Games and gaming
Long wintry nights are the ideal time to dig into the cupboards and drag out all those board games that have been hiding. Card games have lots of variants - some hard, some less so - and it doesn't have to be solitaire!
Games and gaming helps keep our minds active - but there are plenty of sports and recreation options available as well. Whatever the weather's doing, find out about all the great things there are to do in Christchurch at your library!
David Smith may not be a household name, but he is one of Christchurch’s most inventive people. He’s most famous for inventing the game Trax, one of around “fifty or sixty” games that he has invented.
Now 80, David looks back on the role of games in his life in this interview.
David Smith’s Trax game also inspired another game, invented by a former Christchurch puzzle shop owner. Mike McManaway used to run The Puzzled Dragon in central Christchurch. He tells of how he invented Tantrix twenty years ago and how it took him 10 years to win the world championship title.
 Win an iPod Touch valued at $749 RRP
There are two ways to be in to win this fantastic prize during New Zealand Music Month.
- Give us your opinion about music at the library by completing our short web survey. All completed entries go in the draw.
- Borrow 3 Music CDs and get the 4th free. Pick up a loyalty card from any of our libraries, or print one here and we'll give you a bonus stamp, so you only need to borrow 2 to get 1 free.
Full details are available on our Music Month page and make sure you check out free, live concerts in libraries this month.
We recommend: Games and gaming resources
Our online resources:
Our Internet Gateway recommends:
- Computer games
- Fun and games for children, including
- The Hub Online games, streaming music and video, competitions and more aimed at young people. Linked with TV’s Studio 2, produced by Taylormade Media
- Kidsfest Christchurch's annual festival for kids.
- Our Stories Listen to the growing collection of global stories, from The Our Stories project. Children from developing countries such as Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, and Pakistan have recorded their stories, or those of elders, family members, and friends.
- PBS Kids Fun and Games
- Pingu
- Seussville The home of Dr Seuss, the cat in the hat and more.
- Snoopy and the gang online Visit the home page of Peanuts, read a comic strip or look at the timeline of Peanuts history.
- Teletubbies @ the BBC
- Thomas the Tank Engine
- What now!
- The Wiggles
Browse the resources in our libraries:
This week in Christchurch history
A handy feature for those keen to find out about local history is the Christchurch Chronology on the library website. Here’s a selection of what happened in Christchurch this week in history:
- May 19, 1910 Halleys Comet visible by telescope in night sky. Prophesies of doom and superstition abounded while the comet was visible.
- May 19, 1945 Severe flooding throughout city.
- May 21, 1865 First news telegram sent over the new line from Bluff to Christchurch.
- May 21, 1866 City Council abandons the vital city drainage scheme because of its financial state. A huge shipment of pipes which had just arrived from England had to be sold off. This guaranteed Christchurch’s reputation as New Zealand’s most polluted and unhealthy city for another 20 years. It is interesting to compare the transport cost of these pipes from Glasgow to Lyttelton - £882 - with the cost from Lyttelton by lighter and cart to Christchurch - £400!
- May 22, 1868 William Rolleston becomes the fourth (and last) Superintendent of Canterbury. The four superintendents have been remembered in the names of the city’s "four avenues", previously called the Town Belts.
- May 23, 1960 Tsunami (tidal wave) causes water level range of nearly 6 metres in 2 hours at Lyttelton.
We recommend: Online resources
What’s new on the blog
The Christchurch City Libraries' blog is written for people who love books, movies and music and want to know about the latest developments and trends in the book world. Regularly updated and constantly fresh, the blog has plenty to offer avid readers and music fans. Recent posts include:
What’s new on the library website?
Suggest a theme:
We want your feedback on our editions - feel free to suggest a theme that you think other library users would find useful.
Next week: Fish and fishing
Those who like to get outdoors will enjoy next week's edition - fish and fishing from the early days to the present day. |
|
David Smith's inventive life 
Bridge