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Every now and again a news article crops up that provides the world with a much-needed giggle. In June 2020, The Guardian obliged with such a story . Entitled “Experts call for regulation after latest botched art restoration in Spain”, you’d be forgiven for thinking it sounds like a niche subject area. After all, I can’t say that Spanish artwork — or the art world is general — is something I pay much attention to. But this is no ordinary “art”. As the article title suggests,

One of the few positive side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the influx — and wider adoption — of exciting, new innovations. Touchless technology is one such innovation. Due to the omnipresent threat posed by contaminated surfaces, companies have had to reassess how users interact with their devices. In July, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced a new contactless touchscreen. Developed in conjunction with the University of Cambridge, their patented “predictive touch” techno

When you think of an advert for Microsoft you might expect the “Now only £499” fodder from Currys PC World or the like. But a couple of weeks ago, my curiosity was piqued by a very different type of TV spot: one providing an insight into Microsoft’s collaboration with the Snow Leopard Trust. With the tagline “Microsoft AI: Empowering us all”, the 67-second overview explains how Artificial Intelligence is able to do in ten minutes what would take a human ten days. The Snow Le

Would you let your boss microchip you? Not an everyday question I ask myself, I must admit. But, with technology advancing and security systems becoming more prevalent in our society, could this be the ID card of the 21st century? In January this year, The Wall Street Journal explored this very topic . "For many employees, the workday starts by swiping a plastic ID card to enter the office. But employers can’t always be sure who’s holding the card. "That humble ID badge is st

From the creation of Alan Turing’s melody-making machine in 1951 to David Bowie’s digital lyric randomiser, music and artificial intelligence have long been intertwined, but curiosity around untapped potential remains as strong as ever. In June this year, NME published an article that piqued my interest: “YouTuber creates fake Nirvana song using artificial intelligence.” I was curious to hear the results, and I was not disappointed. Funk Turkey, the alias behind the creation

A lot of things that come from the mouth of Elon Musk — or his Twitter account, for that matter — should be taken with a shovel-load of salt. But when he talks about the potential species-ending threat that Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses, perhaps we’d do well to sit up and listen. Quoting the Monty Python line, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition”, Musk hasn’t been shy in sharing his fears that one day — in the not-too-distant future — AI will turn on us. Way back in

Remember the good old days of playing board games? So-called 'family fun', sitting inside on a rainy afternoon with your sibling getting increasingly irate as you gleefully demand rent for your three hotels on Park Lane. Well, those days might have changed for good since Monopoly introduced a voice-activated edition of their family staple... Boasting that ‘Mr. Monopoly now listens’, you simply say commands like "pay rent on Piccadilly" and bam! the payment is moved to the pla

If the very idea of delivering a speech to a crowd of people starts making your palms sweat, take some solace in the fact that you’re far from alone. Time and again, study after study has found that public speaking is one of the most common phobias for people around the world.   But it’s also something that a huge number of us are called on to do on a regular basis, and while some people will understandably do almost anything to avoid these high-stress situations, the reality

Since lockdown began, the prospect of drone delivery from Amazon has gone from a wacky pie-in-the-sky idea to a genius innovation. What better way to offer contactless delivery to the masses during a pandemic than by utilising an army of flying robots to do the deed? It’s amazing how quickly perceptions can change. Amazon wouldn’t be “taking over the world” — it’d be saving it.  ​ As with all futuristic out-of-the-box ideas, however, some land better than others.  Take  Key  

When we were young, we’d find out what music was popular by tuning into Top of the Pops on a Friday evening, or listening to the chart show on the radio. Nowadays, many people listen solely to streaming services — such as Spotify — who use algorithms to recommend songs we’ll like based on our listening history. As such, our notion of what is and isn’t popular with the masses is greatly affected.   Similar to the Echo Chamber Effect, if you and those you follow consistently l

