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If you’ve seen Spike Jonze’s 2013 film, Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson, the prospect of forming an intimate and meaningful relationship with artificial intelligence might not seem too far-fetched...  ​ For in the not-too-distant future, we find our protagonist — a lonely, depressed and introverted individual named Theodore Twombly (played by Phoenix) — seeking solace from a female-voiced virtual assistant to numb the pain of his impending divorce. Samant

You may have heard of the uncanny valley effect before. It’s a memorable name, that’s for sure, but what does it pertain to? In short, it's the hypothesised relation between an object's degree of resemblance to a human being and the emotional response to the object. Or, in other words, when you find a humanoid robot hella creepy! That uneasy feeling is central to the notion of uncanny valley, first hypothesised by Masahiro Mori — a Japanese roboticist — way back in 1970. Near

I like to imagine some bright spark product designer at Philips having their light-bulb moment to develop the Hue range…   “ It’s like a normal light bulb. But smart. And colourful …” would have been the pitch. “ What’s the point in that?!” would have been the response.    Because it’s another cool gadget, of course!  For many households, the purchase of a voice-controlled device such as Amazon’s Echo or Google Home is their first foray into “smart home” territory, and the a

The sheer popularity of books pertaining to the world of work can be visible from a passing glance at a Waterstone’s window display. Time management, how to influence others, how to be less stressed, how to get what you want and feel happy whilst doing so…     Conversely, the supposed “secret” to managing your time more effectively can only be unlocked by spending your precious time learning how to do so.  In most cases, there is no quick fix — no single remedy to a lifelong

My enjoyment of driving can vary wildly depending on my reason for travel. A solo outing with no time constraints, no traffic and an AC/DC-packed playlist can be blissful. Towing a caravan during a heatwave on a Bank Holiday weekend with two disgruntled kids bickering on the backseat, not so much… ​ Like most things in life, optimal conditions are required for experiences to be pleasurable. A gourmet picnic with good friends can soon be ruined by a thunderstorm. Music concert

Some techy terminology is inherently intriguing. The World Wide Web, for instance. Or quantum computing, blockchain, artificial intelligence… These terms serve to pique your interest and desire to find out more. They sound exciting and futuristic, perhaps evoking memories of sci-fi novels and movies. But the 'Internet of Things'? What’s that about?!  It sounds like something you say when you’ve forgotten the right words. What is the definition of a 'thing' and why do they nee

If you’ve never completed a CAPTCHA before, chances are this is the first time you’ve ever logged on to the World Wide Web. In which case, welcome! What kept you?! For the rest of us internet obsessives, however, encountering a CAPTCHA can occur multiple times a day.   From setting up a new email account to buying concert tickets, that trusty “I’m not a robot” check box is never far away. Nor are the incessant requests to “Select all squares with… vehicles / storefronts / str

Think phobias only relate to eight-legged critters, tall buildings and small spaces? Think again. There's a new phobia in town and it's got your number... ​ Where trends in digital health are concerned, it’s no surprise to see the big buzzwords crop up in predictions time and time again — AI, blockchain, remote monitoring... It’s not so much about uncovering “the next big thing”, as it is identifying when new developments will reach scalable, sustainable and, thereby, success

It’s stating the obvious to say technology has forever changed the way we interact. From telegrams to emails to FaceTime, innovations in the communications sphere have consistently strived to simplify and streamline the process of keeping in touch and up-to-date.   Whilst I am guilty of spending many an idle moment marvelling at this rapid and radical progress, for me it pales into insignificance compared with the great strides made within the realms of healthcare. The Apple

Ever wondered how long you spend on your smartphone each day? There’s an app for that… Ok, the Apple slogan doesn’t quite ring true in this case — it’s a feature within Settings rather than an app in itself — but Screen Time on the iPhone has cracked the case of deciphering where your lost hours are spent, and in impressively granular detail. Released as a key feature of iOS 12 in September 2018, Screen Time tracks how many times you pick up your phone during a specified peri

Surely it’s only a matter of time before “knock, knock” jokes become a thing of the past? Video doorbells such as Ring and Nest Hello are certainly playing a big part in their demise. After all, there’s something fundamentally unfunny about questioning “who’s there?” when you can quite clearly see for yourself on your smartphone screen from anywhere with a decent Wi-Fi or 4G connection.  It’s surprising that the widespread adoption of video doorbells didn’t catch on earlier.

