http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/28/apple-quarterly-results-iphone-silicon-valley-developers
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21689619-among-firms-biggest-difficulties-its-past-success-iphone-therefore-i-am
Friday, January 29, 2016
Putin’s popularity
http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21689626-russias-president-impervious-woes-afflict-normal-leaders-vladimir-unbound
In today’s Russia, where the Kremlin controls most media and politics offers no alternative, polls are more ambiguous than in countries where they measure the support of competing politicians. Instead of offering an assessment of Mr Putin’s actions, ratings reflect “the condition of a complex of collective expectations, hopes, and illusions connected with him”, as the late sociologist Yuri Levada said in 2005.
In today’s Russia, where the Kremlin controls most media and politics offers no alternative, polls are more ambiguous than in countries where they measure the support of competing politicians. Instead of offering an assessment of Mr Putin’s actions, ratings reflect “the condition of a complex of collective expectations, hopes, and illusions connected with him”, as the late sociologist Yuri Levada said in 2005.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
The Business of Data - EIU Report
http://www.eiuperspectives.economist.com/technology-innovation/business-data-0?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=NTT
This EIU report examines how companies are positioning themselves to benefit directly from the wave of opportunities offered by fast-evolving data technologies. It is based on a cross-industry survey of 476 executives based largely in North America, Europe and Asia on their companies’ data plans and practices, as well as insights from the leaders of organisations at the forefront of the emerging data industry
This EIU report examines how companies are positioning themselves to benefit directly from the wave of opportunities offered by fast-evolving data technologies. It is based on a cross-industry survey of 476 executives based largely in North America, Europe and Asia on their companies’ data plans and practices, as well as insights from the leaders of organisations at the forefront of the emerging data industry
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Vladimir Putin, Roman Abramovich, and the £25 million yacht
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/vladimir-putin/12120710/Vladimir-Putin-Roman-Abramovich-and-the-25-million-yacht.html
Vladmir Putin has a vast personal fortune including a 57-metre luxury yacht he was given by the owner of Chelsea football club, a new documentary claims.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Rise in space junk orbiting the Earth could provoke war Russian scientists warn
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/rise-in-space-junk-orbiting-the-earth-could-provoke-armed-conflict-warn-russian-scientists-a6831256.html
Researchers at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow said the debris had a “special political danger” because it is difficult to determine whether an operational satellite had been hit by the fragments or was intentionally attacked by another country.
Researchers at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow said the debris had a “special political danger” because it is difficult to determine whether an operational satellite had been hit by the fragments or was intentionally attacked by another country.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Friday, January 22, 2016
Google paid Apple $1bn to be default iOS search engine
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/22/google-paid-apple-1bn-to-be-default-ios-search-engine
The payments kept Google as the default search engine for mobile Safari, allowing it to continue to cash in on iOS. And being the default is important: when Apple switched from Google Maps to its own in-house team for the default map app on iPhones in 2012, the new app was criticised for its error-ridden maps.
Three years on, the default app was used three times as much as Google’s own app, according to Apple. That’s millions of users who Google can’t get data from or show adverts to.
The payments kept Google as the default search engine for mobile Safari, allowing it to continue to cash in on iOS. And being the default is important: when Apple switched from Google Maps to its own in-house team for the default map app on iPhones in 2012, the new app was criticised for its error-ridden maps.
Three years on, the default app was used three times as much as Google’s own app, according to Apple. That’s millions of users who Google can’t get data from or show adverts to.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Oil price and Russian politics: a history
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2016/01/red-and-black
Over the last two years, Russia has stepped up its aggressive stance abroad. The invasion of eastern Ukraine and annexation of Crimea took place when the price of oil was still over $100 a barrel. But as the oil price fell, Mr Putin did not become any friendlier to the West nor to its neighbours. Indeed, he offered the war in Ukraine and patriotic euphoria as a compensation for the falling oil prices and lack of economic growth. September 2015 saw Russia flex its military muscle further still, this time in Syria, its first Middle Eastern intervention in decades. To date it continues to carry out air strikes there in support of its long-time ally, embattled President Bashar Assad, against anti-government rebel targets (and to a lesser extent Islamic State). Russia's presence in the oil-rich region soon tested the limits of its already strained international relations after Turkey shot down one of its fighter jets in late November.
Over the last two years, Russia has stepped up its aggressive stance abroad. The invasion of eastern Ukraine and annexation of Crimea took place when the price of oil was still over $100 a barrel. But as the oil price fell, Mr Putin did not become any friendlier to the West nor to its neighbours. Indeed, he offered the war in Ukraine and patriotic euphoria as a compensation for the falling oil prices and lack of economic growth. September 2015 saw Russia flex its military muscle further still, this time in Syria, its first Middle Eastern intervention in decades. To date it continues to carry out air strikes there in support of its long-time ally, embattled President Bashar Assad, against anti-government rebel targets (and to a lesser extent Islamic State). Russia's presence in the oil-rich region soon tested the limits of its already strained international relations after Turkey shot down one of its fighter jets in late November.