Can you remember a time in recent years when you left home without your smartphone? No? Me neither… Over time, that small device has become as essential to us as clothes, cards and keys. It’s hard to fathom now how we ever survived without one. It has become indispensable.  To understand our ever-increasing reliance on smartphones (iPhones, in particular), is to consider their evolution over the past 13 years...  The original iPhone launched in 2007. It was the year that Gord

The new fully electric MINI has landed. How soon you’ll get the opportunity to drive one, however, is up for debate. Somehow I don’t think test driving a shiny new hatchback could be considered “essential” right now.   Even if you are so inclined, it may take a while for the automotive industry to get back into gear (MINI stalled production at all UK, European and South African plants earlier in the year due to Coronavirus). But that doesn’t mean we can’t look forward to the

At a time where businesses around the world are closing their doors, furloughing their staff and relying on Government intervention to pay basic bills, it’s unlikely that anyone thinks this is a great time to launch a new start-up. Unless, that is, they’ve dreamt up a genius, new business model that will thrive in this demanding environment in which we now find ourselves. Drone deliveries don’t sound so preposterous now, do they?! ​ There will come a point in the future when

I’m sure every human being is suffering from stress and anxiety right now to varying degrees. In this current climate of uncertainty, sleep may be the last thing on our minds but it remains as important as ever.   Spending three or four hours tossing and turning does not constitute a proper rest, and our body will be more than happy to remind us of that at the most inconvenient times.  Struggling to focus, lack of motivation, physical fatigue… these are all classic symptoms o

Prior to the nationwide Coronavirus lockdown, Greggs — the UK bakery chain — was making the  news   for all the right reasons.   Not only has their vegan sausage roll proved to be a game changer, but the bigwigs at Head Office felt it right to share the product’s success directly with employees in the form of a £7m bonus payout. And they didn’t stop there... ​ Their new Vegan Steak Bake resulted in empty shelves in stores across the nation as they  struggled to meet demand.

In 2018, Laura Nolan — a top software engineer — resigned from her role at Google in protest. First thoughts turn to gender pay gaps, poor work / life balance, workplace harassment or similar — but you’d be wrong. She resigned over killer robots. ​ Faced with the prospect of working on a project that would dramatically enhance US military drone technology, Nolan instead called for a ban on autonomous war systems, stating that those not guided by human remote control should be

Many moan about the long, dark nights of January and February, yearning for springtime when the sun stays out a bit longer and the temperatures start to rise. That is until a pandemic takes holds and our way of life changes completely…   A more “typical” springtime, however, does give some in our society a reason to celebrate — fireworks season is over. As early as October all the way through to New Year’s Eve, there are plenty of excuses to illuminate the night’s sky — Bonfi

For months we've been in the depths of a cold, wet and windy winter, and my trusty robot lawnmower has been in hibernation. Gone, but not forgotten. My once lovely lawn is languishing, as I expect most are at this time of year. In years gone by I despaired at the state of it — unkempt grass, waterlogged earth, frostbitten foliage — but now I can rest easy, safe in the knowledge that come spring my marvellous mulching machine will bring it back to life. ​ So, what is a robot l

Every year there’s at least one new drama on television that gets everyone talking — the “must-see”, water cooler, trending on Twitter phenomenon… 2019 was the year of BBC’s The Capture — a riveting six-part series led by Holliday Grainger and Callum Turner.    Having been acquitted of a war crime in Afghanistan, former Special Forces Lance Corporal Shaun Emery (played by Turner) finds himself accused of the kidnap and murder of his barrister. CCTV footage clearly shows the p

The UK General Election in December 2019 saw the Labour Party’s worst result since 1935. When the exit poll figures were revealed, I’m sure even the most die-hard of Conservative supporters were a little shocked at just how great the gains were.   In the run up to the result, numerous news outlets including the  Independent ,  Metro   and  The Telegraph spoke of how Labour were closing the gap, due in no small part — it was believed — to their savviness with social media.  J