The unstoppable rise of podcasts: How an industry was reborn December 16, 2018 It seems nothing can stop the rise of podcasts. On-demand listening has become the sine qua non of the commuter; the lifeblood of dinner party conversation. Popular podcasters attract millions of listeners, and advertisers are starting to reap the rewards. And yet podcasts are not a new phenomenon. They predate Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, and [...]
Editor’s Notes: Wherever Brexit takes us, let’s hope it’s not Norway December 14, 2018 Theresa May remains in office, and all her difficulties remain with her. By surviving Wednesday night’s vote, she has secured a grace period of 12 months during which time she cannot be challenged again. However, Labour MPs are determined to call a parliamentary vote of no confidence in the government, which could destroy the Tory-DUP [...]
Mike Ashley slams Debenhams for rejecting his £40m loan December 13, 2018 Retail tycoon Mike Ashley has launched a scathing attack on Debenhams today, claiming that the beleaguered department store giant has rejected a £40m interest-free emergency loan. In a letter addressed to Debenhams boss Sergio Bucher, the billionaire Sports Direct owner suggests that without the money the company "has zero chance of survival". Ashley, who controls [...]
Hubris will doom the imperial reigns of Macron and Trump December 7, 2018 A political outsider who came out of nowhere to ride to victory on a populist movement he built himself, to the shock of the mainstream establishment. An expert campaigner who promised that he alone had the easy fixes to the challenges that his country had been grappling with for years. A President who now faces [...]
Elon Musk could learn a thing or two from Sweden about a healthy work-life balance December 7, 2018 Last month, Elon Musk issued another controversial decree from his Twitter parapet. Appealing to potential applicants to his various companies, Musk made the claim that “nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week”. When pressed for details on what would constitute an earth-altering amount of weekly work, he recommended “80 sustained, peaking above [...]
SpaceX delays rocket launch again December 2, 2018 Elon Musk's SpaceX pushed a satellite launch back a day to Monday, Pacific standard time, after saying more inspections were needed on the Falcon 9 rocket. The company announced the third rescheduling on Twitter less than 12 hours before launch at the Vandendberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX said it needed to “conduct additional inspections [...]
Paris protests: At least 158 arrested after demonstration turns violent December 1, 2018 At least 158 people have been arrested after there were violent clashes between protestors and French police in Paris on Saturday. Riot police used tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades to quell protestors who attempted to breach security cordons on the Champs Elysees boulevard. It was the third rally in as many weeks as people took to [...]
Owned-social networks are replacing Facebook as a way for brands to market to their communities November 27, 2018 Two months ago, I helped Blewbury in Oxfordshire become the first village in the UK to launch its own social network. We were inspired by the MP Matt Hancock, who during his tenure as digital minister launched a social network for his constituency. His decision to call it “Matt Hancock” attracted much media attention. But [...]
Five reasons why tech stocks are in trouble November 27, 2018 For months, technology stocks have been the holy grail for growth, with valuations reaching dizzying heights. So, considering that what goes up must come down, perhaps it’s not surprising that stocks started tumbling last week. Share prices for each of the five tech giants – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (the so-called Faangs) – [...]
Trump threatens to close Mexico border permanently after migrants storm crossing November 26, 2018 President Donald Trump today said the US will close its border with Mexico permanently if needed as he repeated calls for a wall between the two countries. “Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries,” Trump said today on Twitter. “Do it by plane, do [...]