Bitcoin will thrive under the certain uncertainty of a Donald Trump presidency November 10, 2016 The world woke on Wednesday morning to news that billionaire Donald Trump swept to power in an election result that will go down as the most surprising in American history. At first, markets were hit hard, though the dust has already begun to settle as investors acclimatise to the soon-to-be White House resident. The election, in particular [...]
Most people are enjoying this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert. A few aren’t November 10, 2016 The John Lewis Christmas advert has landed. And, predictably, the majority of Twitter luvvies are loving it – despite serious plot holes exposed by City A.M. Launching a day after Donald Trump won the race to the White House, the retailer’s customer director Craig Inglis said: “2016 has certainly been quite a year, so we [...]
Who are the winners and losers of a Trump triumph? November 9, 2016 The election of Donald Trump by US voters to become the next President was almost entirely unexpected. Here's our initial take on some of the early winners and losers emerging in the aftermath. Winners Nigel Farage Trump fan Nigel Farage has found a kindered spirit in the new President. The Ukipper and Brexit supporter went with a [...]
Interiors: Don’t own any art? Make your own. We explore a growing trend for framing beloved objects November 9, 2016 Bringing our homes alive with personality and creativity isn’t just about hanging pictures on walls, especially if we don’t own a Warhol or a Hirst. It’s now de rigeur to think inside the box and display meaningful physical objects in box-frames, or mount prized items, such as decorative scarfs, LP covers or birthday cards, so [...]
This Arizona town will let you play out your cowboy fantasy: Ride bulls, wear cool hats, walk into a saloon and have the music suddenly stop playing, the works November 4, 2016 They say “all sunshine makes a desert.” But in Arizona (299 sunny days per year; average temp 24 degrees celsius) I don’t hear anyone complaining. In fact, this state is booming, with capital Phoenix now one of the fastest growing metro areas in the US. Scottsdale, a wealthy destination town in the northeast of the [...]
Alibaba wants a chief cuteness officer (no dogs allowed) October 28, 2016 Forget the days of shelling out money to get Kim Kardashian to promote your products. Alibaba has come up with the idea of recruiting for a "chief maimeng officer" (that translates as "selling its cuteness") to help sell its products and promote its bumper sale on Singles' Day next month. The Chinese e-commerce giant is hoping the successful [...]
Cat votes in French presidential primary October 17, 2016 Paws for thought. A cat has cast its vote in the Green Party's primary election in France. Gaston Lecat was added to the party's voter list for the presidential primaries by its owner, journalist Raphaëlle Besse Desmoulières. She said she paid €5 (£4.52) to register her cat to vote in the primary election earlier this month, and [...]
Chin up: How Twitter reacted to today’s sterling free fall October 7, 2016 It’s fair to say the pound has had quite a day. The currency regained some of its losses in afternoon trading, but spent most of this morning in free fall, after an overnight flash crash. Widely thought to be a case of either a "fat finger" or an algorithm picking up on negative Brexit stories overnight, at one point the [...]
The Bank of England should follow Dr Seuss’ example and publish simpler reports October 4, 2016 The Bank of England (BoE) needs to simplify its speeches and reports, a researcher at the institution has said – and he pointed to beloved childrens' author Dr Seuss as the perfect example for the Bank to follow. People writing in the financial industry put too many long words in long sentences, according to Jonathan Fullwood, from [...]
Bedwyr Williams’ The Gulch at The Barbican is brilliantly weird September 29, 2016 You’re greeted at the entrance of the Barbican’s Curve gallery with a polite warning: “If you want to perform – sing, dance, that kind of thing – please be respectful of other visitors”. I wasn’t tempted to burst into song, but it’s a suitably surreal way to enter this brilliantly weird exhibition. This site-specific installation [...]