The trials and tribulations of tapping new tech November 7, 2017 "Neither Redbox nor Netflix are even on the radar screen in terms of competition.” Those are the words of Jim Keyes, the former chief executive of video rental giant Blockbuster back in 2008. Just five years after Keyes made that statement, Blockbuster went bust, swallowed whole by the mighty online streaming service that is Netflix. [...]
Tesla fires hundreds of employees after performance review October 14, 2017 Electric vehicle maker Tesla fired hundreds of employees this week following a performance review, according to reports. Tesla has not confirmed the number of dismissals, but Reuters reported a former employee said the number was around 400 and included associates, team leaders and supervisors, while the San Jose Mercury News put the number at between [...]
Electric shock – finding the winners and losers of the electric revolution October 11, 2017 The electric car – as a concept – is almost as old as the internal combustion engine (ICE). The first electric vehicle (EV) is credited, somewhat contentiously, to Scottish chemist Robert Anderson as far back as 1837. Thomas Edison is even rumoured to have explored a cheap electric car with Henry Ford as early as [...]
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveils plans to send humans to the moon and Mars by 2024 at the International Astronautical Congress September 29, 2017 It’s official: not content with pioneering reusable rockets and re-stocking the International Space Agency, Elon Musk now wants to use SpaceX to let people travel to the moon and start colonising Mars. During a 40-minute presentation at the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide this morning, it was revealed that SpaceX will start making smaller rockets [...]
It’s official: Dyson is planning an electric car which will be launched by 2020 September 26, 2017 Forget vacuums and hairdryers: British engineering giant Dyson is planning its own electric car which will be launched in the next three years, it revealed today. The company, which has invested millions in a new Apple-style campus at a former RAF base in the Westcountry, has already built up a 400-strong team, and committed to [...]
A life off-grid with no energy bills is closer than you think. Here’s what the future has in store for sustainable homes September 26, 2017 "Right," says eco-developer Sam Budhdeo, rubbing his hands together. “We think we have the solution to climate change.” As openers go, it’s a bold one, but not quite as outlandish as it sounds. The housebuilder who successfully cracks the code to building sustainably – and affordably – would be solving a large part of the [...]
Mapped: Here are the 10 shortlisted Hyperloop One routes including Edinburgh to London and Glasgow to Liverpool September 14, 2017 Hyperloop One has announced 10 winners of the global challenge it set back in May last year, to identify the strongest potential routes in the world. It has carried out a close assessment of the proposals with a panel of infrastructure, tech, and transport experts scrutinising the details, and now 10 teams from five countries [...]
Solar, bitcoin, tech, Tesla and tea: seven important investment charts from August September 5, 2017 Each month, writers at Schroders pull together the most intriguing charts of the month. Solar production eclipsed (briefly) The US came to a standstill on 21 August as people looked skyward to witness a remarkable solar eclipse. But as the moon blocked the sun it also temporarily blocked solar energy production. California aims to generate [...]
Apple’s driverless car project Titan has morphed into a staff shuttle bus as reports suggest a scaling back of ambitions August 23, 2017 Apple’s driverless car project, long-rumoured and only recently confirmed by boss Tim Cook, looks like it might be taking a back seat at the company. Its ambitions have been scaled back from a fully autonomous Apple car, to a shuttle bus for staff. Read more: “Hey Siri”: Now you can transfer money with just your [...]
George Soros’s investment firm Soros Fund Management is betting on Trump to fail as it takes on new holdings which could benefit from a downturn August 15, 2017 Soros Fund Management, the investment management firm founded by prominent Democratic Party donor George Soros, appears from its latest filings to be betting on US President Trump to fail. The firm has recently taken up put options on PowerShares QQQ Trust, SPDR S&P 500 ETF and iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund, it was revealed in [...]