The Transformation Issue | Idealog.co.nz
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transformative about Unreal is its free
to develop on so as long as you can
get access to a computer. Learning
(through YouTube tutorials) and
building (in Unreal) this way is free.Davi d Hallett,
director of Company-X
What technology platform/
app/programme/invention
do you love that has helped
make you a better human?
No particular technology per se has
made me a better human, but Under
Armour’s App MyFitnessPal has
certainly contributed to making me
a healthier human. MyFitnessPal is
the smartphone app I use for tracking
both my diet and exercise to assist
with achieving my optimal caloric
and nutrient intake. The app enables
me to set goals and uses gamification
elements to motivate behaviour. To
capture calorie and nutrients details,
I either scan the barcode on packaged
food or manually select items from
their database of over five million
different foods. In my occupation I
attend a lot of social events and have
delicious business lunches, constantly
tempting me to overindulge. Hence
with a ‘fitness pal’ by my side
throughout the day, it has helped me
to proactively make good diet and
health-related decisions. This assists
in the overarching improvement in
my physical and mental wellbeing.When has technology helped
you accomplish something
truly transformational?
I’m one of the co-founders of the
The NZ Startup Bootcamp. It is New
Zealand’s largest business start-up
competition, and was developed
to encourage ambitious people
to take their innovative ideas and
turn them into a business reality
whilst participating in a fast-
paced entrepreneurial weekend.
Technology underpins all aspects of
the bootcamp, starting from social
media used to promote and advertise,
the entry videos received from the
applicants, communication apps
used for sending emails and making
video calls during market validation,
business intelligence and modelling
tools for analysing copious amounts
of relevant data, through to the
collaboration tools used for creating
their entries, and the tech utilised
onstage during their final pitches.
Through this process, the lives ofmany participants are completely
and truly transformed, by creating
or nurturing belief in themselves and
their capabilities that are desired and
have a place in our modern world.Robett Hollis,
Aranui Ventures founder
What technology platform/
app/programme/invention
do you love that has helped
make you a better human?
Better for the head? Notes app.
Being able to instantly document
my thoughts, feelings and ideas to
mentally unload in the moment has
been huge for me in clearly mental
bandwidth. Knowing it’s there and
safe makes me feels no IP is lost
and I won’t lose sleep. Better for
the heart? Tracking my weight and
health has been a huge one for me
over the past six years as I ‘try’ to stay
fit. Better for the soul? The Muse app
and headband. Real-time tracking
and feedback of your brain waves for
meditation. Forced alone time and
practising focus like this has really
help me. Better for the ears? Bluetooth
Headphones for hip hop.When has technology helped
you accomplish something
truly transformational?
The shift from dial-up to broadband
internet speeds that allowed us to
create the world’s first same day
turnaround action sports web video
series. And overall, the fact that you
can now run an entire business with
only a cell phone and no office totally
blows me away, because business life
was a LOT different 10 years ago. So
essentially, the smartphone changed
the ENTIRE game both personally and
professionally for all.Cassi e Roma,
head of content marketing
at The Warehouse Group
What technology platform/
app/programme/invention
do you love that has helped
make you a better human?
I really don’t remember a time in
my when technology didn’t play
some kid of part in my day-today
life. I remember sitting the back of a
revamped yellow school bus that was
full to the gills with small children
and computers learning how to type
‘properly’ and being more concerned
with why I needed to learn to type.
To that end, I think it’s the simplekeyboard – in all of its iterations,
sizes, and mechanical workings – that
has changed my life, my world, & my
outlook over time. I’ve always been
passionate about connecting with
other people, about sharing ideas and
about writing. The humble keyboard,
when attached to a computer or phone,
has expanded my mind and my world
in boundless ways. Through keyboards
I’ve been in touch with beloveds
whilst half a world away. I’ve also
met people who I otherwise wouldn’t
have – people who are now family by
choice. My reality is built upon words
shared and typed over the course of a
lifetime. Apps, platforms, and channels
have helped to me to gather and curate
information. They’ve also served as
creative outlets through which I feel
seen and heard. That said, without
words I wouldn’t be as comfortable
in my own mind, body, and life as I
am today. And yes, I know keyboards
well pre-date modern technology. I’m
an old soul though, which means that
utilising foundational tools with new
tech is perfectly a-okay with me.When has technology helped
you accomplish something
truly transformational?
When it comes to personal
transformation and achieving great
things, I really can’t look to technology
as being a part of my accomplishments
thus far. Maybe it’s because I’m finally
feeling comfortable in the space I take
up in the world, or maybe it’s thanks
to a realisation that true, human
connection is what drives everything
we do – but it’s actually been the
learning to turn off technology that’s
helped me find out what matters to
me at my core. What transformation
is and means to me as an individual is
different today than it was this time
last year. This time next year, I’m sure
it’ll have evolved even further. I am
voraciously curious and technology
has helped to fuel my curiosity. I’m
comfortable in my own expertise now.
And, I’m comfortable in spending time
amongst the yet unknown. This is a
long-answer to say that by consciously
unplugging at work and at home I am
far more intentional in how I engage
with everything, from daily e-mails
to mindless scrolling on Instagram.
Everything in precarious balance is
how I like to live. And, being happy
with the precarious nature of life and
work is exactly the transformation I
needed from tech.