From Hinkley Point C to renewables: UK government intervention is damaging Britain’s energy security February 15, 2016 The UK’s electricity margins have become very narrow in recent years. National Grid’s latest winter outlook report suggests they are currently at just 1.2 per cent, increasing to 5.1 per cent with the use of emergency measures. These emergency measures, which include paying large businesses to stop using electricity, had to be used in November last year. National [...]
Underwater cities and 3D printed homes – Here’s how houses of the future will look in 100 years’ time February 15, 2016 Prepare yourself for underwater cities, super-tall skyscrapers – and homes simply printed out on-demand thanks to 3D printing technology: these are just some of the ways we will live in a century's time. There'll also be colonies on the moon and eventually Mars and beyond, while personal drones will let us transport our home to any holiday spot. The [...]
Mobile challenger bank Mondo raises £5m from Passion Capital and plans £1m crowdfundng campaign ahead of 2016 launch February 15, 2016 Innovative new mobile-first challenger bank Mondo has landed a fresh round of funding and plans a further injection of cash from a crowdfunding campaign ahead of its launch later this year Venture capital firm Passion Capital has invested £5m in the London startup which is in the process of applying for a banking licence from regulators. The bank also plans [...]
Human drivers will be obsolete by 2050 as driverless technology takes over, say researchers Moshe Vardi and Bart Selman February 14, 2016 Cars driven by humans will become obsolete with the rise of driverless car technology, leading researchers have predicted, and it could happen as soon as 2050. "You cannot ride a horse in downtown Houston anymore. If you like horse riding, you have to go to horse ranches. The same is likely to happen with cars," said Moshe Vardi, [...]
Monitise share price up even as losses quadruple February 12, 2016 Monitise has reported quadrupled losses as the troubled payments firm has had to write off £167m from its value. The figures Monitise reported pre-tax losses soaring from £58m to £211m in the six months to 31 December. At the same time, sales were down from £42m to £33m. The firm’s share price, which has plunged [...]
Fraudsters are taking advantage of lonely singles on Valentine’s Day February 12, 2016 Haven't completely lost your faith in humanity yet? We suggest you sit down… Research by KPMG has found dastardly fraudsters are using dating sites to target lonely singles on Valentine's Day. In fact, according to its fraud barometer, people lost £3.2m to dating scams in 2015. One fraudster conned five women out of £180,000 – and used [...]
Shares in Candy Crush’s new owner Activision Blizzard plunge by 16 per cent as revenue miss overshadows Call of Duty success February 11, 2016 Shares in US video games maker Activision Blizzard tumbled by more than 16 per cent in after hours trading, after the company missed revenue and profit expectations in the final quarter of 2015. The firm, which bought Candy Crush creator King Digital in November last year, posted revenue of $2.12bn (£1.46bn) for the fourth quarter of [...]
Astonish your kids this half term with Da Vinci’s marvellous machines at the Science Museum February 11, 2016 The Science Museum | ★★★★☆ Leonardo da Vinci’s prodigious output has provided fertile ground for such blockbuster exhibitions as the National Gallery’s comprehensive 2012 survey, and the Queen and British Museum’s showcase of his drawings. The Science Museum’s new show focuses on da Vinci’s engineering, with physical incarnations of the various machines detailed in his many [...]
UK consumers ahead of the curve when it comes to payment technology February 11, 2016 British consumers are at the forefront of payment technologies, according to new research. Contactless payments, real-time payments and mobile banking have grown in popularity among UK consumers, while countries such as the USA and Canada continue to lag behind. The report, published by Payments UK, the trade association for the payments industry, found that by [...]
Gravitational waves: Here’s everything you should know about how Ligo scientists detected the merging of two black holes February 11, 2016 It's been called the "scientific highlight of the decade" and billed ushering in a "new era for astronomy": there's no doubt the discovery of gravitational waves – yes, waves of gravity – is one of the most important findings in recent history. But what does it actually mean? And can it make you sound cleverer at [...]