How BuzzFeed’s $850m valuation shows there’s money in those cat lists August 11, 2014 BuzzFeed, the spiritual home of lists, cats and OMG labels, has just secured a further $50m (£30m) in investment, reportedly seeing it valued at an impressive $850m (£506m). When you consider that the Washington Post was bought by Jeff Bezos for a paltry $250m (£149m) last year, this is a figure that should make you [...]
When the cat’s away… the staff will go off to lots of interviews July 27, 2014 It sometimes feels like the whole City shuts down in August as sunny silly season takes most people to warmer climes – ergo thinking of summer as a time to hire doesn’t seem plausible. But according to new research from Randstad, the reverse is true. Why? Because it’s not hard for people to slip off [...]
Mike Coupe: Three things you didn’t know about Sainsbury’s CEO July 14, 2014 Chief executive of Sainsbury’s Mike Coupe 1 He describes himself as a “keen but average guitarist” and prepared for his new job by going to Glastonbury with his wife. 2 He enjoys cycling and recently completed the London to Brighton race in aid of the British Heart Foundation 3 He has a cat called Gretchen, [...]
The great Facebook crash of 2014: The internet reacts June 19, 2014 It may have lasted for around half an hour, but the 'Great Facebook Outage of 2014' certainly got the internet panicking. The social network site was down this morning, with users reporting that they were unable to access the Facebook website and mobile apps worldwide. While the opportunity to go outside and talk to other [...]
BG Group gets rid of holding in major North Sea gas pipeline June 17, 2014 BG GROUP is selling off its majority stake in one of the North Sea’s biggest gas pipelines for as much as £562m. The London-listed firm said it will still have the right to transport fuel through the Central Area Transmission System (Cats) following the sale of a 62.78 per cent stake to investment group Antin [...]
Mario Kart 8 is the game that Nintendo’s Wii U needs right now June 11, 2014 Mario Kart 8 is both joyous and frenetic, nostalgic but packed with twists and innovations. It’s exactly the game Nintendo needs right now, a strong – albeit lonely – argument for investing in a Wii U (an argument that will be considerably strengthened if the Japanese firm can repeat the trick with its upcoming Star [...]
Review: Watch Dogs on Xbox One June 11, 2014 ★★★☆☆ I can’t remember the last game I anticipated quite as fervently as I have Watch Dogs. It's a title that places cyber crime and state surveillance at its heart, making its protagonist’s weapon the connected world; a world it doesn’t take a spectacular mental leap to imagine us all living in. And, for the [...]
Black Cats curse Colback switch June 9, 2014 FOOTBALL: Sunderland last night said midfielder Jack Colback’s free transfer to rivals Newcastle “has left a bitter taste” claiming they were not given the opportunity to negotiate a new contract for a player nurtured since the age of eight. Meanwhile, midfielder Steve Sidwell has joined Stoke from Fulham and Joe Cole is set to leave [...]
We got a dog to forecast the US jobs report and this is what happened June 6, 2014 The monthly US job report is notoriously difficult to forecast, and methodologies for estimating the number of jobs added each month vary widely. But we think we have the best. This month we're joined by 10-year old labrador Barney, who has worked hard to predict the fortune of the US labour market in the month [...]
The Shard evacuated after reports of smoke in building’s basement June 5, 2014 London's iconic Shard skyscraper has been evacuated after reports of smoke. The London Fire Brigade says that firefighters have been investigating the reports of smoke in the basement of the building. Smoke without fire perhaps, as the fire brigade's statement says that "there is no suggestion at this stage that there is a fire". So [...]