Innovation, Tech and Economic Development
By Andy Curtis | Brought to you by those lovely chaps at Global Innovation Partners.
How Democracy Commits Suicide: The Sheffield Trees, And The Corporate Takeover Of Local Government
We live in an age in which democratic governments are being undermined from outside— it’s increasingly clear that Russia played significant roles in Trump’s victory in the US and Leave’s victory in the Brexit referendum. We are also increasingly aware of the pernicious role that money plays in …
Could 'solar roads' help generate electricity?
A stretch of road in France has been paved with solar PV (photovoltaic) panels as part of a government-backed initiative for renewable electricity generation.<p>It is estimated that even busy roads can “see” the sky 70-90% of the time.<p>The solar PV panels are coated in crushed glass and resin to make …
RoadsWatch: Full Theatrical Trailer For Wholly Hand-Painted Van Gogh Tribute Film
Composite image by DesignTAXI. Background video screenshots via Loving Vincent<p><b>In March 2016,</b> BreakThru Films announced it was in the works of a …
Spotify moves into podcasts to disrupt Apple's iron grip
In exchange for promoting their podcasts in its app, a multitude of podcast hosts are ready to plug Spotify during their shows. This includes <i>Reply</i> …
The city that makes the most expensive boats in the world
<b>Wandering along the beach in Italy's Viareggio you could be forgiven for thinking it's simply a holiday resort.</b><p>Yet the umbrella-lined, sandy beaches dotted with tourists mask another role, one at the heart of the shipping industry.<p>This unassuming seaside city is where some of the world's largest …
Super YachtsPoliticians need to get digitally literate – and fast
NHS data breaches, WannaCry ransomware attacks, ATMs hijacked, fake news, violent jihadist content on YouTube. The challenges posed by today’s digital culture make those I faced with Brent Hoberman when we started lastminute.com nearly 20 years ago seem trifling. Back then we were grappling with …
London BridgeHow Airbnb uses AI to get you into other people’s homes
To say technology like blockchain or AI is disruptive is a laughable understatement. At Airbnb, though, VP of engineering Mike Curtis said he’s not as concerned with being disrupted by blockchain as he is with the less technological challenge of convincing people to stay in other people’s homes.<p>To …
Artificial IntelligenceBulb is trying to convince people to switch to renewable energy
Bulb founders Amit Gudka and Hayden Wood Bulb<p>London startup Bulb has a bigger aim than trying to convince people to download an app: It's trying to rethink how energy suppliers work.<p>Bulb is a green energy supplier, with all of its electricity and 10% of its gas coming from renewable sources. The …
Luxury phone maker Vertu is shutting down its UK manufacturing operation
But the businessman who owns the Vertu brand says he plans to resurrect the company<p>The owner of British luxury phone maker Vertu has failed to rescue the company from bankruptcy after offering to pay creditors just £1.9 million ($2.4 million) of the firm’s £128 million debt. The result of this — …
Apple Spaceship Campus Filmed By 4K Drone, and It Looks Amazing
The building is coming together nicely.<p>The Apple Park, the official name for the spaceship-shaped building that will eventually become Apple’s new …
24matins.uk
Business<p>China said Friday it was ready to pay "any cost" in a possible trade war with the US, after President Donald Trump warned he was …
Every Major Seattle Accelerator and Incubator, Listed
TechCo has compared accelerators to band camp in the past: You’re stuck in a location with a bunch of your peers whether you like them or not, work …
Low Light Mirrorless Is Changing Photojournalism | Sony
For photojournalists, it’s not a stretch to say available light is the oxygen of our craft. Unless we are creating portraits, we generally don’t …
Microsoft's AI-powered iOS app tells the blind what's around them
Microsoft hast just launched Seeing AI, an iOS app that it appropriately describes as a ‘talking camera for the blind’; I’ve been giving it a whirl this morning and it’s actually pretty impressive.<p>Fire up the free app and point your iPhone at anything, whether it’s a document, a menu card, a room …
Artificial IntelligenceNetflix is rapidly taking over the Emmys
TV’s biggest awards show is now a cable vs. streaming showdown<p>This year’s Emmy nominations are out, and one thing is abundantly clear: Netflix is now an entertainment powerhouse, close on the heels of HBO. The company nabbed a record 93 nominations for its original streaming content, nearly double …
Behind the scenes with Tezos, a new blockchain upstart
Alice Lloyd George Contributor<p>Alice Lloyd George is an investor at RRE Ventures and the host of Flux, a series of podcast conversations with leaders in frontier technology.<p>More posts by this contributor:<p>A conversation with Dean Kamen on the myth of “Eureka!”<br>• Using drones to build the ambulance fleet …
Fstoppers Reviews Pixrit: The Best Social Media Management Platform?
