Preparing for a workforce bred on mobile: Technology must become second-nature for firms to attract talent July 5, 2015 In case you missed the news, the Teletubbies are returning to our TVs. And they’re sporting a new look – they are now complete with touch screen bellies. Considering that (most of) the audience won’t be able to speak properly yet, this is a telling sign that the UK is now fully immersed in the [...]
Productivity isn’t such a puzzle: Five steps to unleash business’s potential July 5, 2015 Solving the “productivity puzzle” is consuming a lot of brain power in UK business and economic circles. But is it quite the conundrum it’s made out to be? Productivity is certainly a serious issue. The latest data offers a hopeful sign – as reported output per hour was 1.3 per cent higher in the first [...]
Is Chris Moyles coming back to breakfast radio? XFM job would put ex-BBC presenter up against Radio One’s Nick Grimshaw July 5, 2015 Former Radio One superstar DJ Chris Moyles is rumoured to be returning to breakfast radio where he made his name – this time with XFM. According to reports in the Sun on Sunday, the new show is going to start in September, after Moyles spends a couple of months putting together some ideas. If confirmed, [...]
July Budget 2015: BBC must “make a contribution” to welfare cuts, says George Osborne on Andrew Marr Show July 5, 2015 The BBC “can make a contribution” to the costs of free television licences for the over-75s, George Osborne has said, responding to reports that the broadcaster would be required to stump up millions of pounds to keep the pensioner benefit going. The fee is currently paid by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) but under [...]
Film review: In Terminator Genisys the future isn’t as frightening as it used to be July 2, 2015 Cert 12a | ★★★☆☆ Not even the most ardent Terminator fan wanted another sequel. Not after Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, with its lazily re-hashed storyline and absurd villain. Not after the bloated robot-opera Terminator Salvation, which even Christian Bale couldn’t make palatable. And that TV series… Oh God. But here we are. Arnold [...]
Theatre review: The Trial is a cultural vegetable July 2, 2015 Young Vic | ★★★☆☆ New York Times writer Dan Kois popularised the phrase “eating your cultural vegetables” – the idea that you need to wade through challenging material you don’t necessarily enjoy to offset the times you feel like binging on candyfloss. For all its prophetic brilliance, Kafka’s The Trial would qualify on most people's list [...]
Younger viewers are turning away from traditional television viewing and watching Netflix and iPlayer instead July 2, 2015 Only half of young people are watching broadcasts through live television. The figures are from media watchdog Ofcom’s latest research into the state of Public Service Broadcasters, released today. It found that viewers aged 16 to 24 years old are increasingly using online, on demand, streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and the [...]
Are smartphones making us dumb? Digital amnesia stops us remembering vital information because we use our devices to store memories July 2, 2015 Easy access to information at the touch of our fingertips is making it harder for us to remember things and creating digital amnesia. Storing numbers and other vital information like pin numbers as well as treasured photos on smartphones is acting like an external hard drive for our memories, resulting in the majority of us being [...]
Work and plays: Meet Richard Bean, Britain’s most successful contemporary playwright July 2, 2015 When Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors embarked on its first UK tour, every morning the dramatist would email James Corden (the lead) with tweaks and extra lines tailored to whatever audience he was facing that evening. Oh, you’re in Birmingham, swap line X with line Y. Leeds? Make sure you say Z. This tells [...]
La Dolce Vino: A visit to Italy reminds me that there’s more to Tuscan wine than hype July 2, 2015 I had a long weekend recently in Florence, cautiously reacquainting myself with the pleasures and pitfalls of Tuscan wine – and came away feeling that I’ve been too timid about the region for too long. With good reason, I might add. I have drunk more duff bottles of wine from Italy than any other nation [...]