DEBATE: Are smart speakers really a better measure of inflation for the ONS than envelopes? March 12, 2019 Are smart speakers really a better measure of inflation for the ONS than envelopes? Vicky Pryce, former joint head of the Government Economic Service and author of It’s the Economy, Stupid, says YES. It makes sense for the ONS to rethink its inflation basket. Fewer people write letters now, although parcels have increased with online [...]
The UK has been crowned the tech unicorn capital of Europe, home to over a third of the continent’s billion dollar startups June 11, 2018 The UK has established itself as Europe's tech powerhouse, playing home to 37 per cent of Europe’s unicorn-status tech firms and topping the list of global destinations for tech talent. With London Tech Week kicking off today, new figures show the UK claims 13 of Europe’s 34 unicorns – referring to companies with a $1bn [...]
Londoners are bolstering the latest fintech generation April 30, 2019 Have you ever thought about the role of Londoners in guaranteeing the UK as the fintech capital of the world? Our capital is currently hosting UK Fintech Week, an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the businesses transforming our best export: financial services. On Crowdcube, the crowdfunding platform I work for, there are now over 67,000 [...]
There’s a human cost to fetishising entrepreneurs like Elizabeth Holmes March 28, 2019 According to the documentary director Alex Gibney, the success of Elizabeth Holmes can be put down to Silicon Valley’s “fetishisation of the entrepreneur”. Holmes’ story is depicted in his latest film, The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, released last week. But her story has caught the imagination of just about everyone who has [...]
The Extinction Rebels seem to care more about capitalism than climate July 19, 2019 If your commute to work this week has been blocked by a giant colourful boat, you have Extinction Rebellion (XR) to thank. The self-defined “non-violent civil disobedience activist movement” has begun its summer of disruption, shutting down traffic in five UK cities to protest against climate change “inaction”. A worthy and vital attempt to safeguard [...]
Fitness advice: Here’s everything you REALLY need to know about the keto diet April 11, 2019 Atkins. Low fat. Low carb. Alkaline. Intermittent fasting. Paleo. I’ve seen so many fad diets come and go that it’s hard to keep track of them all. Right now the ketogenic diet (keto) is having something of a renaissance, so I thought I’d delve into it. What is a ‘Keto’ diet? Keto is effectively low [...]
The Last Supper: World famous chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa on why he’d have a simple meal of steamed rice, sushi and fresh fruit for his last meal on earth December 6, 2018 “I was born in Japan and grew up there, so that culture and food is a big part of who I am. That’s why, for my last supper, I’d like to eat very traditional Japanese food: steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish like salmon, then Japanese pickles and seaweed. I’d also like my wife or [...]
Don’t ruin Christmas by bringing Brexit to the dinner table December 21, 2018 The build up to Christmas has almost reached its agonising conclusion. Since November, when the first few flinching bars of Slade seeped from the radio, we’ve crawled through endless reels of TV adverts and Christmas lights. It’s nearly over, though; the bonus has been frittered on tat for loathed relatives, the out-of-office message is on, [...]
How to eat well during a pandemic, from pre-mixed cocktails to Michelin home delivery November 11, 2020 Another endless week approaches its inglorious mid-season finale. But what do we have to look forward to in the barren cultural landscape of November 2020? Well, restaurants may be closed but many canny entrepreneurs have turned their empty kitchens into home delivery hubs, allowing you to feast like it’s 1999, or indeed 2019. Each week [...]
If Theresa May’s withdrawal deal passes, it will haunt the Tories forever March 21, 2019 Thank you John Bercow. I’m sure that the speaker had his own reasons for announcing that Theresa May cannot just keep bringing back the same motion to parliament so she can browbeat, blackmail and bribe her backbench MPs into supporting the abomination that is her withdrawal agreement. I’m sure he is hoping that, in whittling [...]