How old do the UK’s party leaders look? Microsoft’s #HowOldRobot turns political May 1, 2015 Microsoft's latest facial recognition software is proving a hit with millions of people whiling away their day checking whether the snazzy new software can correctly guess their age (Check out #HowOldRobot on Twitter). The new tool provides great opportunity for much-desired flattery or bruised egos. As we approach the end of a long General Election [...]
Three’s a trend April 8, 2015 The Baselworld watch and jewellery fair was bigger than ever this March, with over 150,000 visitors thronging this indoor city of gleaming brand pavilions, conducting billions of euros of business in 10 short days and setting the watch trends for the year to come. But in among the pizzazz, there was some rare subtlety and [...]
The art of video games: From Super Mario Brothers to The Legend of Zelda March 25, 2015 The Barbican championed the art of the video game long before it became the behemoth industry that we see today. Its first Game On exhibition opened in 2001 – now it’s gearing up for Game On 2.0, which will tour the world celebrating this cutting edge medium, offering visitors the chance to play classic games [...]
Struggling through Dry January? Load up on coffee instead January 13, 2015 Pact coffee delivery service Broaden your coffee horizons with this delivery service that will supply you with weekly or fortnightly bags of precious beans. You’ll also get tasting notes so you can learn as you drink. There’s no contract and if you use the code “onepound” you’ll get your first delivery for £1. Well worth [...]
Eight of Britain’s most endangered professions: Scissor-makers, denim manufacturers and beer barrel crafters December 31, 2014 Britain's fast-dying craft industry risks taking a whole number of valuable and interesting skills with it, according to the Heritage Crafts Association. This is because the skills needed to produce beautifully intricate crafted goods rests in the hands of an ageing population and could be extinct in the next five years. In conjunction with the [...]
The Royal Palm in Mauritius: The best resort hotel in the Indian Ocean is back with a bang December 7, 2014 The Royal Palm, haunt of former French presidents François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, has just undergone a £10m refurbishment. It was already the best hotel in Mauritius and, in the words of Spinal Tap, it has just turned it up to eleven, upgrading to become the only six star hotel in Mauritius. The Royal Palm [...]
The Australian food revolution: Heston Blumenthal and Jamie Oliver are joining a new wave of top antipodean chefs October 28, 2014 A grizzled miner in grubby, cement-splattered overalls clutches the stem of a wine glass with blackened fingertips, sipping chardonnay while recounting a recent dining experience at one of the city’s top tables. “It was the worst pizza I’ve ever tasted. The base was too limp and the feta too salty; it totally overpowered the [...]
The Wedgwood collection is a key piece of our commercial heritage – let’s keep it together September 4, 2014 We have three months to save a vital piece of Britain’s commercial heritage. The Art Fund, an independent charity which helps buy art for the nation, has already raised a heroic £13m. It is now seeking a final £2.74m in donations by 30 November to keep the Wedgwood collection together in its Staffordshire home. Waterford [...]
Why India’s political earthquake is the most significant turning point of 2014 May 19, 2014 GENOA – I find myself in this predictably beautiful Italian city, about to visit the house of Christopher Columbus. Like most American schoolchildren, I remember finding the fact that Columbus discovered the new world by mistake uproariously funny, as the “Admiral of the Ocean Sea” literally bumped into the Americas, sitting annoyingly in the way [...]
Why India’s political earthquake is the most significant turning point of 2014 May 18, 2014 GENOA – I find myself in this predictably beautiful Italian city, about to visit the house of Christopher Columbus. Like most American schoolchildren, I remember finding the fact that Columbus discovered the new world by mistake uproariously funny, as the “Admiral of the Ocean Sea” literally bumped into the Americas, sitting annoyingly in the way [...]