This new technology could give you 4pc of your life back April 28, 2014 In Mountain View, California, Google's top dogs are working on what could be one of the most important labour-saving devices of the century. Speaking to The Atlantic Cities, Google's Chris Urmson says that the typical American now spend 52 minutes of each day commuting. That's four per cent of the average American's lifetime – "If [...]
Eight ways technology has reinvented fiction July 16, 2014 At a recent lecture in Oxford, Will Self announced the death of the novel. The internet, he said, has mercilessly invaded the silent, solitary leisure time we once filled with “serious” reading. As a result, serious books will no longer feature as a central part of culture. Like classical music, they will continue to exist, [...]
Room-letting app Airbnb hits $10bn valuation March 20, 2014 AIRBNB, the online marketplace that allows homeowners to rent spare rooms from a mobile app, is in late-stage funding discussions that would give the company a valuation of $10bn (£6.05bn). The fundraising round, which is reported to include TPG Capital Management, would place Airbnb on a list of tech start-ups that have recently achieved a [...]
Britain needs a monetary policy fit for a booming economy May 11, 2014 SO what, exactly, is going on? Why does the UK still have crisis-level interest rates at a time when growth is roaring ahead? When will the penny finally drop? Check out the evidence; it is pretty conclusive. The Confederation of British Industry believes that the economy will grow by three per cent this year and [...]
A terraced street revolution could end London’s housing crunch April 24, 2014 IN EXCELLENT news for anyone concerned about London’s housing crisis, local government secretary Eric Pickles has announced that he is looking at how post-war estates can be more comprehensively redeveloped into “traditional streetscapes.” He got it right when he said that traditional streets “can provide more housing and commercial space using the same amount of [...]
SocGen’s Albert Edwards thinks it’s 1997 all over again for emerging markets February 6, 2014 Societe Generale’s uber-bear is at it again. After the turmoil in emerging markets over the past few weeks, Albert Edwards thinks the unravelling has been “the final tweet of the canary in the coal mine”. He thinks the warnings are being ignored, and that the ongoing “debacle will be less contained than sub-prime ultimately proved [...]
SocGen’s Albert Edwards thinks it’s 1997 all over again for emerging markets February 6, 2014 Societe Generale's uber-bear is at it again. After the turmoil in emerging markets over the past few weeks, Albert Edwards thinks the unravelling has been "the final tweet of the canary in the coal mine". He thinks the warnings are being ignored, and that the ongoing "debacle will be less contained than sub-prime ultimately proved [...]
Did Google Glass just get a lot more wearable? January 28, 2014 Those spectacle wearing folk among you feeling ostracised by the fact that you wouldn’t be able to wear uber-geeky tech toy, Google Glass, because of your prescription needs, can pop the champagne corks now – welcome to the club – Google has created prescription frames which work with Glass technology. And we’re not [...]
How tech can offer Tube strike relief April 29, 2014 New “sharing economy” apps could help commuters survive future union action MANY are extolling the virtues of the “sharing economy” – where people rent out underutilised assets from each other through the internet. Despite concerns over regulation and security (sharing companies Lyft and Uber have both recently faced lawsuits), collaborative consumption is catching on. Forbes [...]
Hollande suffers set back as employers reject jobs targets January 21, 2014 France's largest employers group has confirmed it will not agree to government hiring targets outlined in the so called "responsibility pact" proposed by President Francois Hollande. Medef president Pierre Gatz told France 2 television: I am not talking about written commitments. One million jobs, that is the consequence of the package of measures we expect [...]