How to pay $1.2m for a Christmas tree
The Te Manaaki tree in central Auckland is 18 metres tall, with more than 10,000 LED lights and 200 giant baubles. Photo: Supplied / Echo Shan About a third of the $1.2 million spent on Auckland’s downtown Christmas tree are costs associated with the installation of the tree for the first two years, new information […]
How to spot an accidental frenemy
Photo: Luz Fuertes Do you have so-called friends who lash out, relish your pain or minimise your struggles? These are usually people struggling with emotional regulation or replicating toxic dynamics modelled in their first family, says science writer David Robson. To not take their behaviour so personally, it’s good to remember it’s mostly unintentional and […]
How to make your tech devices’ batteries last longer
How far you are from a cell tower site could affect your battery too. (file image) Photo: 123rf Travelling from Auckland to Wellington, you may notice your phone battery going flat despite fully charging it before you set off – this is just one of the ways the power is being drained without you realising. […]
How to drive safely when hitting the highways this holiday season
Photo: 123RF The New Zealand transport agency is urging people to drive carefully and check their cars are in good condition before hitting the road this holiday season. The official road death toll does not begin until 4pm on Christmas Eve, but people are already travelling to their summer destinations and there were four deaths […]
Have you lost it? Here’s how to find it again
Whether it’s car keys or your wallet, it’s far easier to lose something than find it again. Photo: Caitlin Regan/Flickr Malaka Gharib lost her passport at a crucial moment. She was due to take her new husband to Egypt to meet her family there, and without a passport, she would not have been able to […]
How to (and should you?) invest in cryptocurrency
Photo: CFOTO / NurPhoto via AFP News this week that Bitcoin has crossed the US$100,000 threshold may have you wondering whether you should be investing in cryptocurrency. Since Bitcoin launched in 2009, it and other cryptocurrencies have developed a following of die-hard proponents – but also attracted the attention of speculators and investors. James Quinn-Kumar, […]
How to have a good day at work
The optimal state means you are performing well, effective and engaged, says Daniel Goleman. Photo: 123rf Achieving a flow state at work is rare, temporary and it’s unclear how to achieve it – so it’s better to aim one tier lower, a US psychologist says. American psychologist and author Daniel Goleman argues hitting a tier […]
Review: Twenty One Pilots told us how to rock, and I don’t mind
The band performing at the start of the show. Photo: Supplied/Jared Tinetti Typically, an artist visits New Zealand at the end of an Australasian tour leg, with our little country tacked on as a bonus. This was not the case on Sunday night for Twenty One Pilots, who arrived fresh and rested ahead of moving […]
How to get better at small talk, as Christmas parties approach
(File image) Photo: 123RF / Mandic Jovan How about this weather? Got any New Year’s resolutions? Any plans for the school holidays? This time of year we’re forced into even more small talk situations than normal, as Christmas events are added to the calendar with family, friends and end-of-year office mixers. Robert Poynton reckons feeling […]
How to Not Die in Silicon Valley
Lauren Goode: Zoë, you had vegan pizza the other night. You said it was pretty good. Zoë Schiffer: I did. I did, and I read a really, really scary article written by Annie Lowrey in The Atlantic about dairy farming, and it radicalized me for at least 24 hours. I was on oat milk. Thank […]