My best friend the algorithm is a better human than you are February 24, 2017 Thanks to my friends, I discover some outstanding TV drama from time to time. Like Lost, for example, or the first three seasons of Homeland. Two years ago, someone suggested that I watch a show. To be precise, they did not suggest, they insisted – indeed, demanded – sending me message after message which said: [...]
Amazon’s Alexa totally infiltrated CES this year January 5, 2017 Amid gimmicky gadgets that may never make it to the shelves (smart whistle, anyone?) Amazon's Alexa artificial intelligence voice assistant has stealthily become the stand out winner of the Consumer Electronics Show. The technology which first appeared in Amazon's own smart home speaker Echo and Echo Dot made surprise appearances almost everywhere, from fridges and cars to robots and baby monitors. [...]
The Central and Piccadilly Lines didn’t have enough trains for peak times once last month January 26, 2017 Perhaps not the best day to break this to strike suffering Central Line commuters, but they may well have suspected it anyway… There wasn't a single weekday last month when the Piccadilly and Central Lines had the required amount of trains during peak evening times. The daily service requirement at peak time for the Piccadilly Line is 79 trains [...]
Editor’s notes: Whatever your view of him, Farage should sit in the House of Lords November 18, 2016 There are many ways to get a peerage these days. You could conduct a white-wash inquiry into the Labour party’s problem with emboldened anti-semites; you could bounce from quango to quango until a seat on the red benches is the next logical step; you could donate to a political party; or you could have the [...]
Nail inbox zero: Six ways to take control of your overloaded inbox before 2017 December 28, 2016 Christmas is over, New Year looms: it's that strange, limbo-like time of the year most people spend quietly coming up with new ways to serve leftover turkey. But you can also spend it preparing to hit the ground running next year, by giving your email inbox the TLC it deserves – so you don't get that sinking [...]
Morrisons are getting hunks to help lift your Black Friday shopping November 23, 2016 Morrisons will have dedicated strong men and women in stores on Black Friday to help you with your heaving bags. Black Friday is set to be bigger than ever this year and has already started online, with several deals available with Amazon. Read more: AO World delivers £1.5m in earnings ahead of Black Friday But Morrisons [...]
Brexit, six months on: City leader demands government allays uncertainty in the Square Mile December 23, 2016 Doesn't time fly? Just six months ago half the nation was celebrating the Britain's decision to unshackle itself from the EU, while the other half had that knot in the pit-in-the-stomach feeling. The good news so far is the sky hasn't fallen in. And this was after 2016 continued to shock and surprise us from a [...]
Black Friday could end up being a flop-day this year November 8, 2016 Demand for bagging a bargain on Black Friday has dropped this year, as the novelty of the promotions day seems to be wearing off. Just 21 per cent of consumers say they will take advantage of the Black Friday promotions this year, on a day intended to drum up sales as retailers slice their prices. This is [...]
Never mind the Christmas prezzies, here’s Hogmanay. December 25, 2016 Any festive celebration that has two public holidays to recover must be a good one. So Hogmanay definitely qualifies. And then some. It’s the biggest night in Scotland, and with so many Scots around the world, one of the biggest first-footing, toast-making, Auld Lang Syne singing carry-ons on the planet. Historically (and Scotland has tons [...]
Six of the best challenger banks: Disgruntled with HSBC, Lloyds, RBS and Barclays? We highlight the cream of the alternatives May 11, 2016 The big four high street banks – that’s Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and RBS – have had their fair share of scandal over the years and many people have been left disgruntled with the service they’ve received. There’s been a lot of inertia in banking, with few people willing to move their main account. Nearly 60 per [...]