway, 3D Modeller and Game Artist

Introduction to Concept Art for Video Games 1 hour / Free

In this session, Daniel will outline his journey into Concept Art and will show you how to get started on your own path.

You will be able to have a go at creating a 2D character in this workshop. Equipment supplied.

Recommended for adults and young people aged 16 years and over. All sessions are from 11am-12pm.

Rolleston: Saturday 20 October https://ro-intro-concept-art.eventbrite.co.nz

Leeston: Saturday 27 October https://le-intro-concept-art.eventbrite.co.nz

Presented by Daniel Denova, Digital Concept and Character Artist

The Concept Art – Business & Career sessions will delve deeper into the industry of Digital art, and will be $15 per person.

The Online Safety Roadshow 1 hour / Free

This combination talk and workshop will cover the basics of everyday online safety, and is suitable for all ages and stages.

You are invited to bring your questions and your laptop for the hands on part of the workshop.

Recommended for adults and young people aged 16 years and over. All sessions are from 2-3pm.

Saturday 27 October – Lincoln Library – 2-3pm https://li-geecom.eventbrite.co.nz

Presented by Peter Gee from Geecom – Prebbleton I.T.

How Much

Free. Please book on the eventbrite event to ensure your seat.

Tech Month Workshops at Selwyn District Libraries.

Linux.conf.au 2019 – Christchurch – 21 – 25 January 2019

What

Linux.conf.au (often abbreviated as lca) is Australasia’s regional Linux and Open Source conference. It is a roaming conference, held in a different city every year, coordinated by Linux Australia and organised by local volunteers.

In January 2019 Linux.conf.au will held be in Christchurch at the University of Canterbury. The conference starts out with 9 Miniconfs spread over 2 days on the 21st and 22nd of January. The remainder of the conference, from the 23th to the 25th of January, has 80 talks and 8 tutorials spread over 6 parallel tracks.

Themed Linux of Things, the 2019 linux.conf.au will again attract speakers and attendees from across the world to socialise, fraternise, lecture, listen, ask, answer and share with their peers.

The conference will explore the use of free open source software and hardware for Internet of things devices, along with security concerns, privacy and legal aspects, environmental impacts, everyday communication, health, ethics, and much more.

When and Where

21 – 25 January 2019
All Day plus evening events.

The University of Canterbury
Ilan, Christchurch

How Much

Early bird pricing till October 31st or when sold out

Professional   $1099 ( $899 early bird )
Hobbyist         $549   ( $399 early bird )
Student           $199

More

Linux.conf.au 2019 Website
Schedule of talks in the main programme

Sharing, opening, and using data … Creative Commons licenses 101 – Christchurch – 27 September 2018

What

Are you:
• Confused about what ‘open’ means
• Ready to open your data but need to know more about copyright
• Wanting to use someone else’s data?

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, sign up for our entertaining and educational Meetup where Tohatoha Aotearoa Commons CE Mandy Henk will break it all down for you.

Mandy will take you through the ins and outs of the Creative Commons licenses – what they do, how they work, and how you can use them to move your business forward.

She’ll talk you through the six Creative Commons licences, explain why you might want to openly license your data, and how to find and use openly licensed material.

There’ll also be networking over light snacks and drinks.

Open Data in NZ Meetups are for sharing the passion and success around the release of open data with like-minded people. These Meetups will consist of sharing innovative ideas and information, success stories and an open forum to discuss hot topics happening within your region and the wider global community.

When and Where

Greenhouse
146a Lichfield St
Christchurch

6pm – 7:30pm
Thursday 27 September 2018

How Much

Free

Meetup page and Signup for this event
Christchurch Open Data Meetup Group

CHCon (Christchurch Hacker Conference) – Christchurch – 25-27 October 2018

What

CHCon is a conference for security professionals and hackers in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is for anyone interested in software, hardware, and physical security in tech.

Training will be run on Thursday 25th October
Presentations on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th.
Badge and locksport challenges will be run throughout the main event

When and Where

UCSA Events Centre,
90 Ilam Rd,
Riccarton,
Christchurch

Training Day
Thursday 25 October 2018
8am – 5pm

Main Event
Friday 26 and Saturday 27 October 2018
9am – 6pm

How Much

For the Main event

General Admission $70
Students/Unwaged $35

Tickets for Training sold separately, prices to be confirmed.