Pixrit is the latest in social media content managers specifically targeting photographers. With tag lines like, “Designed for photographers, by …
Audi knows millennials will have to deal with self-driving boredom
During Audi's elaborate introduction of its new (Level 3 autonomous) A8 in Barcelona, it also talked about the 25th Hour, a research project it says will "define the premium mobility of the future." Simply put, now that you're not driving, what do you do in an autonomous car?<p>The automaker teamed up …
Hype for Hyperloop in Canada: Half the Cost, Quadruple the Speed of Proposed High-Speed Rail Plan
TransPod, a Toronto startup that is building a hyperloop system to disrupt commercial transportation, released the results of its Initial Order of …
How data is helping SMEs make better business decisions
From encouraging repeat custom to tracking delivery costs, here's how data might help with your next big business decision.<p>Gut instinct is an important element of running a successful business, but in most cases, cold hard facts make for the smartest decisions. Now that the technology that can …
Business DevelopmentNet-a-Porter owner opens tech hub in London
The owner of the Net-a-Porter luxury fashion website is to hire at least 100 more IT experts over the next two years as it shrugs off the impact of the Brexit vote to open a tech hub in the UK.<p>Designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, the architect behind the Eden Project domes in Cornwall, the hub, in west …
eCommerceA New Kind of Tech Job Emphasizes Skills, Not a College Degree
ROCKET CENTER, W.Va. — A few years ago, Sean Bridges lived with his mother, Linda, in Wiley Ford, W.Va. Their only income was her monthly Social Security disability check. He applied for work at Walmart and Burger King, but they were not hiring.<p>Yet while Mr. Bridges had no work history, he had …
EmploymentBrexit phrasebook: a guide to the talks' key terms
Acquis communautaire<p>The entire body of European laws: all the treaties, regulations and directives passed by the EU’s institutions, plus all the rulings of the European court of justice (see below). Every member state has incorporated the acquis into their legal system.<p>Article 50<p>The formal …
United KingdomJeff Bezos crowdsources ideas for his philanthropy
It's no secret that Jeff Bezos has made a massive amount of money from Amazon, so much so that he's the second richest man in the world according to <i>Bloomberg</i>. And now, he's ready to give his money away -- and wants you to help tell him how.<p>Yesterday, <i>The New York Times</i> posed questions to the …
The 10 biggest changes Apple didn't announce on stage at WWDC
Not everything Apple introduces at WWDC gets a big announcement on stage. Sometimes there are positive things that just aren’t big enough for a fancy executive to spend 30 seconds talking about; sometimes there are good changes that are just a little too copycat for Apple to want people to notice; …
Social MediaNon-Brits: here's what you need to know about the British election
The British prime minister Theresa May’s gamble in calling an early election spectacularly failed on Thursday night, when she lost her majority in parliament and was forced to turn to a deal with a smaller party to stay in power.<p>May’s attempt to forge a deal with Northern Ireland’s Democratic …
Northern IrelandSteam brings virtual reality to macOS
Mac platforms have been too underpowered for virtual reality, requiring Apple diehards to bootstrap Windows for a ramshackle VR solution. But today at its annual WWDC conference, Apple announced a dedicated VR dev kit: A Thunderbolt 3 GPU enclosure powered by AMD Radeon processors and a software …
1st Private Space Station Will Become an Off-Earth Manufacturing Hub
The first-ever commercial space station will become a manufacturing hub just a few years after reaching orbit, if everything goes according to …