I’m someone who travels frequently for work. From adventures across the Atlantic to long-haul flights to China and beyond, it can feel like I spend most of my time in planes, trains and automobiles. And whilst I can appreciate nostalgia for the public transport of yesteryear — the golden age of steam locomotives and such — I relish every technological advancement that changes the way we travel.  A feeling of mild dread envelops me every time I see an older electric train trun

We have a family cat but I yearn for a dog to join the Lamb clan. Our two-year-old is on board with the idea but my wife insists — rightly, I concede — that I’m just not home enough to take care of one, especially while our children are so young. It’s a big commitment.   It led me to ponder, why couldn’t a robot be the answer to lend a hand with doggy duties?  Like me, you might remember the drone dog walkers in Back to the Future II and already have some form of automated

Are speed, ease and convenience worth sacrificing enjoyable human experiences for? When it comes to my morning dose of caffeine, I'm not convinced... ​ As alluded to in previous blogs, I’m a steadfast fan of automation when it can enrich or improve lives through increased convenience, efficiency or value. There are instances of products already on the market — read ' smart toasters' — where I don’t feel these fundamentals have been met. There’s an art to “smart” and not ever

I’m not usually one for self-help books. I’ve always felt life lessons are best learned through enduring personal experience, rather than heeding prescriptive advice from writers who enjoy a very different existence to my own. ​ That said,  The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck   had an intriguing title and the coveted New York Times Bestseller accolade — enough to warrant a read from me.  Before reading the book, I was of the view that many of these so-called “experts” in hap

The rapid growth in the popularity of eSports perfectly demonstrates how a more connected world has not only changed how we interact with one another but how we entertain ourselves.  ​ For any child or gamer in the 90s, the preluding EA Sports “It’s in the Game” slogan was likely heard more times than “dinner’s ready”, “tidy your room” and “you’ll be late for school” combined. The no-nonsense tone of the voiceover reverberated around millions of bedrooms on both sides of the

It's a sad fact of life that many of the musical legends of our youth are no longer with us. Of those that remain, not all of them are willing or able to continue performing. But what of the fans still desperate for more?   That's where holograms come in... It’s hard to believe that it’s been a decade since Jennifer Saunders first donned the dowdy dungarees of Mamma Mia’s Donna Sheridan, AKA Meryl Streep, for Comic Relief. And lucky for the British populace, Saunders and co w

I can’t be the only one who senses a dumbing down of society. Perhaps it’s the mindless scrolling through social media apps, the binge-watching of television serials or choosing to have Prime Now deliver that last-minute anniversary gift that you forgot to plan for whilst partaking in the former activities? ​ It is perhaps unsurprising then, that the concurrent rise in the use of the prefix 'smart' presents something of a contradiction.  Smart phones, smart TVs, smart watches

For a tech-obsessive such as myself, smart home devices unlock new levels of excitement — not least, the anticipation of what might be coming next. ​ For the most part, the devices that exist already are common sense solutions to everyday qualms. For instance, a video doorbell allows you to see who is at the door, even from the other side of the world. It offers a heightened sense of safety, which feels like the next logical step from a security camera and alarm system. The s

Wireless speakers and home sound systems have been around for so many years now, that the memory of what life was like before is becoming progressively hazier. Here, I share my soft spot for one brand in particular — Sonos. ​ For the youth of today — my children included — the sight of a cassette tape and a pencil is meaningless. An everyday struggle for pre-00s kids, now condemned to the annals of history (except for, perhaps, a small army of East London hipsters threatening