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When you think of market research, you might picture wannabe-entrepreneurs from The Apprentice conducting their so-called “focus groups”; scrawling down notes about biscuit preferences from pre-school children and their parents.  Typically, contestants skirt over any negative feedback and continue full steam ahead with their nonsense concepts. It makes for great entertainment (“what were they thinking?!”) but does little for the reputation of customer research. Market resea

I utilise language in almost all aspects of my daily life. I rely heavily on my ability to read, understand and interpret, whether that be managing complex development projects at work, creating educational videos for my iluli video channel, or teaching my kids their times tables on an evening.  But not everyone enjoys a straightforward relationship with the written word. According to the British Dyslexia Association, the number of individuals with dyslexia in the UK is aroun

In January 2021, Top Gear website introduced a “cute” mobile charging robot. I must admit the accompanying images leave me in two minds. On the one hand, it is pretty cute – it looks to have a personality, like a bulked up, streamlined version of R2-D2 or Johnny 5 (if you’re old enough to remember that far back).  On the other hand, it’s kind of sinister. There’s something about its blinking digital “eyes” and waiting for you behind a wall in an underground car park that gi

When you think of virtual reality combat simulations, I expect you’ll picture video games. A fully immersive version of Call of Duty , perhaps? Solitary folk in their high-backed chairs barking orders from beneath their VR headsets? But we’re not talking fun and games here. We’re talking about the Royal Navy’s cutting-edge training programme. You had to be there... In January 2021, Wired published a behind-the-scenes article exploring the Navy’s futuristic training centre.

What do hedgehogs, foxes, birds and frogs have in common? Give up? Well, they’re all used to explain the importance of having range. David Epstein’s 2019 book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World makes for a fascinating read, introducing various analogies to explain why having a breadth of knowledge and experience is so vital. Predicting the future Let’s start with the hedgehogs and foxes. Referencing Philip Tetlock’s well-known nicknames, Epstein explains t

When it comes to asking questions, you’ll be familiar with the Five Ws: who, what, when, where and why. These five interrogative words have inherent value. They cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no," resulting in our frequent usage of them from a very young age. Much like poor Peggy Schuyler in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton , "how" gets an occasional look-in too (who, what, when, where, why… and how), but from author Simon Sinek’s perspective, no question is more im

After power, the second most important thing for my motorhome is fast, reliable internet. For years, camping and caravanning trips meant little to no mobile phone signal and no internet access whatsoever. Whilst caravan sites have upped their game in recent times, the Wi-Fi at most sites remains abysmal. All it takes is for everyone to head inside and fire up Facebook at the first sign of inclement weather, and any hope for stable Wi-Fi goes out the window. For someone like m

When it comes to motorhomes, you typically have a few options of how to power equipment such as kettles, ovens and fridges. As standard,...

For many, a holiday in a caravan or motorhome offers the opportunity to spend some quality time “off grid”. The chance to hitch up and...

With temperatures continuing to rise around the world, it’s clear we’ll need to rely on something other than rain dances to fend off droughts.  That’s where 'cloud seeding' comes in – a type of weather modification that typically aims to increase the amount of rain or snow. According to a March 2021 article in The Guardian : Cloud seeding involves using aircraft or drones to add small particles of silver iodide, which have a structure similar to ice, to clouds. Water droplets

In my day job, I’ve been responsible for hundreds – if not thousands – of hires. I’ve read CV after CV, conducted interview after interview… It can be a long, arduous process but it’s one I take very seriously.  It’s about more than just finding the right person for the job – it’s ensuring it’s the right job for the person. Will they find the work interesting? Will they feel challenged? Will they enjoy it? These are not questions answered by two sides of A4, but by hearing wh

When I think of farming, I picture tractors, wellington boots, hay bales and an awful lot of hard work. A farm would be one of the last places I’d consider to be futuristic. But I’d be wrong. Agritech start-ups around the world are on a mission to reinvent farming. And yes, we’re talking robots. In December 2020, Intelligent Living published an article detailing how a two-acre vertical farm run by artificial intelligence and robots out-produced a 720-acre flat farm. That’s q

In January 2021, the BBC reported that stationery chain Paperchase was on the brink of administration. It was sad news for anyone with a penchant for avocado-themed greetings cards, but worse news for the company’s 1,500 employees. Thankfully, 1,000 or so jobs were saved when Aspen Phoenix Newco, backed by Permira Debt Managers, stepped in as buyers.  Still, 27 stores were permanently closed, leading many to question where did it all go wrong for Paperchase? They have an on

In December 2020, the BBC published an article detailing how Japan’s government plans to fund artificial intelligence matchmaking schemes to combat the nation’s tumbling birth rate.  The state taking an active interest in the love lives of inhabitants feels like something from a Black Mirror episode, but with birth rates falling to a record low it's perhaps not surprising. According to the article: “Japan's population is projected to fall from a peak of 128 million in 2017

“Covfefe” will forever remain as Donald Trump’s best contribution on social media — the memes that followed were the gift that kept on giving. Even US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel conceded “what makes me saddest is that I know I’ll never write anything funnier than 'covfefe'”.  But whilst we laughed and joked at this innocuous typo, Trump’s tweets were becoming increasingly dangerous. On 6th January this year, riots took place at the U.S. Capitol, jeopardising the peaceful tra

Life expectancy in the UK has more than doubled over the course of two and a half centuries, from below 39 years in 1765 to 81.1 years in 2020. Smallpox outbreaks, World War One and the Spanish Flu epidemic contributed to dips in an otherwise overwhelmingly positive trajectory. Even since the turn of the millennium, the life expectancy rate has increased by more than 5%. But it has since stalled, with the slowdown reported as one of the biggest among 20 of the world’s leadi

I’m no make-up aficionado. I can’t tell powder from primer. But I can appreciate the tech trends that are transforming the beauty industry. Not only are they promoting inclusivity through advanced personalisation, they’re fantastically futuristic too. Take the Nudemeter,  a computer vision tool designed by Harvard Business School graduate Atima Lui. Users upload a selfie, complete a short quiz et voilà! An algorithm suggests the product that best matches their skin tone. Acco

You’ll often hear about “must-watch” television: the latest water-cooler thriller from HBO or the long-awaited finale of insert generic celebrity “talent” show here . Rarely should these programmes be considered compulsory viewing. David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet , on the other hand, very much should be. I’d go as far as to say it should be mandatory for all school-age children to watch at least once. Yes, there are graphic scenes of death and destruction — the snip

Towards the end of October 2020, Forbes published an article detailing a trial in which an artificial intelligence-based diagnostic tool had reduced hospital admissions by more than 50%. Even in “normal times”, such a substantial reduction would be welcome news. But at a time when a global pandemic has pushed many of the world’s health care systems to breaking point, it’s very welcome news indeed. The tool’s manufacturer — Clare Medical — concluded that “predicting which pat

If you’ve ever felt a lump in your throat listening to a piece of music, you’re far from alone. It’s a strange phenomenon — that the soft strumming of a guitar or sad sax solo can make you well up, especially without any prior connection to the tune. Sure, you’d expect a melancholy hymn from a funeral you attended to evoke such emotion, but what of a new track you’ve just heard on the radio? Or that Spotify has thrown up on a playlist? If you’ve seen The Holiday — a festive f