What happens when a computer program is taught to write new episodes of Friends
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/12110804/Man-teaches-computer-program-to-write-new-episodes-of-Friends.html
Humour is seen as one of the final frontiers of artificial intelligence, being one of the most difficult things for computers to understand, which is perhaps unsurprising since psychologists also don't understand it nearly as well as other psychological phenomena.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
RIP Friends Reunited – but what else is lurking in the social media graveyard?
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2016/jan/19/rip-friends-reunited-what-else-is-lurking-in-social-media-graveyard-
As with the fate of so many social networks, news of Friends Reunited’s closure was greeted with surprise that it had been continuing at all. Since its peak in 2005, when it was sold to ITV for £175m, the site’s key demographic – old people who wanted to snoop on the loves of their teenage years – had been in steady decline, cannibalised by Facebook stalking, LinkedIn lurking and a quick Google Image search.
As with the fate of so many social networks, news of Friends Reunited’s closure was greeted with surprise that it had been continuing at all. Since its peak in 2005, when it was sold to ITV for £175m, the site’s key demographic – old people who wanted to snoop on the loves of their teenage years – had been in steady decline, cannibalised by Facebook stalking, LinkedIn lurking and a quick Google Image search.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Putin’s People Are Not Happy With Us
http://www.interpretermag.com/putins-people-are-not-happy-with-us/
Many of the personalities who remained on the network had their reputations damaged by their own words. The Interpreter alone documented an RT editor who knew information on their website was fake but kept the content up for weeks; a Germany “expert” and frequent guest who is really a major neo-Nazi leader and publicist; another frequent RT guest who is a 9/11 truther and avowed racist; an RT host who believes that some of the victims of 9/11 knew about the attack beforehand and tried to capitalize on it; a “whistle-blower” and financial expert for RT who thinks that the World Bank and the Vatican are run by a species of non-human coneheads (which is why the pope wears a big hat); yet another RT host who thinks North Korea would be a nice place to live; an anchor who interviewed an entertainer (named by RT as a journalist) who thinks HIV does not cause AIDS; an (already discredited) RT field correspondent who made up a story about being shot at in Ukraine and filmed evidence that proves he was lying; a “human rights expert” who, despite being a holocaust denier who is friends with convicted hate criminals, is a frequent guest on RT; and an RT columnist who is an associate of a now-deported Russian agent and who threatened to sue us just for asking basic questions about his resume. Our work on RT had an effect — basic Google searches of some of RT’s favorite guests and personalities netted our articles exposing these people as cranks. And this, of course, does not even mention our near-daily debunking of Kremlin propaganda, spread by RT, concerning Russia’s foreign and domestic policy, and our special reports tearing apart RT’s coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the shooting down of civilian airliner MH17.
Many of the personalities who remained on the network had their reputations damaged by their own words. The Interpreter alone documented an RT editor who knew information on their website was fake but kept the content up for weeks; a Germany “expert” and frequent guest who is really a major neo-Nazi leader and publicist; another frequent RT guest who is a 9/11 truther and avowed racist; an RT host who believes that some of the victims of 9/11 knew about the attack beforehand and tried to capitalize on it; a “whistle-blower” and financial expert for RT who thinks that the World Bank and the Vatican are run by a species of non-human coneheads (which is why the pope wears a big hat); yet another RT host who thinks North Korea would be a nice place to live; an anchor who interviewed an entertainer (named by RT as a journalist) who thinks HIV does not cause AIDS; an (already discredited) RT field correspondent who made up a story about being shot at in Ukraine and filmed evidence that proves he was lying; a “human rights expert” who, despite being a holocaust denier who is friends with convicted hate criminals, is a frequent guest on RT; and an RT columnist who is an associate of a now-deported Russian agent and who threatened to sue us just for asking basic questions about his resume. Our work on RT had an effect — basic Google searches of some of RT’s favorite guests and personalities netted our articles exposing these people as cranks. And this, of course, does not even mention our near-daily debunking of Kremlin propaganda, spread by RT, concerning Russia’s foreign and domestic policy, and our special reports tearing apart RT’s coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the shooting down of civilian airliner MH17.
