Byte-size: Switch stats prove love for goggle box

We may not turn out in force for general elections or victory parades, but when it comes to our tellys, Kiwis are quick to make sure they don't miss out.

With the start of the switch-over to digital television looming in seven months, a whopping 83 per cent of households have already given analogue the flick, according to a recent survey. For those still twiddling the ol' rabbit ears, 19 per cent are likely to switch over in the next six months. The transition from analogue to digital television starts on September 30 when Hawke's Bay and the West Coast of the South Island go digital. The rest of the country will go digital in stages during 2013.

"Television is a leading leisure activity in many New Zealand households and it's great that so many Kiwis have already gone digital and are enjoying more channels and better picture quality," says Going Digital national manager Greg Harford.

See www.goingdigital.co.nz or ph 0800 838 800.

Mind over splatter

The old saying "the heart wants what the heart wants" may not be quite as accurate as first thought.

According to research by Herrmann International, which has collected thinking preference data on two million profiles worldwide for the past 30 years, it may be more a case of the "heart wants what it wants - provided it meets some cranial criteria".

Wayne Goodley of Herrmann International New Zealand says the paradox about love is we attract people with opposite thinking, which supports the notion of nature facilitating diversity. But he says partners who have learned how to work around each other's thinking preference become powerful and attractive couples. However, over time these differences which were once celebrated in the relationship, become areas of friction. "Our research found men and women only share 10 per cent in common in regards to their thinking, therefore we can conclude most couples at some stage in their relationship will find their partner frustrating."

Didn't think you'd need to do much research to figure that part out.

Bound by science

Soon, when you log on to Facebook you won't just be catching up with far-flung friends - you may be helping science.

Victoria University researchers are developing a Facebook application that will let people donate the resources of their computer to scientific projects.

Cloud Computing draws on the power of hundreds of computers to do complex computations that are beyond individual or small clusters of computers.

Dr Kris Bubendorfer, who has teamed with fellow bright minds from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and Cardiff University in Wales, says integrating cloud architecture with a social network has advantages. "If we can recruit even one per cent of Facebook users to become volunteers, that will have a significant impact on resources available for research."