Halo 5: Guardians review – multiplayer elevates franchise to new heights October 29, 2015 Platform: XBO | ★★★★☆ If you haven’t followed the intricacies of the Halo universe over the past 14 years, you’re never going to catch up now (if you have, I’ve got news for you: you’re old and your best days are behind you). Halo’s plot is labyrinthine and esoteric and, honestly, a bit silly. You’re not [...]
Cameron’s kowtow: Submission is not the route to success in China October 22, 2015 It was 2012 when I was first asked to make a bribe in China, just shy of a year after moving there. On the counsel of a business licence consultant, I was “advised” to offer remuneration to a mid-ranking member of the local Communist Party Neighbourhood Committee for swaying a potential decision in our favour. [...]
Google splashes $60m on Chinese AI startup Mobvoi signalling return to China after five years October 20, 2015 Google has splashed a reported $60m on a Chinese startup specialising in Artificial Intelligence, taking a minority stake in the company. Mobvoi, founded in 2012 by former Google employees, makes Chinese language voice recognition software which is available on Android, Android Wear, and Google Glass devices as well as iOS and Wechat. While the exact amount has not [...]
Why mobile ad blocking is good for the advertising industry October 7, 2015 Over the last few weeks it has been impossible to read any trade publications without encountering an article on ad blockers. With the introduction of iOS 9 last month, mobile ad blocking risks rising, as users receive the opportunity to opt out of advertising. Rather than descend into a blind panic about ad blockers and [...]
The only way to shoot big game, with wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein September 21, 2015 One June morning I found myself in the back of a mud-splattered four-by-four, the savannah sun beating down upon my head, a torrent of profanities drumming my ears, and a full-grown cheetah eyeing me down the barrel of my Canon lens. As she prowled the long oat grass I struggled to keep her in focus. [...]
Art review: Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy September 21, 2015 VISUAL ART AI WEIWEI ROYAL ACADEMY RATING ★★★★☆ Ai Weiwei’s profile is so high, the stories of his struggle against the Chinese regime so ubiquitous, that you might be surprised to learn there’s never been a major UK exhibition of his work. The Royal Academy rights this wrong with a show collecting pieces from 1993 onwards, [...]
Gotta be in it to wine it: 26 miles, 20 wine tastings, 1 Medoc Marathon September 21, 2015 A burly man is trying to force me to eat an oyster. Beside me, a group of fancy dress Caesars are jostling with a herd of pantomime Norwegian cows (they have udders on their heads, for some reason). They are all drinking glasses of Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve just run 24 miles, I still have another [...]
Demis Hassabis of Google’s DeepMind on AI: Three things he said about Siri-like smart assistants, AI helping doctors and a possible killer robot future September 16, 2015 Demis Hassabis, founder of the British artificial intelligence company DeepMind which was snapped up by Google for millions, has spoken about the implications of a future with AI, from healthcare to smart assistants – but warned misusing the technology could do harm. Speaking in a rare interview with the BBC, he addressed warnings made by [...]
As Apple launches the iPhone 6s and iPad Pro: How to stave off robot-redundancy September 10, 2015 Last night, Apple unveiled its latest raft of new gadgets. Quicker and slicker than their predecessors, the company’s annual showcase has become a ceremony which marks the fact that today’s tech will be on tomorrow’s scrapheap. But much like their old products, Apple’s technicians – organic and fallible – are also at risk of [...]
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain game review September 9, 2015 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Kojima Productions Konami RATING ★★★★★ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain casts you in the role of the boss of a private military contractor working out of a refurbished oil rig in the Seychelles. You pop out on regular missions to the field, sneaking through the Afghan countryside, [...]