Fizzled out: a history of Coca-Cola flops
http://www.theguardian.com/business/shortcuts/2016/jan/17/fizzled-out-a-history-of-coca-cola-flops?CMP=share_btn_fb
See also: Diet-Coke With Lemon, Diet Coke Vanilla, Coca-Cola With Lime, Diet Coke Plus (vitamins), Diet Raspberry Coke, Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla (seriously), Diet Coke Lime, Coca-Cola With Orange, and Coca-Cola C2 (low carb), all of which had their fun, then passed into marketing history
See also: Diet-Coke With Lemon, Diet Coke Vanilla, Coca-Cola With Lime, Diet Coke Plus (vitamins), Diet Raspberry Coke, Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla (seriously), Diet Coke Lime, Coca-Cola With Orange, and Coca-Cola C2 (low carb), all of which had their fun, then passed into marketing history
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Cameron Mackintosh - Risky musical theatre business into a billion-pound cash machine
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/af6b04f6-ba34-11e5-bf7e-8a339b6f2164.html
One of his frustrations is that few people appreciate his business, and most heavily underestimate its value. Musicals are expensive to keep running — a top musical has weekly costs of between £150,000 and £250,000 — and revenues have to be split between theatres, producers, writers and other rights holders. But they amass very large sums over time. Avatar, the biggest-grossing film in Hollywood history, took $2.9bn at the box office. Phantom’s box-office sales are more than twice that — $6bn to date, while Les Misérables is just behind at $5.5bn.
One of his frustrations is that few people appreciate his business, and most heavily underestimate its value. Musicals are expensive to keep running — a top musical has weekly costs of between £150,000 and £250,000 — and revenues have to be split between theatres, producers, writers and other rights holders. But they amass very large sums over time. Avatar, the biggest-grossing film in Hollywood history, took $2.9bn at the box office. Phantom’s box-office sales are more than twice that — $6bn to date, while Les Misérables is just behind at $5.5bn.
Friday, January 15, 2016
Why I've ditched my smartphone for a dumb old Nokia
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/why-ive-ditched-my-smartphone-for-a-dumb-old-nokia/
At first I was particularly conscious of having it in business meetings. Part of my work is in digital media with leading brands and ad agencies, one minute I’d be explaining our web-site, Sabotage Times, has two million unique page views a month and a very active twitter following and the next I’d be making a call on something that looks like the toy phone my two-year-old has.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Glamorous tech startups can be brutal places for workers
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21688390-glamorous-tech-startups-can-be-brutal-places-workers-other-side-paradise
Tech firms that offer lavish perks to their staff do not do so out of the goodness of their hearts. They offer them because they expect people to work so hard that they will not have time for such mundane things as buying lunch or popping to the dry-cleaners. As Gerald Ledford of the University of Southern California’s business school puts it, they are “golden handcuffs” to keep people at their desks. Some of the most extravagant perks are illusions: “take as much holiday as you like” may really mean “take as little as possible, and as much as you dare.” Some have vaguely sinister undertones: might the option for women to freeze their eggs end up becoming the expectation?
Tech firms that offer lavish perks to their staff do not do so out of the goodness of their hearts. They offer them because they expect people to work so hard that they will not have time for such mundane things as buying lunch or popping to the dry-cleaners. As Gerald Ledford of the University of Southern California’s business school puts it, they are “golden handcuffs” to keep people at their desks. Some of the most extravagant perks are illusions: “take as much holiday as you like” may really mean “take as little as possible, and as much as you dare.” Some have vaguely sinister undertones: might the option for women to freeze their eggs end up becoming the expectation?
A Real Crackdown on Fake Ads
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-01-13/a-real-crackdown-on-fake-ads
It's hard to persuade advertisers to close their eyes to the wastefulness of running display ads. So media outlets decided to tempt them with the chance to blend brand communication with their main offerings. And it has worked beautifully. Business Insider, a top apologist for the native advertising model, reported last year that spending on the format was growing exponentially and would reach $5.7 billion in 2018, compared with $1.9 billion in 2015. Even the New York Times got into the business and saw it grow fast, claiming that labeling the content "paid post" or "stories from our advertisers" was enough to set it apart. The Times later dropped the word "stories" from the second label, after some readers complained it was misleading. In a column about the practice, Public Editor Margaret Sullivan wrote:
If native ads look too much like journalism, they damage credibility; if they look nothing like journalism, they lose their appeal to advertisers. A fine line, indeed.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Monday, January 11, 2016
Was Putin’s Media Chief Ready To Snitch Before He Dropped Dead?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/10/was-putin-s-media-chief-ready-to-snitch-before-he-dropped-dead.html
Lesin certainly would have had a lot to say about Putin’s inner circle—he worked with, and reportedly owed money to, some of the most powerful men in Russian media and finance. And he would have had a powerful incentive to cooperate with U.S. authorities, namely hanging onto his several mansions in Los Angeles, which potentially could have been seized. At least two of the homes are known to be occupied, respectively, by his daughter and his son, a Hollywood film producer whose star is on the rise.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/12/putin-s-pals-are-russian-patriots-until-they-get-sick.html