Chcon Website
Chcon Main Event Schedule
Tickets

The Great Kererū Count – Nationwide – 21-30 September 2018

What

The Great Kererū Count is NZ’s biggest citizen science project to help gather information on the abundance and distribution of the New Zealand pigeon — also known as kererū, kūkū or kūkupa.

Everyone in New Zealand can get involved with the Great Kererū Count, whether you see any kererū or not, sharing your observations with us will help build up a clearer picture of where the kererū live, how many there are and what they are feeding on.

The humble kererū is one of New Zealand’s most valuable assets when it comes to our native forests. Long before humans came to this country, kererū have been undertaking the largest plant restoration project the country has ever seen. Kererū are the only bird left in New Zealand that are able to swallow and disperse the seeds from our largest native trees such as tawa, taraire, pūriri and matai. Kererū can live for 21+ years and are essential for native bush regeneration. Their disappearance would be a disaster for our native forests.

This year we have 3 Options available with multiple ways to make your kererū observations – Computer, Laptops, Tablets and Smart Phones are all ways you can get your observations into us.

When and Where

21-30 September 2018

All over New Zealand

How Much

Free

The Great Kererū CountWebsite

PechaKucha Night ChCh 37 – Women, Science and Conservation – Christchurch – 19 September 2018

What

PechaKucha Night Christchurch is teaming up with Christchurch City Council to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage and Conservation Week with a night of quick-fire talks by some amazing women!

We are proud to bring you a collection of local women including a marine biologist working with the world’s rarest and smallest dolphins, an adventurer who returned from a 29-day expedition across the Greenland Icecap, a young musician speaking on the power of rest and creativity, an entrepreneur starting a podcast focused on women change-makers, a writer working on a book about women and World II and more.

Line-up include:

María Jesús Valdés Hernández // Marine Biologist // Working with the world’s rarest and smallest dolphins

Amy Johnston Bray // Interpretation and Exhibition Designer // Conversation is about conservation-engaging the public to act

Victoria Metcalf // Scientist // Celebrating the unlovable and the unseen

Jo Bailey // Writer, Author and Editor // Writing, Women and World II

Rebecca(Bek) Tavete// Founder ARGO beach Co-working Limited // A Contribution to Sustainability

Hollie Woodhouse // Adventurer, Designer + Daydreamer // Be your own Movement Maker and more.

When and Where

Wednesday 19 September 2018
Doors open 6:30pm, event starts 7:30pm
(Ilex café open for drinks and snacks)

Botanic Garden’s Visitor Centre
Rolleston Ave, Christchurch

How Much

$18

Event on pechakucha.org
Event on Eventfinda

Games and Politics exhibition – Christchurch – 16 August – 23 September 2018

What

An interactive exhibition by the Goethe-Institut, in cooperation with ZKM | Center for Art and Media

Games and Politics has been touring worldwide and features 18 significant politically-ambitious video games, it encourages viewers to examine how they each unfold their unique political potential.

The exhibition offers numerous materials which allow the visitor to explore the connections between computer games and politics. Visitors are encouraged to get first-hand experience and are welcome to play themselves – to slip into the different roles and try their luck in the virtual worlds unfolding in the games.

A game is always more than just a game. Without considering the influence of the society that plays it, it remains just as impossible to understand as without considering its influence on that society. And yet, chants of euphoric praise for the immersive potential of pedagogical propaganda are as inadequate vis-à-vis the diversity of contemporary computer games as are undifferentiated media debates about ego-shooter games that glorify violence and ought to vanish from the bedrooms of young people. Because they aren’t vanishing. The apparent riffraff among the newer media have long since turned into formidable giants, about to create, in their numerous guises, a new leading medium.

This development has come to include the political sphere as well and games are increasingly used as propaganda for various political factions and often express a certain political stance. In contrast to representational media such as painting and photography, computer games conceive of themselves not merely as a (re-) presentation of social conditions and conflicts, but attempt to simulate the processes and rules that give rise to these conflicts.

All of the games in this exhibition share this political approach, which is intended by the games’ designers to set them clearly apart from both the conventional market as well as from computer games as an entertainment medium. They explore a wide range of topics.

