Are smartphones making us dumb? Digital amnesia stops us remembering vital information because we use our devices to store memories July 2, 2015 Easy access to information at the touch of our fingertips is making it harder for us to remember things and creating digital amnesia. Storing numbers and other vital information like pin numbers as well as treasured photos on smartphones is acting like an external hard drive for our memories, resulting in the majority of us being [...]
Is Facebook looking to join the music streaming party? July 2, 2015 Is Facebook looking to join the music streaming party? The company has been in talks with Sony Music, Warner and Universal to discuss a serious foray into music, but exactly what form it will take remains unclear. Read more: You can now sign up for Facebook messenger without having a Facebook account According to the Verge, [...]
Grant Thornton makes multimillion-pound investment in London tech startup Geniac July 2, 2015 Grant Thornton has made a multimillion-pound investment in a startup which manages services such as HR and compliance for small businesses. The advisory firm has splashed £22m on London-based Geniac, its first investment in a tech startup. "The Geniac proposition to fast growing small businesses is exciting," said Grant Thornton’s head of audit Mark Cardiff. “When you’re [...]
The world’s first ever 3D-printed office is being built in Dubai July 1, 2015 Dubai is planning to create the world's first ever 3D-printed office, in the hope that it will pave the way for cheaper construction in the future. The single storey building, which will be located in the city's centre, is a joint project between the Gulf state and a number of companies, including WinSun, a [...]
Banco Santander and Monitise partner on a London-based £20m FinTech fund July 1, 2015 One of Europe's biggest banks and one of London's most successful Financial Technology startups are joining forces to invest in technology companies that will disrupt the global financial services sector. Banco Santander and Monitise are partnering on a new fund worth up to £20m that will seek out investments in the burgeoning FinTech sector. The equally [...]
Mark Zuckerberg’s Q+A with Stephen Hawking and the Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger July 1, 2015 Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg often turns to Facebook (where else?) to hold Q+A sessions so those around the world can raise a question with him. Last night, though, the billionaire social network founder was joined by a line-up of star-studded questioners which included scientist Stephen Hawking, media darling Arianna Huffington and even the Terminator himself, Arnold [...]
This is why your boss should actually want you to sleep at work June 30, 2015 When you feel like you're about to doze off at your desk, don't feel ashamed – your boss should be actively encouraging you to take naps at work if they want to get the best out of you. Read more: Feeling groggy? You could be suffering from "sleep drunkenness" By looking at the effects [...]
American billionaire Mark Cuban invests in eSports firm Unikrn June 30, 2015 American billionaire, film producer and TV personality Mark Cuban contributed to a $10m (£4.5m) investment round in eSports betting firm Unikrn. Read more: eSports betting firm Unikrn launches in the UK Venture firm Binary Capital, early investors in Silicon Valley successes such as Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram led the investment round which attracted the eccentric Cuban [...]
Interview with a robot: Life, love and everything as seen by a sentient machine June 30, 2015 Do androids dream of electric sheep? Actually, they are far more concerned with their own mortality. That’s how it is with Bina48, at least. She's a humanoid robot and, just like us humans, she suffers from the occasional nightmare. One, where she is back in her box having been disassembled and used to build other [...]
City minister Harriett Baldwin wants financial services to secure economic recovery – but not at the expense of trust June 30, 2015 Economic Secretary to the Treasury Harriett Baldwin said she wants the UK to retain a "globally competitive finance sector", but added that it must also focus on building trust. Financial services are "visibly successful", contributing to economic growth at a high level, she said. Her vision for the sector, however, is for it to play [...]