Lesin certainly would have had a lot to say about Putin’s inner circle—he worked with, and reportedly owed money to, some of the most powerful men in Russian media and finance. And he would have had a powerful incentive to cooperate with U.S. authorities, namely hanging onto his several mansions in Los Angeles, which potentially could have been seized. At least two of the homes are known to be occupied, respectively, by his daughter and his son, a Hollywood film producer whose star is on the rise.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/12/putin-s-pals-are-russian-patriots-until-they-get-sick.html
Thursday, January 7, 2016
The stories behind FHM's best, worst and most controversial front covers
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/the-stories-behind-fhms-best-worst-and-most-controversial-front/
As FHM’s last ever issue goes on sale, Martin Daubney, the magazine's Features Editor from 1997 to 1999, looks back at the tales of drink, fights, unhappy agents, and era-defining commissioning
As FHM’s last ever issue goes on sale, Martin Daubney, the magazine's Features Editor from 1997 to 1999, looks back at the tales of drink, fights, unhappy agents, and era-defining commissioning
Netflix extends its service to almost all the world
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35247309
"...we can spend less on marketing and still generate higher viewership, even from smaller, quirkier, less traditionally commercial material that would traditionally have a tough time finding a meaningful audience. That means we can take more risk"
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/netflixs-content-chief-just-perfectly-summarized-how-tv-industrys-been-broken-birth-168860
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/business/media/netflix-expands-its-streaming-service-worldwide.html?_r=0
"...we can spend less on marketing and still generate higher viewership, even from smaller, quirkier, less traditionally commercial material that would traditionally have a tough time finding a meaningful audience. That means we can take more risk"
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/netflixs-content-chief-just-perfectly-summarized-how-tv-industrys-been-broken-birth-168860
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/business/media/netflix-expands-its-streaming-service-worldwide.html?_r=0
'Star Wars: Force Awakens' Tops 'Avatar' to Become No. 1 Film of All Time in North America
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-star-wars-force-852274
Other domestic records include biggest second weekend of all time ($149.2 million), biggest third weekend ($90.2 million), biggest Thursday preview gross ($57 million), biggest Christmas Day ($49.3 million), biggest New Year's Day ($34.4 million), highest location average for a wide debut ($59,982) and biggest opening week ($390.9 million).
Thanks to Force Awakens, domestic revenue for 2015 hit a record $11 billion at the last minute. The movie has broken numerous records, including biggest domestic opening ($247.9 million), biggest global debut ($529 million), fastest film to reach $100 million (24 hours), $200 million (three days), $300 million (five days), $400 million (eight days), $500 million (10 days), $600 million (12 days), and $700 (16 days).
Other domestic records include biggest second weekend of all time ($149.2 million), biggest third weekend ($90.2 million), biggest Thursday preview gross ($57 million), biggest Christmas Day ($49.3 million), biggest New Year's Day ($34.4 million), highest location average for a wide debut ($59,982) and biggest opening week ($390.9 million).
Monday, January 4, 2016
CES 2016: Preview of the Las Vegas tech showcase
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35192737
VHS recorders, HD TVs, the Xbox games console and Blu-ray discs all made their debut at past shows.
VHS recorders, HD TVs, the Xbox games console and Blu-ray discs all made their debut at past shows.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Premier League: Football’s game changer
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4f78e368-b072-11e5-b955-1a1d298b6250.html#axzz3vtVXz6z5
The success of smaller clubs this season has partially vindicated the strategies of Mr Hulsizer, Mr Harris and Mr Blitzer. Between them, Leicester, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Watford and Stoke have 157 points — two more than the big five of Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. Now that even the smallest club is guaranteed enough TV money to lure a deadly striker and help fend off approaches for their best talent, the bigger teams can no longer count on one-sided matches.
The success of smaller clubs this season has partially vindicated the strategies of Mr Hulsizer, Mr Harris and Mr Blitzer. Between them, Leicester, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Watford and Stoke have 157 points — two more than the big five of Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. Now that even the smallest club is guaranteed enough TV money to lure a deadly striker and help fend off approaches for their best talent, the bigger teams can no longer count on one-sided matches.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Forecasting the world in 2016
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7c70d9a2-aef1-11e5-b955-1a1d298b6250.html#axzz3vtVXz6z5
New Year beckons and the Financial Times once more indulges in the ritual of forecasting the 12 months ahead. Our experts and commentators set caution to one side and predict what will happen in everything from the US presidential election to the Euro 2016 football tournament.
New Year beckons and the Financial Times once more indulges in the ritual of forecasting the 12 months ahead. Our experts and commentators set caution to one side and predict what will happen in everything from the US presidential election to the Euro 2016 football tournament.
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