Aside from the contingencies of political decision-making (Democracy 3), they grapple with problematic aspects of gender (Perfect Woman), of the surveillance state (TouchTone and Orwell), of drone warfare (Killbox), the treatment of refugees (Escape from Woomera), uprisings against totalitarian political regimes (Yellow Umbrella), the power of the media (The Westport Independent) or historical and current political events (The Cat and the Coup and Madrid).

When and Where

16 August – 23 September, 2018
10am -5pm Weekdays
11am – 4pm Weekends

The Physics Room,
49-59 Worcester Boulevard,
Christchurch

How Much

Free

Eventfinda Page
Homepage of Games and Politics Exhibition

Week of Engineering: Open Day! – Akl, Wel, Chch – 18 August 2018

What

Get involved with the Week of Engineering!

Tomorrow’s engineers will have jobs that don’t even exist today. The Week of Engineering is an annual event that will inspire young minds to think about those future possibilities. From 13-18 August, Engineering New Zealand will be hosting a variety of events that showcase amazing engineering across the country, feeding children’s natural curiosity about the world and how it works.

Engineering Expos:

As part of the Week of Engineering, there will be three free public expos in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Over 70 exhibitors from around the country will give visitors a hands-on look at what engineers do – perfect for kids and anyone who wants an inside look at how things work. There’ll be virtual reality, robots, rockets and lego, along with interactive activities, competitions and spot prizes.

Last year more than 5,000 people attended the expos and this year Engineering New Zealand are expecting 10,000 people.

Come along and get inspired!

When and Where

10am – 4pm
Saturday 18 August 2018

University of Auckland Science Centre
23 Symonds St, Auckland

Shed 6
4 Queens Wharf, Wellington

Canterbury University’s College of Engineering
69 Creyke Street, Christchurch

How Much

Free

Week of Engineering: Engineering Expos
Eventfinda pages: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch

WORD Christchurch – Writers & Readers festival – 29 August-2 September 2018

What

ADVENTUROUS

Whether you’re into extreme sports or more of an armchair traveller, invite a bit of adventure into your lives by checking out our adventurous-themed events, with whale lover Philip Hoare, intrepid traveller Robyn Davidson, extreme sportsters Nathan Fa’avae and John Hellemans, adventurous woman Hollie Woodhouse and Laurence Fearnley on mountain writing. Kids can even get adventurous with science, with Nanogirl herself, Michelle Dickinson.

SCOTLAND

This year, we celebrate all thing Scottish, with six writers from that bonnie land: poets Hollie McNish, Robin Robertson and Michael Pedersen; Shaun Bythell, author of Diary of a Bookseller; crime writer Denise Mina, and megastar novelist Irvine Welsh, who will revisit the Trainspotting crew. If you love a dram, don’t miss our tasting event, Whisky Galore!

Supported by the British Council and Creative Scotland.

SUFFRAGE 125

This September we commemorate and celebrate 125 years of women’s suffrage in New Zealand. Events include a look at how far we’ve really come (125 Years: Are We There Yet?, chaired by Kim Hill), readings and discussions on women’s bodies (The Body Issue, Sonya Renee Taylor: The Body is Not an Apology), an Adventurous Women event, and the Margaret Mahy Memorial Lecture from Barbara Else, author of Go Girl.

When and Where

Various venues in and around Christchurch

29 August – 2 September 2018

How Much

Tickets to most events $20 ( or $19 concession)

Some events more.

Dash Ticket for most events
Ticketek for Irvine Walsh and Starry, Starry Night.

Festival Website

Christchurch Amateur Radio Club Monthly Meeting – Christchurch – 4 July 2018

What

Monthly meeting is where radio enthusiasts get together to share ideas and meet with fellow hams.

Amateur Radio offers something for everybody, talking to the world or your mate down the road, even helping in an emergency. Using any communications means available this includes radio, satellite, smart phones and computers, all from the comfort of your home, your car, or walking the dog via a handheld radio.

We offer advanced radio training where you get a world recognised qualification (An Amateur radio licence). Once you have this you can become a part of our Amateur Radio Emergency Communications team. This will have you out on a jetboat, or in a prime spot for rally car action. You may even help save a life working with the Police Search And Rescue teams in the communications area.

If this sounds like you come along and meet us.

When and Where

5 Idris Rd
Fendalton
Christchurch 8052

7:30pm – Midnight
July 4 2018

How Much

Free

More

Christchurch Amateur Radio Club Webpage