All a-Twitter April 23, 2019 Anyone who knows about social media would recognise Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter: unruly beard, black knitted hat, dark clothes. He’s a distinctive figure in a way that Mark Zuckerberg isn’t, though it’s also true that there’s yet to be a film made about Dorsey’s rise to prominence. The Twitter boss recently took part [...]
Trevor Steven: Don’t blame Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United’s slump is down to their average squad April 23, 2019 When the two teams met in the Premier League 12 months ago, Manchester United succeeded in disrupting Manchester City’s title charge with a 3-2 win over their neighbours. It’s hard to see that being repeated at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening. In fact, it’s hard to see anything but an emphatic win for the men [...]
A four-day week would boost efficiency, productivity, health and wellbeing April 23, 2019 With the Easter bank holidays behind us and more to come in May, we are enjoying a season of four-day weeks. But walk through any BizSpace business centre on a Friday, and you could be forgiven for thinking that every week is a four-day week. Many of our customers, most of whom work for themselves [...]
DEBATE: Is Corbyn right that Statutory Assessment Tests (Sats) should be scrapped in primary schools? April 23, 2019 Is Corbyn right that Statutory Assessment Tests (Sats) should be scrapped in primary schools? Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, says YES. In a YouGov survey of primary school leaders last month, 93 per cent agreed that English and maths are prioritised to the detriment of other subjects, such as music, art, [...]
We are at the big data frontier – we’re going to need some rules April 23, 2019 We create data all the time, even if we don’t realise it. Whether from social media use, video-watching habits, satellite images, traffic flows, or location data from smart devices, companies are increasingly able to use this information to extrapolate trends and capitalise on behaviour patterns. This has driven change across many industries, but it’s of [...]
For a brand like Nike, nothing beats an athlete with a crazy dream April 23, 2019 As Tiger Woods rolled in his final putt, securing victory at Augusta and claiming his long-awaited fifteenth major title, Nike was ready and primed for the magical moment. Some 14 years after his last victory at the Masters and 11 years after his last major title, Woods now stands just three behind the greatest golfer in [...]
Humans aren’t just a mess of words and numbers – so why are our passwords? April 23, 2019 Protecting your identity used to be straightforward. You had your computer on your desk in front of you. Content was restricted to you alone, and all you needed was a key card and a one-time password. Then 30 years ago, the World Wide Web was born, and everything became a lot more complex. Since then, the [...]
The Notre Dame tragedy shows how much we value art and culture – we must protect other monuments April 18, 2019 The medieval cathedral of Notre Dame is the most visited monument in Europe, welcoming 14m visitors each year. The Gothic building has stood as one of France’s most famous landmarks for 850 years. And yet in a matter of hours, a fire wrought terrible damage to Notre Dame, causing the iconic spire and roof to [...]
Campaigning against climate change doesn’t make you above the law April 18, 2019 UNTIL this week, the anti-climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion had hardly been a household name. Its various activities, like pouring fake blood onto Downing Street and stripping semi-naked during a session of the House of Commons, had been received with the sort of good humour that the British people always reserve for righteous causes [...]
DEBATE: Is it right for Shamima Begum to receive legal aid for her citizenship appeal? April 18, 2019 Is it right for Shamima Begum to receive legal aid for her citizenship appeal? John Oxley, a barrister at Vardags, says YES. When William Joyce was captured after six years of aiding the Nazis, he was hanged for treason. He was, however, first provided with lawyers and allowed to exhaust all avenues of appeal. At Nuremberg, [...]